moonspinner55 Review of Thelma & Louise

Thelma & Louise (1991)

Despite some fundamental weaknesses, it has really held up over time...

[7/10 · 29 January 2006]

Two accidental female fugitives elude the police while attempting to drive across the Southwest to Mexico. Filmmaker Ridley Scott shows a terrific talent for directing women here, and the performances by Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis are almost uncanny. One can hardly believe that these two haven't been friends for years, their give and take seems so lived in. Salty waitress Sarandon, initially the savvier of the two, is loose and girlie with Arkansas housewife Davis in the beginning; however, their character shadings soon change, with both ladies eventually taking turns playing 'the brains' (I didn't really believe it when, having been pulled over by a cop in the desert, Sarandon's Louise becomes kind of a dingbat, but you accept it for the moment and the movie quickly rolls on). The men in the cast obviously don't get much of a chance to shine, but Harvey Keitel does the understanding detective bit very well (it's almost the same man he portrayed in "Mortal Thoughts"); Brad Pitt has a scene-stealing, star-making role as a cowboy hustler, yet this film took a long time to gain a fully appreciative audience. It did modest business and garnered Oscar nominations for the ladies, but only afterward did it take on some resonance (it's now viewed as a feminist statement and has a loyal following among lesbian audiences). It creaks a little, and the twangy main theme gives way to a ridiculously melodramatic score, but the narrative is so tight and the women are so good that it keeps you watching--and returning. *** from ****