Thelma and Louise - R
Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that THELMA AND LOUISE is a very explicit film. The language is frequently obscene and/or frankly sexual. One woman is threatened with rape, and later in the film, she engages in somewhat graphic consensual sex with a man. The potential rapist is shot point blank, and later both women shoot up an oil truck causing a large explosion. The pair drinks alcohol to excess, and there is a scene depicting a man blowing marijuana smoke into the trunk of a police car. The finale features an act of suicide.
Families can debate the following: Were Thelma and Louise's actions justified given their treatment by men in the film? Why were they reluctant to turn themselves in? What does this movie say about gender politics? Are Thelma and Louise positive role models or not?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: David Gurney
As polarizing as it was popular, THELMA AND LOUISE made a huge splash when it was originally released in 1991. Still quite potent today, the film's no-holds-barred approach to confronting the subservient position thrust upon females in society hasn't been matched in the time since its release. The titular heroines (or anti-heroines) are two Arkansas women looking to get away from the men in their lives for a weekend of fun. Before they reach their destination, they stop off for a drink, but, when Thelma (Geena Davis) is almost raped, Louise (Susan Sarandon) shoots the would-be rapist. What follows is an updated, feminized version of an outlaw road movie, as the pair travel across the southwestern United States attempting to avert the law.
While Thelma and Louise take some rather strong actions against their aggressors throughout their journey, their plight is not entirely own. Rather, it's expressive of the oppression that many women experience in society. Thelma's husband doesn't listen to her and orders her around like a child; Louise's boyfriend is unwilling to commit and often drunk. Even a male hitchhiker with whom Thelma becomes involved ultimately leaves her after stealing her money. The one redeeming male character may be the sympathetic detective Hal Slocumb (Harvey Keitel) who tries to convince the women to surrender to the law, but his decent efforts are drowned out by the bombast of masculine aggression surrounding the women by the end of the film.
Chock full of great performances and dramatic scenes, THELMA AND LOUISE is one truly amazing film that crystallizes a moment in feminist social history for all time. However, scenes involving rape, the glorification of suicide, and destruction of property makes this film inappropriate for kids.
Similar films that expose the unfair position of women in the male-dominated world include The Accused (1988), Ruby in Paradise (1993), and Boys on the Side (1995).
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentStrong sexual content, including a partial rape scene. |
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ViolenceRape, suicide. |
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LanguageVery strong language. |
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Message |
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Social BehaviorThelma and Louise make poor decisions in many regards, but in doing so they expose injustices of gender politics. |
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Commercialism |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoDrinking, drugs. |
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