Post by klep on Nov 18, 2019 7:35:25 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 11/18: Thelma & Louise
CARS WEEK!
CW: Sexual assault
Thelma & Louise feels like a mix between a primal scream on behalf of women and a landmark statement of solidarity between women. It's a story where men are trash and women can only get through the world by banding together.
And let's be honest. That's pretty fair. There's not one man in this film who's garbage behavior is unbelievable or even unfamiliar, and it's very easy to understand how trapped Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon) feel by their predicament.
The film's true inciting incident is the duo's encounter with Harlan (Timothy Carhart) at a bar. Thelma flirts while Louise looks on, letting her friend have some fun for once in her life. Before long though Harlan is leading Thelma out into the parking lot and tries to rape her. Louise shows up to save the day and while she may not strictly have needed to shoot Harlan, we can't really blame her for it either. He was unrepentant, barely cowed by the gun; that probably wasn't his first rape and wouldn't have been his last.
Even before Harlan though, the men in the women's lives are causing them problems. Louise is on the outs with her beau Jimmy (Michael Madsen) who can't seem to decide whether he wants to be in her life or not, and Thelma's husband Darryl (Christopher McDonald) is an immature, domineering jackass who treats her like a possession.
In fact almost none of the men in this film have any respect for the women. Jimmy does come through for Louise when she needs him, but his proposal seems more about preventing her from leaving than it does about genuinely wanting to marry her. Only the police officer on their tail Hal (Harvey Keitel) seems to really truly care about them, trying to get them to come in peacefully and getting angry with J.D. (Brad Pitt) for taking advantage of them and forcing Thelma into armed robbery.
Thelma & Louise are only able to get as far as they do by leaning on each other. When problems arise, one of the two of them is always able to figure out a path forward. They don't judge each other too harshly for making mistakes, and they support each other when they're hurting. In a way, the typography of the title - using the '&' - is significant. It suggests that rather than being two separate people, Thelma & Louise are a single unit. Working together towards the shared goal of being free of all the shitty, garbage men they keep encountering in their lives.
The film respects and admires that goal, for as they clench hands and go off the cliff edge - defying the expectations and demands of the men behind them - they are frozen in that one perfectly free moment. Sure our brains tell us they probably die shortly thereafter, but what this film presupposes is, what if in that moment they're finally fully alive?
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 11/25: Joe Versus the Volcano
HANKSGIVING!
Next week we give Hanks by finally getting to one of our most-nominated films, the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan romantic comedy Joe Versus the Volcano. Join us next week as we discuss one of the pair's finest collaborations. Joe Versus the Volcano is available for rent in the usual places.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 11/19: The Producers (1967)
The next podcast pairing features a couple of films with satirical depictions of the 20th century's greatest monster: Adolf Hitler. Come join us Wednesday for our discussion of Mel Brooks' 1967 film The Producers, available for rent in the usual places.
CARS WEEK!
CW: Sexual assault
Thelma & Louise feels like a mix between a primal scream on behalf of women and a landmark statement of solidarity between women. It's a story where men are trash and women can only get through the world by banding together.
And let's be honest. That's pretty fair. There's not one man in this film who's garbage behavior is unbelievable or even unfamiliar, and it's very easy to understand how trapped Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon) feel by their predicament.
The film's true inciting incident is the duo's encounter with Harlan (Timothy Carhart) at a bar. Thelma flirts while Louise looks on, letting her friend have some fun for once in her life. Before long though Harlan is leading Thelma out into the parking lot and tries to rape her. Louise shows up to save the day and while she may not strictly have needed to shoot Harlan, we can't really blame her for it either. He was unrepentant, barely cowed by the gun; that probably wasn't his first rape and wouldn't have been his last.
Even before Harlan though, the men in the women's lives are causing them problems. Louise is on the outs with her beau Jimmy (Michael Madsen) who can't seem to decide whether he wants to be in her life or not, and Thelma's husband Darryl (Christopher McDonald) is an immature, domineering jackass who treats her like a possession.
In fact almost none of the men in this film have any respect for the women. Jimmy does come through for Louise when she needs him, but his proposal seems more about preventing her from leaving than it does about genuinely wanting to marry her. Only the police officer on their tail Hal (Harvey Keitel) seems to really truly care about them, trying to get them to come in peacefully and getting angry with J.D. (Brad Pitt) for taking advantage of them and forcing Thelma into armed robbery.
Thelma & Louise are only able to get as far as they do by leaning on each other. When problems arise, one of the two of them is always able to figure out a path forward. They don't judge each other too harshly for making mistakes, and they support each other when they're hurting. In a way, the typography of the title - using the '&' - is significant. It suggests that rather than being two separate people, Thelma & Louise are a single unit. Working together towards the shared goal of being free of all the shitty, garbage men they keep encountering in their lives.
The film respects and admires that goal, for as they clench hands and go off the cliff edge - defying the expectations and demands of the men behind them - they are frozen in that one perfectly free moment. Sure our brains tell us they probably die shortly thereafter, but what this film presupposes is, what if in that moment they're finally fully alive?
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 11/25: Joe Versus the Volcano
HANKSGIVING!
Next week we give Hanks by finally getting to one of our most-nominated films, the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan romantic comedy Joe Versus the Volcano. Join us next week as we discuss one of the pair's finest collaborations. Joe Versus the Volcano is available for rent in the usual places.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 11/19: The Producers (1967)
The next podcast pairing features a couple of films with satirical depictions of the 20th century's greatest monster: Adolf Hitler. Come join us Wednesday for our discussion of Mel Brooks' 1967 film The Producers, available for rent in the usual places.