Thelma & Louise (1991)

This is a great road movie starring Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon which did more for feminism subtly than what real feminsist haven't been able to achieve somehow. Directed by Ridley Scott- once again proving his mettle in any genre- Thelma And Louise is a journey by two best friends and starring cameos the most famous of them being Brad Pitt. A film which is a riot as well as lots of fun.

An excellent watch even two decades later. The score is awesome. The visuals are fantastic. Every scene is worthwhile. Guess those were the heydays of Hollywood when they invested in actual characters and a story with substance. I'm not even American or into country music in general, but still love this movie and its soundtrack. As a side-note, the "Darryl" scenes were so fun! "Let's keep going."

Oh what a confused, sometimes wonderful movie this is. At times, one believes this movie is beneficial to women and the feminist cause in general (I'm a feminist accidentally born with testicles, in case you were wondering). Too often, though, the movie falls back on patriarchal norms to advance its narrative.And, not to spoil the ending too much (if you don't know how this movie ends, get a job and stop living underneath a bridge!), the fate of the women protagonists is, ultimately, the fate of any woman who stands up for herself in a patriarchal society -- total doom.The movie begins on an excellent note. Two women have decided to take a vacation together. The younger of the two, Thelma, does so at the risk of angering her typical knuckle-dragging patriarchal husband who, gag, watches football.The women stop for food and some drinks at a bar and Thelma, enjoying her freedom, gets a little too drunk. A complete sleaze-a-thon takes her to the dance floor and spins her around until she's dizzy and feels the need to vomit. He accompanies her to the parking lot under the guise of helping her, and then, surprise, attempts to rape her.Here's where the movie gets complicated. Louise shoots the rapist before he can go through with the act. Initially, she aims the gun at him and tell him to let her friend go. Of course, the use of the phallis, the gun, is already a flaw in the film. The women should be able to protect themselves without resorting to the oppressive tools of the patriarchy. When the rapist says something rude to Louise, she kills him. Now the women are in trouble.What follows is a Bonnie & Clyde-like adventure across the southwest. While these types of films are enjoyable, they are, essentially, patriarchal fantasies. In one of the movie's more problematic story lines, Thelma goes to bed with a young Brad Pitt just a day or two after she is nearly raped. Any survivor of rape will tell you that's most likely not going to happen, even if it's Brad Pitt!The film builds the relationship between the women but never releases the latent homoerotic nature of their relationship. This is also a flaw.And, as stated, the women are not allowed to get away clean despite the fact that they wished none of the horrible things that happened to them on themselves.Oh, and Harvey Keitel is thrown in to appease all the uncomfortable men who still believe they are somehow not complicit in patriarchal oppression.For entertainment, this is a great movie. For political purposes, it fails tremendously.

One of my favorite 90's films. Commonly described as a feminist road movie, "Thelma and Louise" has some important and meaningful things to say about feminism and female friendship. A strong, bold screenplay Oscar winning screenplay matches up with two strong, engaging and fully believable Oscar nominated lead acting performances by Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis. Davis has the more fully realized character here, a small edge over Sarandon's character. The trio of women behind this film: writer Chali Khouri, along with actresses Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis make for a powerful, bold and engaging film. Visually stylish cinematography from director Ridley Scott (of "Blade Runner" fame). With a slow start, the film has a number of impactful moments when it kicks into higher gear, spread throughout the film. The weaknesses are few and the strengths are many in this memorable, bold film. It's ending may seem oversized to some, but it suites me just fine. Thelma and Louise keep their friendship real until the end. "Thelma and Louise" represents Chali Khouri's feature film screen writing debut.