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I watched this typical American movie at least 20 times and can't stop. Lovely Geena Davis and tough Susan Sarandon gave their best performances so far (does anybody really like "Dead Man walking" or "Little Stewart 1 + 2"? Since I saw this movie for the first time, I dream of touring like these girls through the backyard of America. Perhaps without some of the crimes. It's hard to categorize this movie, as its funny but with a strong blue note and offers a lot of surprises for, even when watching it for the 5th time. So many worthwhile details and words are packed in all scenes and dialogues. Not to mention the amazing scenery with some of Americas most beautiful landscapes. I don't like the end to be honest, as it forbids a sequel. But perhaps this perfect story is not to repeat and we just watch the original again. Congratulations, Ridley Scott. More of this and more discoveries like Brad Pitt. Scott is the best director in Hollywood and I forgive him the awful "Gladiator".

sublimissime

The most beautiful movie about friendship. Geena and Susan are extremly touching.

Rich, entertaining road movie

This is a superior road movie by virtue of its strong screenplay, brilliant leads (& support), straightforward direction - and America as beautifully captured on film as in anything else. I was very impressed by Keitel, whose smiles (Keitel smiling!) may be a bit conceited, but that's more to do with Scott's broad-brush storytelling. Equally, Chris McDonald's Darryl shone, undergoing his own, narratively subordinate but as important transformation from spoilt boy to pitiful (in both senses) man. This in direct but understated analogy to Davis' chintz-neurotic-becomes-outlaw: whilst both Sarandon and Davis give rich performances, it's Davis who has, ostensibly, furthest to travel and really demonstrates the character transition from beginning to end.As I've already pointed out this film looks exquisite on the screen. Not much in this vein can be said for the original score from Hans Zimmer: I'm no fan, but I come into these things ever hopeful. However, the denouement, needing something really quite special, is of disappointingly flat and regurgitated 'emotive-crux' stock, both in its content and orchestration. A pity, for the rest is 24 carat movie gold. 8/10

Classic film from Scott

There are recurring themes throughout Ridley Scott's work. This film, one of his best, touches on many of the themes that make films like Blade Runner, Alien and The Duelist outstanding films. The alternate ending is interesting, although it wouldn't have been true to the film. Scott's commentary is interesting, but not as illuminating as most directors. Then again, Scott clearly prefers to let the work speak for itself (as is evident from his interview for the Alien DVD/Laserdisc).

The performances are outstanding. Brad Pitt, in a small role as a drifted who seduces Davis, demonstrates the charisma that would later make him a film star.

..I wish I had a friendship like this..

