Thank you for all your lovely comments. I'm taking an extended break from Ciao due to pressures from...
Thank you for all your lovely comments. I'm taking an extended break from Ciao due to pressures from work and home. Feel free to drop me from your COT if you're feeling neglected. You're all great writers and I'm gonna miss you! xxxx
Member since:14.05.2003
Reviews:54
Members who trust:25
The other night, my sister came round for a 'girly night in', bringing with her too much wine and a 'mystery video'. I begged to know what it was, but for the first hour of being at my house, all she said was 'you'll love it'. Not even when she put it in the machine was I allowed to know what it was - but as the first credits started to roll, and the Country music played, and the camera panned across the great American Midwest, I squealed with delight: 'Thelma and Louise! Oh my god, that's like my favourite film ever!' My sister laughed. 'I am your sister, I would know. And besides, who doesn't love this film?'
She's right. The beautifully acted, beautifully shot story of female empowerment and the ultimate road trip is loved by women the world over - and I bet there are few men who aren't captivated by it too.
Straightlaced waitress Louise Sawyer (Susan Sarandon) and ditzy housewife Thelma Dickenson (the adorable Geena Davies) both feel trapped by their respective
boyfriend (Michael Madson) and husband (Christopher MacDonald), so decide to throw off the shackles of their everyday lives and go on a girls-only road trip together for two nights. Despite Thelma's reservations and not having asked her husband, they get on the road and make for Louise's boss's cabin in the hills. Unfortunately, a badly-timed stop at a honky-tonk bar means that Thelma gets drunk and almost raped by a would-be cowboy (Timothy Carhart). Luckily - or perhaps unluckily - Louise is on hand with Thelma's gun to put a damper on proceedings. Soon, the girls are fugitives from the law, and crazy Thelma and smart-mouthed Louise are on the run across country, desparate to make it to Mexico before their luck runs out. On the way, they meet sexy conman and cowboy JD (Brad Pitt in his star-making role - 'and he had such a cute ass. Darryl never had a cute ass. You could park a bike in his ass') all the while being chased by sympathetic cop Hal (Harvey Keitel) and their husbands.
Probably the thing that makes the film is the chemistry between the two leads. Sarandon and Davies play off each other wonderfully with charisma and oodles of charm that always keeps you on their side. Davies' Thelma is probably her greatest character, ditzy, a little wild ('you said we were gonna let our hair down, well watch out honey, because my hair is comin' down!', 'I'm not on drugs, but I might just be CRAZY!') and endlessly loveable. Sarandon's perpetually chain-smoking Louise is the more sedate character, the one that keeps Thelma's head above water, the wiser, more unhappy one who thinks about the consequences. Both are amazing performances, worthy of their Oscar nominations. Brad Pitt's role as JD is a bit of a bastard, but he's so funny and sexy ('you two seem to be on the same wavelength here, so maybe I should just step outside a minute') that you'll probably forgive him anyway. Harvey Keitel's cop is one of the few male characters that isn't rotten. Sincerely trying to help the girls, you really believe that he wants them to get through it ok and is on their side. One of the funniest characters - barring Thelma - is her husband, Darryl. A dirty, drinking, male chauvanistic pig, he treats Thelma like utter sh*t and thinks he can get away with it. One of the reasons the ending is almost uplifting is because of the life Thelma used to lead when married to him. However, he's so hilariously played by McDonald that you're happy for him to be in the scene cause he keeps the humour in there.
Louise: Now if you think he knows anything, hang up the phone, because the line will be tapped. Thelma: [Dials the number] Darryl: [Exchanges looks with police, then answers phone] Hello? Thelma: Hey Darryl, it's me. Darryl: [with forced cheer] Hey there, Thelma! Thelma: [Hangs up] He knows.
Director Ridley Scott went on after Thelma and Louise to make Gladiator and Hannibal, and I've always classes him as one of my favourite directors. Not only does he elicit excellent performances from every character, he directs with style and grace, leaving much up to the beautiful cinematography and his formidable cast.
The scenery in Thelma and Louise is absolutely breathtaking. The sweeping countryside en route to Mexico is absolutely gorgeous. Adrian Biddle's cinematography captures all this, taking in the starkness and bleakness of the dusty gas stations along the way and juxtaposing it against this stunning landscapes, to mirror the hopelessness of the girls' journey against the freedom that it has given them.
Although this has been written up as simply a 'chick flick' at times, it is so, so much more than that. Thelma and Louise is one for everyone, is one for the ages.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Action/Adventure - Director: Peter Jackson - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Andy Serkis
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
An entertaining review of a brilliant film - well done!
elkiedee 22.12.2003 01:36
Lively and entertaining review and as I recall the part of the plot described here occurs very early in the film so I don't consider it as a spoiler (see last and therefore earliest page of comments)
eve6kicksass 08.12.2003 19:23
This is a terrific film....extremely well acted and directed. However, I've said it before and I'll say it again....if you want to see the ultimate film about female empowerment, watch I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE.....getting castrated is the perfect punishment to a rape I think. Outstanding op once again!!!! Chris xxxx
Thelma (Geena Davis) is a bored housewife. Louise (Susan Sarandon) is a waitress at a ... more
coffee shop. Together they sneak off in a '66 T-Bird convertible for a three-day fishing trip. However, things don't go according to plan.An encounter with a drunken,...
Thelma (Geena Davis) is a bored housewife. Louise (Susan Sarandon) is a waitress at a ... more
coffee shop. Together they sneak off in a '66 T-bird convertible for a three-day fishing trip. However things don't go quite according to plan. An encounter with...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Nov 23rd, 2003
very helpful by (98%):
somewhat helpful by (2%):
