Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, June Squibb. What do these three all have in common? Well, they are all bonafide action stars. Cruise and Cavill are no surprise, but Squibb, who recently turned 95, made her action debut in the 2024 new movie Thelma, which was a critical sensation and is now available to stream on Hulu.
Thelma stars Oscar-nominee Squibb (Nebraska) as the titular grandmother, who after being the victim of a phone scammer decides to attempt to get her money back, traversing the city with her friend (the late Richard Roundtree) on a motorized scooter. Fred Hechinger, Parker Posey and Clark Gregg also star in the movie that was written and directed by Josh Margolin, making his feature-directing debut.
After world premiering at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, Thelma premiered in movie theaters on June 21. It was beloved by critics, as Thelma scored a 98% “Certified Fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes, easily making it one of the best-reviewed movies of the summer. General audiences enjoyed it too, with 83% scoring the movie positively on RT. Now a wider audience can watch it as Thelma is streaming on Hulu.
What makes Thelma so fun is that it’s a unique iteration of an action movie. Centered on a nonagenarian, sure we’re not getting the high-flying Tom Cruise stunts, but Margolin depicts Thelma’s pursuits (ie her driving the scooter, making her way through a cluttered store to chase after a culprit) with the intensity of a typical action movie. Icing on the cake, Squibb performed many of the stunts herself (eat your heart out Cruise).
Of course, there’s also some great comedy in this indie movie. That comes from Squibb’s banter with Roundtree and the storylines of Hechinger, Posey and Gregg, as they fret over Thelma running about on her own. The movie also has plenty of heart, as it shows that just because you’re older doesn’t mean you have to stop living your life to the fullest.
If you have a subscription to Hulu (standalone, as part of Hulu with Live TV or with the Disney Bundle), then you can watch Thelma at no additional cost right now. For those that aren’t subscribed to Hulu, the movie is available through digital on-demand platforms; UK viewers can also find the movie on-demand.
Watch the trailer for Thelma right here:
