Collections Manager Aly Wepplo recommends the action-comedy film Thelma, starring June Squibb.
Thelma is a different kind of action hero. She’s 93, a widow, mother, and grandmother, and her family doesn’t trust her to live independently anymore. Her adoring late-bloomer grandson visits often to take her on errands and help her navigate the internet.
And then she gets scammed. A con artist calls, pretending to be her grandson, and explains he’s in jail. He desperately asks her to send $10,000 in bail. She does. And that money is gone. Thelma’s family explains that she’s been tricked, and she decides she’s not going to take it. She’s going to kick butt.
A stolen scooter and a nursing home breakout kick off a series of action scenes you won’t see in other movies.
Getting up from a fall or reaching something from a high shelf become delightfully high-stakes moments. In the end, Thelma learns to lean on other people, and her grandson learns to rely on himself. It seems everyone has grown up a bit.
I cheered for this woman and this movie. It showed me that, no matter our age, our best days may still be ahead of us. And small victories like reaching that high shelf are worth celebrating. And it’s a good idea to learn how to get up from a fall, which you’ll learn when you watch the movie!