Thank heavens they saved most of the negative opinions for the end of this site. Like many of the "users", I can enjoy this movie whenever. Once I find a film I love, it doesn't matter whether I truly understand it or not....if the characters are well-developed, and I can see their importance to the story - and the storyline is something different than my mundane life - I am hooked to the end. Fortunately for most American viewers, they have not experienced some of the almost accidental situations in life which can turn to be unsavory and life-threatening.I was not familiar with the plot of "Themla and Louise", but knew it was extremely popular. A personal situation hugely influenced me to love this movie: I love to drive cross-country, even alone. I have friends who are about as different in personality as "Thelma and Louise" were....I have visualized the same kind of journey as the two girls take, purely for fun, without the desperation of their dash for Mexico - just get in the car and start from the Pacific Coast and drive East. What a blast it would be to act nutty and fun-loving, as these girls did, in a world that is quickly becoming true insanity.....that Themla and Louise could zoom across our country, as close as two people could be without being lovers, enthralled me. Didn't and won't ever happen - well, maybe. I'm ambivalent - my personality changes to the atmosphere I'm in. So, I thoroughly relate to "Themla and Louise".Every scene was filled with dedicated actors/actresses who did their job well. If you read the homepage of this site, you'll discover Susan Sarandon made suggestions about many of the scenes, Ridley Scott being the wiser for accepting her insight. By now, I suppose everyone knows the story of a world-wise waitress whose very happy relationship with her man couldn't prevent a "fishing-trip" with her friend, who was trapped being married to a smart-ass-cheating husband. "Louise" (Susan Sarandon) takes only a few personal things; "Thelma" (Geena Davis) takes everything but the kitchen-sink. She could have had a premonition she would never be "home" again, the trip providing her escape. Along the way, "Thelma" convinces "Louise" she desperately needs a couple of drinks. They party at a country-western roadhouse with line-dancing patrons. Fun start for the trip, but things get ugly in the parking-lot - won't say what - which shocks "Louise" into a deadly-serious incident, necessitating the dash for Mexico without driving through Texas - she won't say why. This prevents them from traveling on major highways, but provides us with the gorgeous panorama of The West. "Thelma" is already a nutcake; to see "Lousie" shaky and unsure certainly sets the scene for some exciting activity."Thelma" gets the hots for a hitchhiker while "Louise" is telephoning her man for money....he doesn't wire it, he takes it to their motel in Oklahoma City. A scene between "Louise" and her love-without-question man is bruising and tender. The scene between "Thelma" and the hitchhiker (whom "Louise" has allowed "Thelma" to persuade her to let him join them on their wild journey) is screechingly funny - and sexy - and innocently instructs "Thelma" with the plan to regain the money "Louise's" man has brought, and the hitchhiker (Brad Pitt in his young beauty) makes-off with. In a scene which shows us "Thelma" isn't as ditzy as we believe, the dash for Mexico resumes. The girls are smart enough to realize they are "wanted" criminals - their back-and-forth telephone-conversations with the cops, who eventually catch-up to them, is the basis of some wild chase-scenes that too soon puts "Thelma and Louise" at the end of their road....."together".........Pitt is a "pretty boy", but plays his role to the hilt. Brava to Davis and Sarandon! Harvey Keital escaped his usually "heavy" roles and showed a real empathy for the few intelligent cops there are. Whoever played Sarandon's lover - never heard of him - was touching in his manly, overly macho role. There is so much I can't write about without giving away the plot.All that action with the cop-cars and 'copters in the "chase"-scenes was amazing and added the necessary desperation to the girls' situation. That they evaded it all until they came to the point where there was no escape only cemented their friendship - TOGETHER, no matter what. I repeat, I wish I had a friend like that.The ending of this epic film could not have been different, totally making a sequel impossible - it could never have been as vibrant as this movie was. Leave it alone! and revel in this "road-show" (?) as it speeds across our beautiful country. The movie is more than a herald to the way our women have evolved. The movie deserves another, major release with all the red carpets and hoopla - viva "Thema and Louise".

about the movie

This movie is simply a classic, it should be one of those movies which you should sit back with a friend and watch it and hopefully connect you to them further! Otherwise, this movie might bore the hell out of you if this isn't really your thing.This movie is well done and thought out i personally believe, the characters are believeable and also you could see them happening right in your home town if you're not careful!i also found thelma and louise accent very annoying after a while and it is sometimes hard to make out what they are saying.

Thelma and Louise

Thelma and Louise innocently begins with two best friends and their plan to spend the weekend together. This drastically changes as the twosome become wanted criminals. A major concern of this movie is challenging gender roles. When the girls are first at the bar, the waitress is sure they were not associated with the murder because she says those two nice women were not the murdering type. This is implying that murdering is only a men's job. The treatment of Thelma from her husband Darrel exemplifies the existing role of the woman in the household. She is believed to only cook and work for her husband. Thelma's actions crush this stereotype as she becomes an independent woman and even commits a burglary. Most of the men in the movie are poorly portrayed. There is the obscene truck driver, the rapist, the neglecting Darrel and the pathetic cop. This movie successfully challenges the existing gender roles in society and closes the gap between men and women.

It sticks with you for days, weeks, months, years...

Yes, I had a hard time jogging this flic from my mind. The message it gives off is so inspiring, so empowering... and because it's given by two female lead characters, it's been termed a feminist movie. Sure, there was sex, margaritas and wild turkeys straight up. There was armed robbery, the murder of a would be rapist, and the shooting up of a large semi driven by a horny truck driver. But hey, these girls never backed down. They never gave up. Submissive... they were anything but. No wonder if caused such a fiasco. Jerry Falwall would've rolled over in his grave if he wasn't alive when this movie came out. Ha ha. Thelma and Louise is a classic. Sarandon and Davis are out of this world. Pitt has a chest to die for. And the music is wonderful. I have a convertible, and I love it because it makes me feel like Louise. It's just a great movie.

most boring film i have ever seen

Thelma and Louise was boring and rubbish it was not my kind of film i like si-fi and action the start was a bit slow,the film is more for women the middle was a bit all right it was a bit better then the start and the was a bit better they drove off the cliff

T&L a great movie!

