Thelma & Louise

Boy oh boy, where to start with this one? This movie affected me so deeply when it first came out. I saw it many times in the theater and was blown away every single time. Deep and powerful, yet hilarious and fun in many parts. This one is flawless. My girlfriends and I still quote lines from this. This movie is NOT man bashing. It has some very powerful things to say about choices, friendship and the life that you make for yourself. Truly memorable and the kind of movie that really stays with you.

Back in the 30s and 40s, there was a kind of movie known as the women's picture. These were typically romantic dramas told from a female perspective, and while they often featured headstrong intelligent women (at least by the standards of typical portrayals), they would often have some kind of moral at the end about being a loyal and obedient wife as a kind of final goal in a woman's life. It was a long time, even years after the era of women's lib that patriarchy in the movies began to be completely deconstructed. The subject of women driven to murder by the actions of men was not a new one when Thelma & Louise was made in 1991. But if you look at a picture like Play Misty for Me from two decades earlier, where a used woman becomes the antagonist in a Psycho-type thriller, or I Spit on your Grave (1978) in which a woman's revenge for being raped could only be shown in a lurid exploitation movie, we can see how far the perspective has had to shift.

Thelma & Louise, brilliantly scripted by Callie Kouri, gives an explanation for violence by women towards men, and it does so with amazing simplicity. There are no explicit arguments made. No character makes an overt feminist statement – the closest it comes to that is a by-the-way reminder by Geena Davis to the abducted policeman to be nice to his wife. The message, as it were, is up there in the screen as the story takes place. And although the basic outline of Thelma & Louise is very much out-of-the-ordinary for most women, if you break it down moment by moment, the men they encounter and the exchanges they have are very much on the near side of normal.

A lot of Thelma & Louise's power is in its magnificent cast. Both Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis have a remarkable realism that demonstrates a great rapport between the two characters. When they laugh together, it's the laughter of two friends. Sarandon is brilliant at keeping that mystery to her character – the secret in Louise's past is bubbling under the surface of her performance long before it is revealed to the audience. Davis does an excellent job of showing character development, growing from the sheltered housewife into an independent woman comfortable with her newfound criminality. And it's neat how her sense of playfulness remains somehow consistent even as she changes. There are plenty of decent supporting performances as well. Brad Pitt was obviously chosen primarily for his youthful good looks, but he can act with it. Michael Madsen is very good too, intimidating in his controlled anger, but radiating a presence that makes his attractiveness to Louise understandable.

The movie is directed by that meticulous craftsman Ridley Scott. He manages the movement in the frame with expert control for the right effect. In the opening scenes, the camera follows Sarandon around the chaos of the café. As she moves into a backroom during her phone call to Davis, the movement in the background tails off but is kept going by the chef juggling a can, and then as she moves across further the backdrop becomes the tranquil fish tank. These natural-looking set-ups are carefully controlling the mood of the image. As this road movie progresses, the backgrounds become increasingly wide open and breathtakingly beautiful, in line with the spirits of its protagonists. Scott culminates all this with some wonderful stylisation in the final action sequence. The movie would be in danger of becoming overly technical if it wasn't for his almost constant focus on Davis and Sarandon's faces, such as their quiet smiles as they cross Monument Valley by night.

For all its feminist modernity, as a type of movie, Thelma & Louise treads familiar ground. The story of sympathetic criminals running free across the country as fate closes in can be seen in such classics as High Sierra (1941), Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). Really, the only major difference here is that the criminals are both women, not a couple of male hoods or a gangster and his moll. And yet, all it takes is this simple gender substitution to speak volumes about the experience of women in this society. That it does so without resorting to sermonising, and keeping up a healthy feeling of fun, makes Thelma & Louise an outstanding motion picture.

"Thelma and Louise" made a huge splash when it was released and has since become a part of the pop culture lexicon. In it, a mistreated housewife and harried waitress stumble into an out-of-control - but totally liberating - crime spree. As bold and relevant as ever, it remains a vastly entertaining must-see.

Callie Khouri's screenplay is a feeling, funny classic and director Ridley Scott lends this road movie epic scope, seeking out the beauty in open spaces.

Both leads - Geena Davis as Thelma and Susan Sarandon as Louise - give fine performances. Thelma and Louise become fully realized human beings who share a powerful and authentic friendship. Their transformation into two outlaws is also made entirely believable by the actresses.

And what about the men? Harvey Keitel is charming as the sympathetic lawman, Hal, and Michael Madsen's turn as Louise's boyfriend Jimmy is wonderfully nuanced. Brad Pitt also leaves a strong impression as the winsome blonde thief J.D. It's easy to see why this film made Pitt a star.

"Thelma and Louise" is a film of rare cultural resonance, to be sure. Yet while undoubtedly provocative, this movie is also alot of fun.

Thelma and Louise is a rarity. It is a buddy movie about two women, and it is one of the best road movies to ever grace the screen.

Louise (Susan Sarandon) and Thelma (Gina Davis) are two friends who plan a road trip into the mountains for the weekend. Neither one of their lives seems exciting at the moment. Louise waits tables at the local diner and is also waiting on boyfriend Jimmy (Michael Madsen)who is always traveling and seems destined to never settle down. Thelma is a sexually repressed housewife who lives at home with a self-important husband (Christopher McDonald) who doesn't seem to care much for her at all except when she is not fulfilling her house-wife duties like having diner made and the house cleaned.

It is no wonder these two decide to take a trip for the weekend to the mountains to get away for awhile and have fun. Of course there is an event that happens not long after they have started their journey, and right after said event, things quickly spiral out of control as the two girls find themselves racing for Mexico with the law quickly on their heels.

This movie could've been just another boring road picture, but both Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon along with a fine script and clever pacing by director Ridley Scott, make it much better. Davis and Sarandon have great chemistry together, and the script is loaded with offbeat humor to go along with its clever story. The movie is never boring because Ridley Scott makes it so by slowing the pace down at the right moments, and then picking it back up when necessary. I enjoyed all the characters, including the minor ones which included a cameo by Brad Pitt as the young hitchhiker JD who Thelma quickly falls in lust with.

Some people may see this as the ultimate female picture, but I think it is more than that. Harvey Keitel is the inspector on the case who believes that these girls really aren't as bad as some may think, and his character is interesting as well because he seems to understand why everything involving the girls has lead up to this series of unfortunate events. Michael Madsen, as Louise's boyfriend Jimmy, also adds depth to his role as a man who though upset with what Louise is going to do understands and loves her still. These two characters add something more to the story which makes it less of a feminist picture without once taking away from the two leads. If that was even possible.

My only gripe with the movie would be the ending. Not the way it ended but how quickly it rushed to the end credits. I for one, like Roger Ebert who stated the same thing in his review of the movie, believe that the ending should of lasted a little longer before fading out. That's my only problem, and it's the only reason why the movie doesn't get a perfect score from me.

This is one of the rare times that I went to see this movie more than once. When I first saw it "I had no idea what to expect" and neither did the audience. Everybody thought we were "Seeing a Comedy". So the events in this film shook me (and the rest of the audience) to my core. What I saw was a film that did not follow the predictableness of a Hollywood film. What I got was an eye opener. I loved the film regardless of the events that happen in the film.

I do not want to give this entire film plot away but to me "Everyone Should See This Film". It is a statement on relationships and how things happen when you "Never Saw It Coming" WOW!!