Thelma (2024 film)

93-year-old Thelma Post lives alone in Los Angeles. Her lost but loving grandson Danny often visits and looks after her needs despite not taking responsibility for his own life. Although Thelma is close with Danny, she finds his constant assistance patronizing.

A phone scammer calls Thelma posing as Danny, claiming he has gotten arrested. Thelma sends $10,000 to a local address as instructed. After a panic involving her daughter Gail and son-in-law Alan, Thelma finds out Danny is safe and she was scammed. Unable to get help from the police and unwilling to let the scammer get away with her money, Thelma evades her family and sets out to the address to retrieve it.

Thelma attempts to contact old friends for a favor but discovers most of them have died or moved away. She reluctantly enlists the help of Ben, a friend living at a nursing home whom she had been ignoring since her husband’s death. They ride Ben’s expensive 2-person scooter to the home of Mona, their elderly acquaintance. Thelma steals Mona's gun while Ben distracts her. Meanwhile, Danny, Gail and Alan realize Thelma is missing and search for her to no avail. During an argument with his parents, Danny vents about his recent breakup with his girlfriend and his lack of skills aside from looking after Thelma, fearing he will go nowhere in life.

Thelma and Ben get lost in a shady neighborhood as they near the scammer's address. Ben insists on turning back but Thelma refuses. They argue; Ben chastises Thelma for her avoidance of him and her unwillingness to allow people to help her. Ben’s scooter is destroyed by a reckless driver, prompting him to abandon Thelma. Thelma continues alone on foot, eventually suffering a fall. She realizes she can not get up on her own and gives up hope until Ben returns to assist her. The two reconcile.

Thelma and Ben reach the address; a UPS store. A young man eventually collects Thelma’s money from a PO box and the two follow him to a rundown and cluttered antique store. Thelma sneaks in and discovers the owner, an elderly man named Harvey and his grandson Michael — the man she followed — running the scam operation in the backroom. Thelma demands her money back but they refuse. Michael attempts to escape but is knocked out by Ben, who then holds Harvey at gunpoint while Thelma uses his computer — with Danny’s help through a phone call — to transfer her money back to her bank account.

Harvey — who is on life support through an oxygen regulator and relies on his grandson — laments that his store is failing and has resorted to scamming people to remain financially stable. Michael comes to and overhears the conversation, during which Harvey talks down about Michael; Michael subsequently abandons his grandfather. Seeing this, Thelma leaves Harvey $500 and scolds him for tricking people and not appreciating his grandson’s help. Thelma and Ben exit the store triumphantly before being picked up by Danny.

Thelma is reunited with her family — whom she begins to respect and value more — and they watch Ben perform in a play at the nursing home. While visiting her husband’s gravesite with Danny, Thelma assures her grandson that he will be fine when she is eventually gone.

• June Squibb as Thelma Post
• Fred Hechinger as Danny
• Richard Roundtree as Ben
• Parker Posey as Gail
• Clark Gregg as Alan
• Malcolm McDowell as Harvey
• Nicole Byer as Rochelle[5]
• Coral Peña as Allie[5]

Thelma premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2024. It was released theatrically in the United States by Magnolia Pictures on June 21, 2024.[6][7] It is scheduled to be released in the United Kingdom on July 19, 2024.[1]

• Official site
• Thelma at IMDb