I just recently viewed the film Thelma and Louise, and found it to be an excellent film. I loved how the main characters were women. They were very strong and independent and it made us females look good. The movie was a combination of many types of genres. It was action packed, with drama, and love. The plot was great and kept me on the edge of my seat. I felt that it was a little long and drawn out at the end, but all in all it was a good film. I would definitely go see Thelma and Louise again because it was a very good film. The women were also very funny and I found myself relating to them very often. This movie makes me proud to be a woman.

I should love this movie

I should love this movie, but I don't and I'm not sure why. I applaud the feminist statement it makes, but it just misses for me.That's not to say that it doesn't have some great moments and fabulous acting. The cinematography is awesome, and the soundtrack is perfect. It keeps you guessing.It has an extraordinary way of making you root for these woman, forgetting that they killed a man (OK, that one was justified, the guy was a jerk), robbed a convenience store, and blew up a guys truck (and, yes, that guy kinda deserved it too!). But the bottom line is that if they had turned themselves in at the beginning, after shooting the man who was raping Thelma, then the rest of the movie wouldn't have happened. It was self defense, and they wouldn't have done much jail time, if any (OK...they would have done time, it was set in Texas!) It's always a pet peeve of mine in movies where, if the person just used common sense in the beginning, then the rest of the movie wouldn't have happened.The other thing that prevents it from being a 10 for me is the end. SPOILER ALERT!!! DON'T READ FARTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW THE ENDING!!!!! I wanted them to get away to Mexico, not go off the side of the canyon to certain death. By that time, I KNEW they wouldn't give up to the authorities, and really didn't want them too. I would have preferred them just barely escaping into Mexico and disappearing, only to find them lounging on the beach with drinks in their hands.*sigh* I do understand why that couldn't be the ending, but the hopeless romantic in me wanted a happy ending.Definitely worth seeing, maybe even seeing several times!

Couldn't Help Rooting for Them

It is impossible to defend everything Thelma and Louise did as events unraveled. Never mind illegalities; some of their misdeeds were deliberate and just plain wrong.

However, I consistently wanted them to make it. If Louise was not going to turn her back on Thelma, then neither was I. Louise was the brains behind the outfit. Thelma was naive and less-than-intelligent, and she cost Louise dearly many times. No one could have blamed Louise for letting Thelma go in hopes that she (Lousie) could still make it.

Louise's love and friendship for Thelma turned out to be more fierce than her instinct for survival. Who wouldn't want to be on their team?

Another compelling thing about this film is the go-for-broke mentality. As their situations deteriorate, they start pushing boundaries and limits in ways that most of us never will. It becomes impossible to look away.

If you have only ever watched this on cable, you should rent this film at least once to see the missing scene between the stranded desert cop and the Rastafarian. It offers comic relief in a tale laced with desperation. By the way, the cop was played by the actor that portrayed Demi Moore's boyfriend in GI Jane.

Michael Madsen (Virginia's brother) would have been tempting for a lot of us girls. Hats off to Louise for realizing that to a large extent he was only pursuing her because he could feel her slipping away.

I am still hoping that somehow, some way Thelma and Louise made it. In film all things are possible.

Quite good

Thelma & Loiuse, in spite of being considered a chick-flick, can be enjoyed by men as well. Being a lad I find utterly inspiring that another one (Ridley Scott) would make this movie. It's an original, fast-paced and funny road-movie by two women on the run. Both Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis give superb performances. The soundtrack is cool, too. Being a guy, I can't see how some claim this movie is not for them because it portrays two women setting themselves free of a life where their hubbies were making all decisions without even asking their wives. Any bloke seeing this movie and feeling attacked or disappointed hasn't really gotten into it, sorry to say. Open your mind, ok? It was a time a movie put male chauvinists where they deserve.The only aspect I don't like is the end. If it was up to me the last scene would have been the two women coming to Mexico in the sunset. Had this been a too optimistic finale, or what?8/10.

