As one of the most critically praised films from this year’s Sundance, “Thelma” got its first trailer from Magnolia Pictures ahead of its June release.
In the trailer, 93-year-old June Squibb plays Thelma, a grandmother living in Los Angeles who gets a call that her grandson is in jail and needs $10,000 in bail money. But after she sends in the money, she discovers that her grandson is actually safe, and she has been scammed out of her money.
Angered at being taken advantage of and not trusting the police, Thelma swipes a gun and heads off on a scooter through L.A. to get her money back with the help of her friend, Ben, played by the late Richard Roundtree in the final role of his career.
Magnolia’s official logline reads: “Inspired by a real-life experience of Margolin’s own grandmother, ‘Thelma’ puts a clever spin on movies like ‘Mission: Impossible,’ shining the spotlight on an elderly grandmother as an unlikely action hero. With infectious humor, Margolin employs the familiar tropes of the action genre in hilarious, age-appropriate ways to tackle aging with agency.
“In the first leading film role of her 70-year career, Squibb portrays the strong-willed Thelma with grit and determination, demonstrating that she is more than capable of taking care of business – despite what her daughter Gail, son-in-law Alan, or grandson Danny might believe.”
Written and directed by first-time filmmaker Josh Margolin, “Thelma” also stars Fred Hechinger, Clark Gregg, Parker Posey and Malcolm McDowell. The film will be released on June 21.
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