Thelma, streaming on Hulu, stars 94-year-old June Squibb as Tom Cruise

This feature was previously released ThelmaCinema release. It has been updated for the film’s streaming release.

Action movies used to be the domain of younger stars: all those gunfights, car chases, death-defying stunts, and preventing nefarious crimes require a lot of energy and flexibility, not to mention the ability to recover afterward. But American action stars are simultaneously getting older and staying in the picture: Harrison Ford, now 82, made an Indiana Jones film about his age. Tom Cruise is 62 and has a new Mission: Impossible movie is on the way. Keanu Reeves continues to release John Wick films. Even Bob Odenkirk was there for his 60th birthday. But the hilarious action comedy of 2024 Thelmanow on Hulu, pushes the trend to its limits. Here, 94-year-old Oscar-nominated actress June Squibb takes on the action role.

Thelma is the first feature film from director Josh Margolin. It’s about a 92-year-old woman named Thelma who loses $10,000 to a scammer pretending to be her grandson. But instead of accepting the fraud, she jumps on her scooter, recruits a friend and sets off in search of her money.

In an interview with Polygon, Margolin explained that the story is based on a real-life incident that happened to his own grandma – although luckily she didn’t actually send the money to her would-be scammers in real life. However, this premise may sound familiar to action fans for other reasons: Margolin was aware of the happy coincidence that his film was released in close proximity to Jason Statham’s film The beekeeper

“It was so funny to see that trailer,” Margolin says with a laugh. “I thought, Oh my God, We are a bit like that The beekeeper. I definitely watched it because I thought: I have to see this. And it was wild and crazy and fun. […] I’m glad we can continue the great tradition The beekeeper started.”

But while Thelma is significantly less violent than The beekeeperit’s even funnier and no less exciting. For Margolin, one of the most important parts of the film was applying the language of action filmmaking to its less-than-traditional cast, which includes the late Richard Roundtree (Wave) in a fantastic, entertaining performance. This means high-speed chases on scooters, fistfights at a more manageable pace and tense robberies with hearing aids.

“I am a big fan of action films. “That’s always been me,” says Margolin. “The idea [was] I’m trying to tell my grandma’s story and this ode to her and celebrate her courage and tenacity. [using] these tropes and ideas and shrinks them down to an everyday scope and scale, but treats them with real commitment.”

Margolin says he wanted to find a way to dramatize what he calls the everyday heroism of “moving through the world as you get older and things get harder and smaller things pose bigger dangers.”

Of course, slowed down action scenes featuring older people in chases and fights could easily come across as parody – or worse, they could make fun of the great cast of older actors. But Margolin brilliantly takes the route of laughing with our characters rather than laughing at them. Here they are the stars of a real action film and not the butt of a joke.

“Anything that evokes or references these tropes comes off as easily parodying, especially when it involves older characters,” Margolin says. “Something that me and my producers put a lot of emphasis on was the tone and trying to make sure that all the action, all the tension and all the fun always came from a sincere and serious concern for what was going on.

“We never wanted it to feel like it was putting down or making fun of. We wanted it to be funny in a way that felt like we were there.”

Some of this seriousness also comes from Margolin’s own favorite action films. He says he prefers an action film that is “honest about the challenges, not just tongue-in-cheek and referential, but action that’s fun, surprising and exciting and just treats things with a certain sincerity.” Obviously, the mission is there : Impossible films have a big influence on this [the movie]. Watching Tom Cruise pounce on various moving objects for our entertainment is a source of inspiration for us [our] ethos.”

Thelma is watching a “Mission: Impossible” movie during the film, and her inspiration for Tom Cruise is present not only in the spirit, but also in the text itself. After being cheated on, Thelma becomes inspired when she sees Cruise’s face in a magazine sees taking justice into his own hands. But without that sincerity it wouldn’t work ThelmaHis great and engaging performances, particularly from Squibb and Roundtree. Both actors are incredibly funny and Roundtree’s charm gives the film a huge amount of heart. For her part, Margolin says Squibb was adamant about owning the Tom Cruise mantle and doing as many of his own stunts as possible.

“She did!” Margolin laughs. “And that got worse as time went on because we were pretty nervous and cautious and conservative about all of these things. With the help of our really great stunt team, over the course of filming as she became more comfortable with the scooter and other things like getting up on the bed and rolling, we developed a shorthand for what she was and wasn’t suited to. It was really cool. She used to be a dancer; She did pretty rigorous Pilates leading up to the film. She has great physical ability as a performer, and it was really cool to see her harness that, even at this moment in her life, and use it in the film.”

It’s rare for a summer action movie to also be one of the funniest and cutest films of the year, but Thelma manages to pull it off. So if you’re impatiently waiting for Tom Cruise’s next movie, keep this in mind Thelma and June Squibb are here to carry the torch in his honor.

Thelma is now streaming on Hulu and available to rent or purchase on Amazon, Apple TV, and other digital platforms.