A modern classic

I saw an interview with Susan Sarandon, and she said that "Thelma and Louise isn't about feminism, it's about human liberation." I completely agree.

If you put the sexual politics aside, what you have is a story of two human beings who have spent their whole lives being oppressed and controlled by other people. Louise (Sarandon) is a waitress with a tragic past and an unreliable boyfriend. Thelma is a housewife with an arrogant, controlling husband. The two decide to embark on an impromptu vacation, but while stopping for a couple of drinks at a redneck nightclub, Thelma is almost raped by a lecherous customer, and Louise shoots and kills him in the parking lot. Instead of going to the police, the two decide to skip the country and head to Mexico, but a string of unfortunate events forces the two to commit even more crimes, turning them into bona fide fugitives and outlaws.

Strangely, what the two characters discover is that their new lives as outlaws are more satisfying than the stifled lives they led before. At the end of the film, the two make a choice to remain free and never surrender, despite the consequences.

This film asks the question: is the only way to be free in our society to be an outlaw? The answer just might be yes.

A Sarandon Classic

By far, her best film. Well written, tense and well photographed, Thelma & Louise is always near the top of my favorite films. The story might be a bit unbelievable, but you get past that quickly as we watch two middle class housewives set out on a weekend vacation that soon becomes a nightmare. Solid performances all around and an engrossing music score by Hans Zimmer give this one maximum 'stars'.

The best road-movie ever made

I have never seen a better road-movie. Ridley Scott made one of his best movies. The final scene is the best end it could have been, couldn't it? What proves this film is a good film is that every time you watch it you think they will escape from their "past", and they do it, in some way. 10/10.

Susan Sarandan is perfect

Even though I'm very young I stilled loved this movie. Its one of my favorite movies with Susan Sarandon. They do and outstanding job as criminals on the run. I loved how the hot sexy Brad Pitt was in it. It has a bit of fowl language but it wouldn't work without it. Perfect to cheer up the mood.

a feminist classic in it's own right

I'm amazed by the wide range of themes in Scott's movies,from sci-fi to this feminist drama,set on a background of magnificent scenery and lonely,dusty roads.Louise Sawyer is a worn-out,sharp-tongued waitress in Arkansas who lives an independent life,not relying on any man to take care of her.She has a boyfriend,but they don't live together. Her best friend,Thelma Dickinson on the other hand,is a timid housewife with a male chauvinist husband who sells carpets for a living and is really not much more than a badly behaved teenager in a man's body(and proud of it,to quote Louise:))She merely has to ask for his permission to leave the grounds.One day Louise asks her best friend to come with her to a cabin she has borrowed from her boss,over the weekend.Thelma is reluctant,Darryl isn't home yet and even if he was he probably wouldn't let her go. But Louise persuades her to go anyway,and so she does,leaving nothing but a TV-dinner in the microwave for Darryl and a note. They set off into the sunset in Louise's blue Ford Thunderbird-66 and stops for some drinks at a roadside bar. Thelma's newly found freedom becomes too much for her to handle and the evening ends tragically as Louise takes to desperate actions to save Thelma from a rapist. They are now in a position where they are not likely to be believed if they claim self-defense,since everyone in the bar saw Thelma and the guy making out and dancing together. Louise has to come up with a plan and soon the oppressed housewife Thelma show unexpected potential. Only one man,a police investigator portrayed by Harvey Keitel,shows understanding and compassion for the now very vulnerable women and also sees what lies behind Louise's actions. It's interesting to see how almost all men in the movie,even those who are benevolent and mean well(such as Harvey Keitel's police officer),show patronizing tendencies...A classic movie about friendship in general and between women in particular.A must-see if you like.

So Close to Winning.

Our heroines get themselves into a mess, break the law, run away from their families, cop an attitude, and then at the end they drive their car over a cliff, like something out of a Superman movie. I would've liked to have seen them live and deal with their consequences. They might have won!!

