Introduction
Welcome to my corner! This week, I'm sharing my thoughts on the film Thelma & Louise. I decided to take a little break from the recorded movies on the TCM channel. Instead I've turned my attention to movie lists created by various people on the internet that claim, "you must watch before you die," or something similar. Let's start this journey together with Thelma & Louise. Enjoy!
Thelma & Louise
Thelma & Louise is a 1991 American buddy comedy-drama film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Callie Khouri. The film stars Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon as Thelma and Louise, two friends who embark on a road trip that ends up in unforeseen circumstances. The supporting cast includes Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, Christopher McDonald, and Brad Pitt. Filming took place in California and Utah from June to August 1990.
Following its premier at the 44th Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 1991, Thelma & Louise was theatrically released in the United States on May 24. It became a critical and commercial success, receiving six nominations at the 64th Academy Awards, with Khouri winning Best Original Screenplay. Scott was nominated for Best Director, and both Sarandon and Davis were nominated for Best Actress.
Thelma & Louise has influenced other artistic works, and became a landmark of feminist film. In 2006, the American Film Institute ranked it 78th on its list of most inspiring films. In 2016, the Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry, finding it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
Plot: Meek housewife Thelma (Geena Davis) joins her friend Louise (Susan Sarandon), an independent waitress, on a short fishing trip. However, their trip becomes a flight from the law when Louise shoots and kills a man who tries to rape Thelma at the bar. Louise decides to flee to Mexico, and Thelma joins her. On the way, Thelma falls falls for sexy young thief J.D. (Brad Pitt) and the sympathetic Detective Slocumb (Harvey Keitel) tries to convince the two women to surrender before their fates are sealed.
Acting: Susan Saradon played Louise Sawyer. I like Susan, I've seen a lot of her work. Her four most notable titles currently are Dead Man Walking, Stepmom, Thelma & Louise, and The Client. My favorite Sarandon movie is The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Geena Davis played Thelma Dickinson. I like Geena too. I particularly loved how Susan and Geena played off of each other. They had great chemistry. Her four most notable titles currently are The Long Kiss Goodnight, The Fly, Thelma & Louise, and A League of Their Own. My favorite Davis film is Beetlejuice.
Harvey Keitel played Det. Hal Slocumb. His four most notable titles currently are Reservoir Dogs, Bad Lieutenant, Pulp Fiction, and The Grand Budapest Hotel. My favorite Keitel movie is Little Nicky.
Michael Madsen played Jimmy Lennox. My goodness he has a long list of titles. He died in July 2025; his four most notable titles are The Hateful Eight, Kill Bill: Vol. 1, Species, and WarGames. My favorite Madsen film is Free Willy.
Christopher McDonald played Darryl Dickinson. He, like Madsen, also has a very long list of titles. Also a very recognizable face in the industry, in my opinion. If you haven't seen him in at least one movie or show, you don't watch much T.V. His four most notable titles currently are Quiz Show, Happy Gilmore, Thelma & Louise, and the Harry's Law television series. My favorite McDonald movie is The Iron Giant.
Stephen Tobolowsky played FBI Agent Max. These dudes never took a day off, huh? He's got an insanely long list of roles to his name as well. His is a face you've probably seen too, or a voice you've heard. His four most notable titles currently are Groundhog Day, Thelma & Louise, Wild Hogs, and Single White Female. My favorite Tobolowsky movie is Freaky Friday.
Brad Pitt played J.D. I personally do not like Brad Pitt very much, not that I don't recognize his acting talent. His four most notable titles currently are Fight Club, 12 Monkeys, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and Moneyball. My favorite Pitt movie is Sindbad: Legend of the Seven Seas.
Technical Aspects: The idea for Thelma & Louise originated in early 1988 when Callie Khouri, then a music video producer, was driving home from work to her apartment in Santa Monica. She spent the following six months working on her first screenplay, which drew inspiration from her own experience and her friendship with country music singer Pam Tillis. She had intended it to be a low-budget independent film, directed by herself and produced by fellow music producer Amanda Temple (wife of British filmmaker Julien Temple).
After shopping the project around and finding no takers, Temple showed the script to her friend Mimi Polk Gitlin, who ran Ridley Scott's Percy Main Productions (later Scott Free Productions). Gitlin showed the script to Scott, who expressed great enthusiasm for it. He agreed to produce the film and bought the film rights for $500,000. Pathé Entertainment, then led by Scott's friend and collaborator Alan Ladd Jr., came on board as a co-producer and financier.
Scott considered four people for the role of director, all of whom turned down the opportunity Gitlin has said that three of the candidates were Bob Rafelson, Kevin Reynolds and Richard Donner. Scott was reluctant to direct the film himself but eventually took on the role, having been persuaded by Michelle Pfeiffer.
Michelle Pfeiffer and Jodie Foster were originally chosen for the leads; both accepted their roles with enthusiasm. During pre-production the two dropped out, with Pfeiffer going on to star in Love Field and Foster in The Silence of the Lambs. Pfeiffer later said she regretted passing on the film. Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn then offered to play the leads, but Streep dropped out due to scheduling conflicts, while Hawn was not considered right for the part (a year later, in Death Becomes Her, Hawn and Streep played the lead roles). Geena Davis (who had been pursuing the lead role for nearly a year) and Susan Sarandon were ultimately chosen. The two took extensive driving and shooting lessons in preparation for their roles.
Principal photography for Thelma & Louise began on June 11, 1990, and concluded on August 31, 1990. Although the setting for the film is a fictional route between Arkansas and the Grand Canyon, it was filmed almost entirely in California and Utah. The primary filming locations were rural areas around Bakersfield, California and Moab, Utah. The Grand Canyon scenes were filmed just south of Dead Horse Point State Park in Utah. Parts of the film were also shot at Shafer Overlook, Monument Valley, La Sal Mountains, la Sal Junction, Cisco, Old Valley City Reservoir, Thompson Springs, Arches National Park, and Crescent Junction in Utah.
Thelma & Louise was screened out of competition as the closing film at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival. Theatrical release was delayed due to financial turmoil at MGM-Pathé. The film eventually opened in American theaters on May 24, 1991 and was a box office success, grossing $45 million within the country.
Final Thoughts: This was such a fun movie. There's a reason why it's on the "watch before you die" list and in the National Film Registry. The acting is great. The comedy is great. The action is great. And the friendship is everyone's goal, you ride or die. Take my (and the internet's) advice and watch this movie at this once before you die. It's well worth it!
My favorite scene was probably the one where they get pulled over by a cop and end up locking him in his own trunk.
My favorite quite is "You finally got laid properly, I'm so proud." —Louise Sawyer.
P.S. If you kill someone, in self-defense or not, go to the police. It's a smart move.
Rated: R
Where to watch it: According to Google, Thelma & Louise is currently available on the streaming services: Tubi, The Roku Channel, and Pluto TV. You can also purchase or rent a digital copy for a few dollars. I've also donated a DVD coy of the film to the Emil M. Larson Public Library in Clark for you all to enjoy, if you choose.
