Trailer
Plot summary
Thelma Post, 93, lives alone in Los Angeles. Her grandson Daniel, called Danny, visits often and looks after her, though she finds his help patronizing. A caller claiming to be Danny says he has been arrested, and Thelma mails $10,000 to the address she is given. Gail and Alan, her daughter and son-in-law, panic until they learn Danny is safe; the call was a scam. The police cannot help, and Thelma will not let the money go. She evades her family and tries old friends, but most have died or moved away. She reluctantly asks Ben, a widower who lives in assisted living and whom she has ignored since her husband died, and they set off on his scooter.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Thelma (2024)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Thelma is named after Josh Margolin's real grandmother, Thelma Post, who was herself targeted by a phone scam; her family intervened before the scam was completed, and the attempt inspired Margolin's screenplay.
- Richard Roundtree's role in Thelma was his final feature film part, and the film was released after he died in 2023.
SPOILER
The closing car conversation about the trees still being alive despite gnarled roots is repeated in a mid-credits scene showing writer-director Josh Margolin having that same talk with his real grandmother.
