Thelma & Louise (1991)

Director:

Ridley Scott

Writer (WGA):

Callie Khouri (written by)

Release Date:

24 May 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Somebody said get a life... so they did.

Plot:

An Arkansas waitress and a housewife shoot a rapist and take off in a '66 Thunderbird.

Plot Keywords:

On The Road | Friendship Between Women | Anti Hero | Action Heroine | Female Bonding

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 12 wins & 21 nominations

Cast

Susan Sarandon	...	Louise
Geena Davis	...	Thelma
Harvey Keitel	...	Hal
Michael Madsen	...	Jimmy
Christopher McDonald	...	Darryl
Stephen Tobolowsky	...	Max
Brad Pitt	...	J.D.
Timothy Carhart	...	Harlan
Lucinda Jenney	...	Lena - the Waitress
Jason Beghe	...	State Trooper
Sonny Carl Davis	...	Albert
Ken Swofford	...	Major
Shelly Desai	...	East Indian Motel Clerk (as Shelly De Sai)
Carol Mansell	...	Waitress
Stephen Polk	...	Surveillance Man

Also Known As:

Thelma & Louise (France)
Thelma and Louise (USA) (alternative spelling)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language, and for some violence and sensuality.

Runtime:

129 min

Country:

USA | France

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

USA:R (No. 31011) | Brazil:14 | Singapore:M18 | Iceland:12 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Germany:16 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Portugal:M/16

Filming Locations:

Bakersfield, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Both Michael Madsen and Christopher McDonald were initially in talks to play the part of Harlan, the rapist.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: Thelma and Louise leave for their trip on Friday night, the next day after the shooting they are in the car trying to figure out what to do, in the background you can hear the AM radio giving the Dow Jones Industrial averages like the stock market is open. This would not happen on a Saturday.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Louise Sawyer: Decaf or regular?
Girl in diner: Uh, regular, please.
Louise Sawyer: You girls are kinda young to be smokin', dontcha think? Ruins your sex drive.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Law & Order: Point of View (#3.9)" (1992)

Soundtrack:

I Can See Clearly Now

car emptiness...

Through his career, Ridley Scott was an eclectic film-maker because he broached (with success) several cinema styles: science-fiction with "Alien", historical film with "1492: Christopher Colombus". Here, he succeeded very well his way to the road-movie and this one is listed among the best road-movies ever made. At first look, the story looks simple and without too many claims: two young women, Thelma and Louise are going out for the week-end with the firm intention of having a ball. But what they don't know is that this drive will soon become a descent into hell... The movie is worth seeing for its two main actresses: Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis, both outstanding and what interests Ridley Scott, is their temperament and their evolution during the movie. At the beginning, a sensitive and fragile Thelma is next to a energetic and realistic Louise but in the second part of the movie, more precisely, after Thelma burglarized a shop (probably the best sequence in the whole movie) in order to grab money, roles are reversed. This is an occasion to make out Louise's wounds and weaknesses. So, don't rely too much on appearances... "Thelma and Louise" is also a movie where Scott takes a lucid look on the hidden side of the American society and especially on men. Scott introduces them to us with their worst faults: either they're macho (Darryl), obscene (the truck driver), perverse (the rapist) or coward (the cop). The only one saved is Harvey Keitel who never falls into the caricature of the American cop usually described to us as merciless or obsequious. Here, he shows understanding and even compassion towards the two runaways, notably Louise because he knows that she hides a terrible secret. A dynamic and panting movie where laugh and sorrow are skillfully married.