Thelma (2024)

The getaway vehicle in Thelma is a pricey two-person scooter, and Josh Margolin shoots it like a muscle car. That joke carries the film a long way, and it’s most of the film. Thelma Post is a 93-year-old Angeleno who gets talked into handing her savings to a phone scammer posing as her grandson Danny. The police are no help. Thelma decides to recover the money in person, sneaks out, and recruits the only person she can: Ben, an old friend in assisted living she’s been dodging for years. June Squibb finally gets her action-hero turn, and she’s stubborn, funny and never once the punchline. Richard Roundtree, in his final feature, gives Ben real warmth. The story is small and the path is easy to call. Critics gave it a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. A 7.8 because it’s sweet, sharp and smarter about getting old than it lets on. $3,811 says you set up a family code word for scam calls this week, and your grandma picks a better one than you.

What works: June Squibb is a delight as a 93-year-old who refuses to be handled, and the action-movie framing of a very slow chase gets real laughs. Her friendship with Richard Roundtree’s Ben gives it heart.

What doesn’t: It’s a slight story with a predictable arc, and the family’s search back home has far less going on than Thelma and Ben’s mission.

Who it’s for: Anyone with a grandparent who refuses help, and anyone who has been that grandparent’s worried grandkid.