Thelma & Louise (1991)
RT Audience Score: 82%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 Oscar
25 wins & 52 nominations total
Simultaneously funny, heartbreaking, and peppered with action, Ridley Scott’s Thelma & Louise is a potent, well-acted road movie that transcends the feminist message at its core
Thelma & Louise” is the ultimate girl power movie that will make you want to hit the road with your bestie and never look back. Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis are a dynamic duo that will have you cheering them on as they take on the patriarchy and live life on their own terms. The stunning cinematography and witty script make this movie a must-watch for anyone who loves a good adventure. So grab your sunglasses and hit the gas, because “Thelma & Louise” is a ride you won’t want to miss!
Production Company(ies)
New Line Cinema, Wing Nut Films, The Saul Zaentz Company,
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp.
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Courthouse Towers, Arches National Park, Utah, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong language, and for some violence and sensuality
Year of Release
1991
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby Stereo
-
Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
-
Runtime:2h 9m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 24, 1991 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 4, 2003
Genre(s)
Adventure
Keyword(s)
starring Geena Davis, Susan Sarandon, Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, Christopher McDonald, Brad Pitt, directed by Ridley Scott, written by Callie Khouri, adventure, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Kathleen Carroll, Carrie Rickey, Michael Upchurch, Terrence Rafferty, Jay Boyar, Peter Rainer, Frank J Avella, Quentin Crisp, Stephen Silver, David Nusair, Mike Massie, Monica Dorenkamp, producer Mimi Polk Gitlin, MPAA rating R, road movie, feminist message, independent waitress, fishing trip, flight from the law, rape, Mexico, sexy young thief, sympathetic detective, surrender, fate, Dolby SR, 35mm, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp
Worldwide gross: $45,457,532
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $100,342,552
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,020
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 10,942,481
US/Canada gross: $45,360,915
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $100,129,280
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 750
US/Canada opening weekend: $6,101,297
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $13,467,949
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 844
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $16,500,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $36,421,953
Production budget ranking: 1,030
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $19,613,222
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $44,307,377
ROI to date (est.): 79%
ROI ranking: 1,013
Geena Davis – Thelma
Harvey Keitel – Hal
Michael Madsen – Jimmy
Christopher McDonald – Darryl
Brad Pitt – J.D.
Director(s)
Ridley Scott
Writer(s)
Callie Khouri
Producer(s)
Mimi Polk Gitlin, Ridley Scott
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
25 wins & 52 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Writing Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Winners, Oscar Winners
All Critics (75) | Top Critics (21) | Fresh (64) | Rotten (11)
“Thelma & Louise” is a rare thrill – a gleefully offbeat road movie in which two women, instead of the usual footloose fellas, exult in the heady freedom of America’s lonesome highways.
May 24, 2016 | Rating: 3.5/4
Kathleen Carroll
New York Daily News
TOP CRITIC
This unexpected delight, which travels at top speed from the doldrums to the Grand Canyon, is moreover blessed with two high-octane performances.
July 30, 2013 | Rating: 3.5/4
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
There are plenty of great one-liners in Callie Khouri’s script, and cinematographer Adrian Biddle never fails to give viewers an eye full — even when it’s a ridiculous eye full.
July 30, 2013 | Rating: 3/4
Michael Upchurch
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
The feminist justification that the script provides for the heroines’ behavior doesn’t make their actions any less preposterous. But you can recognize the crudeness of the movie’s narrative devices and still have an awfully good time.
July 30, 2013
Terrence Rafferty
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
Thelma & Louise isn’t only a movie, it’s also a journey. In some dark night of your distant past, you might once have dreamed about taking it.
July 30, 2013 | Rating: 5/5
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
If the only way a woman can light up the screen these days is with a .38-caliber pistol, isn’t that just another form of subordination?
July 30, 2013 | Rating: 2/5
Peter Rainer
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
Not much has changed in the 30 years since Ridley Scott’s seminal and subversive attack on toxic masculinity…The queer-tinged relationship between the women is palpable, and still one of the most female-empowering moves to ever reach the screen.
July 7, 2022 | Rating: A
Frank J. Avella
Edge Media Network
What makes this film so extraordinary is that, though the two principal characters become criminals with very little provocation, we are, against our will, caught up in their fate and find ourselves cheering them on to further lawlessness.
April 6, 2022
Quentin Crisp
Christopher Street
Has emerged over the years as one of Scott’s most indelible films. (30th anniversary)
July 16, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Stephen Silver
Tilt Magazine
…a thoroughly rewarding endeavor that ranks near the top of Scott’s hit-and-miss filmography.
March 11, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
The plot never grows tiresome, the script is sharp (peppered with humor), and Sarandon and Davis give absolutely spectacular performances, full of emotion and desperation.
September 24, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
It’s difficult to decide which of these girls you like better. With their red, red hair matching the red desert landscape that surrounds them through most of the film, Sarandon and Davis are the sexiest couple to come out of Hollywood in years.
June 15, 2020
Monica Dorenkamp
OutWeek…
Plot
Louise is working in a diner as a waitress and has some problems with her boyfriend Jimmy, who, as a musician, is always on the road. Thelma is married to Darryl who likes his wife to stay quiet in the kitchen so that he can watch football on TV. One day they decide to break out of their normal life and jump in the car and hit the road. Their journey, however, turns into a flight when Louise kills a man who threatens to rape Thelma. They decide to go to Mexico, but soon they are hunted by American police.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Thelma & Louise on Fresh Kernels.
Ridley-Scott.jpg