Don't sweat it. Women have secrets. Water is wet, the sky is blue, and women have secrets

I've been doing some thinking, and as I look at the careers of directors Ridley Scott and his brother Tony, I wonder if Greg Araki's "Mysterious Skin" is at all based on their lives.

(If you're unfamiliar with the plot of Araki's film, click over to the Amazon summary then meet me back here.)

Hi.

So, maybe similar circumstances happen with a lot of men, and Araki just picked up an archetype. But check out 1991: Ridley, director of "Alien" releases "Thelma and Louise," one of the greatest feminist films of all time. That same year, Tony Scott, director of "Top Gun," the most homoerotic movie of all time (according to Quentin Tarantino), releases the bloody football actioner "The Last Boy Scout," one of the most misogynistic films of the past decade.

So, I figure if these two work on a movie together again its storyline will fit somewhere between "Mysterious Skin" and "Alien vs Predator." It will take place in the desert, and everyone on screen will be dead by the end, with the possible exception of an ugly Electra. There's an interview with the two brothers in a recent issue of "Post," so maybe a collaboration is in the near future.

"Thelma and Louise" is a hallmark in cinema history, one of the greatest girl power movies ever made. Every man in it is a possessive, scheming creep (save Harvey Keitel as an understanding detective, and, to an extent, Michael Madsen as Louise's musician husband), and every creep gets his comeuppance. All of the scenes are beautifully and meticulously composed -- the filmmakers do an amazing job making shots that must've taken hours to prepare seem as natural and effortless as the good ol'girl banter between Sarandon and Davis. The famous ending, which would have been depressing or dishonest in the hands of someone less skilled, is genuinely uplifting without compromising any of the dignity and freedom T&L have discovered during their journey. The inclusion of B.B. King's "Better Not Look Down" before their final leap of faith definitely helps.

Ridley Scott's films seem to have more warmth, more humanity than T.S., which has me coming back to them more frequently. Tony's films are colder, flashier, more misanthropic. "The Last Boy Scout" exists in an emotional vacuum, excepting the dull rage running through every scene. The film's only noteworthy aspect is an early performance by Halle Berry as a dancing cowgirl (She is gunned down early in the film.)

Any doubt about T.S. being more obnoxious and condescending than his sibling was erased by the inclusion of Pat Boone's "Moody River" during the film's credits. Here's a sample:

"No longer can I live
With this hurt and this sin
I just couldn't tell you
That guy was just a friend."

How does T.S. keep getting away with the subversive homoerotic stuff in these macho action films? I would've never noticed if Tarantino first hadn't pointed out the "Wingman Anytime" analogy in "Top Gun." I don't know about you, but I just wanted to lift weights.

Anyway, I think Ridley Scott's films, particularly "Thelma and Louise" and "G.I. Jane" are subversive -- they're absurdist yet humanist. I believe Ridley wants the men who see these "feminist" films to make him look very silly. After seeing males portrayed as intolerant, monstrous caricatures, I bet he'd be pleased if audience members turned to their partners and said, "he doesn't know what he's talking about. Watch me treat you sweet."

On the other hand, these "empowering" films could be intended by some as a dulling narcotic, keeping kept women kept. Watching is chosen over the actual exhilaration of flying the coup. Near the end of the film, while T&L cruise through the Arizona desert, Thelma describes a feeling which I think everyone, male or female should experience at least once in their life (preferably without the death and destruction). It's a feeling of freedom and optimism I suspect Tony Scott still hasn't experienced, and I suspect he envies his brother's ability to convey it so effortlessly during this film. Further projecting onto Tony, I suspect this deficiency eats at him, drives him to make angry films like "Man on Fire," and feeds his "Deja Vu."

Here's the scene:

THELMA: You awake?
LOUISE: You could call it that. My eyes are open.
THELMA: Me too. I feel awake.
LOUISE: Good.
THELMA: Wide awake. I don't remember ever feelin' this awake. Everything looks different. You know what I mean. I know you know what I mean. Everything looks new. Do you feel like that? Like you've got something to look forward to?
LOUISE: We'll be drinkin' margaritas by the sea, Mamasita.


Hey, where are you girls, anyway?