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Hailed as a breakthrough movie because it supposedly potrays
women as tough central characters, I found Thelma and Louise
to have the opposite effect with almost every character (including
the women) shown as being dopey and childish.
Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon play the title characters who
set off on an innocent fishing weekend. Both are escaping some
baggage at home, Thelma from her pig of a husband Darryl (Christopher
McDonald who gets some funny lines), Louise from her greasy
spoon job and fear of commitment to her boyfriend Jimmy (Michael
Madsen in a typically quiet tough guy role). It goes a bit haywire
when they stop at a bar, have an unpleasant encounter with a
redneck and end up on the run from an increasingly large contingent
of pursuing cops.
Along the way they run into a slick cowboy type (an early role
for Brad Pitt), a loopy truck driver, and an unfortunate lone
police officer. They also have regular telephone contact with
detective Hal Slocumb (Harvey Keitel) who confusingly takes
charge of the case even though Max (Stephen Tobolowsky) seems
to have more actual authority.
The setting of the American South and Mid West is stunning
with plenty of use made of the sweeping landscape of Utah's
Monument Valley. The music sets this off well and helps try
to create a semblance of the mood of an epic road trip.
Sarandon and Davis also try their best but the whole story
does not work. It is supposed to be about the journey of empowerment
that these women take at the expense of hapless males, but it
comes off more as their descent from a boring suburban rut into
crazed lunacy. All of the characters are annoying, none more
so than Thelma who ranges from being just plain dumb to sheer
irresponsibility.
I suppose this is all to be expected from a director like Ridley
Scott who probably does not set out to make movies to please
everybody but should be praised for making movies according
to his vision and the story he wants to tell.
A lot of people like this movie, but it didn't work for me.
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