Thelma and Louise (film)
"Thelma and Louise" is a groundbreaking film directed by Ridley Scott, featuring Susan Sarandon as Louise and Geena Davis as Thelma. The film tells the story of two women, a housewife and a waitress from Arkansas, who embark on what they hope will be a simple weekend getaway. However, their trip quickly spirals into a series of life-altering events, beginning with a violent encounter that leads to a fatal act of self-defense. The film explores themes of female friendship, empowerment, and the quest for freedom against a backdrop of male authority and societal constraints.
As they drive in a 1966 Thunderbird convertible, Thelma and Louise develop a profound bond, ultimately choosing to face death together rather than return to a life of confinement. The film is notable for its portrayal of women taking center stage in an action-driven narrative, challenging traditional gender roles in cinema. It highlights the complexities of relationships and the impact of personal choices, set against a vivid landscape of Americana. "Thelma and Louise" received critical acclaim, winning the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and solidifying its place in film history as a significant feminist milestone.
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Subject Terms
Thelma and Louise (film)
Director Ridley Scott (1937- )
Date Released on May 24, 1991
Despite its use of exaggerated character stereotypes, the release and subsequent popularity of this film resulted in serious debates over gender and women’s desires.
Thelma and Louise, starring Susan Sarandon as Louise and Geena Davis as Thelma, is far more than a simple road adventure film. It is a commentary about life’s relationships gone sour, betrayal, weakness and strength, and self-discovery during a journey that ends with a kiss and then death. Two bored women living in Arkansas, one a housewife and the other a waitress, pack their things, take a photo before departure, and then set out for what is to be a weekend getaway from routine (Louise) and spousal neglect and abuse (Thelma). Before long, the trip snowballs into an adventure far beyond what was initially envisioned, as an attempted rape by a man whom Thelma met in a bar ends when Louise kills him, the trigger pulled not so much because of the intended violence but because of the words uttered by the would-be perpetrator. It is a 1966 Thunderbird convertible that brings the two temporary freedom. It is also in the automobile that the pair forms a bond of intimate friendship so tight that at the end of the film the two would rather die holding hands than live in confinement.
The men in this film are portrayed in a simplistic manner, but there is a kernel of truth in the characterization of each of the types portrayed. Jimmy (Michael Madsen), Louise’s boyfriend, can be both sensitive and loyal, but also violent when the least bit confused. Thelma’s husband, Darryl (Christopher McDonald), is the self-centered insensitive spouse, certainly reflective of a large group of men within American society. Male authority, as reflected in a traffic cop, is bold when he has access to his gun, but cowering when one is pointed at him. The hitchhiker lover, played by Brad Pitt, has the appearance of being sensitive and understanding, but behind the veneer he is deceitful and egotistical. Only detective Hal Slocum (Harvey Keitel) has an understanding of the pair’s true situation and motives, and he turns out to be powerless.
Impact
Thelma and Louise won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. The film legitimized the notion that women could be at the center of a first-rank outlaw road film, in a way no different than Midnight Run (1988) or Rain Man (1988). Autonomous women were now behind the wheel, not simply in the passenger’s seat. The backdrop of this rather unlikely story—the roadhouses, gin mills, gas stations, motels, oil fields, and wild horses—provide the viewer with a realistic context to raise serious questions concerning the dilemmas of life and the roads taken, the consequences of both personal choices and chance that inevitably confront individuals.
Bibliography
Greenberg, Harvey R., et al. “The Many Faces of Thelma and Louise.” Film Quarterly 45, no. 2 (Winter, 1991-1992): 20-31.
Griggers, Cathy. “Thelma and Louise and the Cultural Generation of the New Butch-Femme.” In Film Theory Goes to the Movies, edited by Jim Collins, Hilary Radner, and Ava Preacher Collins. New York: Routledge, 1993.
Mills, Katie. The Road Story and the Rebel Moving Through Film, Fiction, and Television. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2006.