Thelma & Louise(1991)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) May 24, 1991
An Arkansas waitress and a housewife shoot a rapist and take off in a '66 Thunderbird.
Release Details
Original Release | May 24, 1991 | Wide
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Box Office Results
Results
$4,160,599
$45,360,915
$226,842
$45,596,845
Current Showtimes
orround
- Wed Aug 26
- Thu Aug 27
- Fri Aug 28
- Sat Aug 29
- Sun Aug 30
- Mon Aug 31
- Tue Sep 1
Director & Top Cast
Technical Specifications
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo,Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: 2.35 : 1
Other Details
Country of Origin: United States, United Kingdom, France
Language: English
Summaries
Plot Summary
- Two friends, Thelma Dickinson (Geena Davis) and Louise Sawyer (Susan Sarandon), set out for a weekend vacation at a fishing cabin in the mountains to take a break from their dreary lives in Arkansas. Thelma, a housewife, is married to disrespectful and controlling carpet salesman Darryl (Christopher McDonald). Darryl won't even spend any time with Thelma either. Thelma leaves for the trip with Louise without informing Darryl. Sharp-tongued Louise works as a waitress in a diner and is dating easygoing musician Jimmy (Michael Madsen), who is on the road most of the time. Louise is organized and structured, while Thelma is all over the place. Thelma is paranoid of just about everything and brings her gun for the trip.On the way, they stop at a roadhouse bar, where Thelma dances with a flirtatious stranger, Harlan Puckett (Timothy Carhart). Louise gives many hints to Thelma not to engage a stranger, but this is Thelma's first day of freedom from Darryl in a long time and she wants no restrictions on herself. Harlan takes her to the parking lot and tries to sexually assault her until Louise intervenes and threatens to shoot him. As the women walk away, Harlan yells he should've continued the assault, causing Louise to fatally shoot him in a fit of rage. The two women immediately drive off.The police, led by Hal, interview Lena the waitress (Lucinda Jenney), who says that Harlan was dancing with an out of town girl, before being shot. She says the woman was travelling in a pair. Lena repeatedly says that Harlan was cheating on his wife, and maybe one of his ex, or their husbands shot him. But neither of the 2 out-of-town people were the murdering type. Hal brings in the FBI as he suspects that the women might have left the state.At a motel they discuss how to handle the situation. Thelma wants to go to the police, but Louise fears that no one will believe a claim of attempted sexual assault as Thelma was drinking and dancing with Harlan. In addition to having no evidence of the sexual assault; they would be facing a murder charge. They decide to flee to Mexico, but Louise demands they travel there without going through Texas, as something happened to her there several years earlier which she refuses to reveal. Thelma asks Louise to call Darryl and to make it sound like she is on a normal road trip and that she will be back by the next day.Hal reaches out to Darryl and informs him about the shooting in a bar where Lousie's car was spotted and tells him that Thelma is travelling with Louise. Darryl tells Hal that Thelma's gun is missing from the house. Hal reports the findings to FBI Agent Max (Stephen Tobolowsky). Heading west, they come across an attractive young drifter, J.D. (Brad Pitt), to whom Thelma takes a liking. Louise contacts Jimmy, asking him to wire her life savings of $6700 to her. He surprises her by delivering the money in person, and they spend the night together. Jimmy proposes to Louise, but she refuses. Louise says that the only reason Jimmy flew over is because he thought she was with someone else.At a motel, J.D. talks his way into Thelma's room, and they sleep together. She learns he is a convicted armed robber who has violated the terms of his parole. JD admits to robbing convenience stores, gas stations and liquor stores and explains how he did it. He explains that observing the target and keeping your cool once it starts are the key. The following morning, the women discover J.D. has stolen Louise's savings and fled. Louise is distraught, so a guilty Thelma takes charge and later robs a nearby convenience store using tactics she learned from J.D.Meanwhile, the FBI closes in on the duo after witnesses at the bar identify Louise's 1966 Ford Thunderbird convertible. Led by Arkansas State Police Investigator Hal Slocumb (Harvey Keitel), the police tap into the phone line at Darryl's house. The police and the FBI watch the CCTV footage of Thelma robbing the store and are astounded. JD is arrested and brought to Hal and Max. JD also testifies that Thelma and Louise are not capable of murder. Hal knows that Thelma committed armed robbery because JD took all their money.When Thelma calls Darryl again, she knows that the police are monitoring calls. Lousie speaks to Hal and Hal sympathizes with the pair's situation and understands why they did not report Harlan's killing. During a few brief phone conversations with Louise, Hal expresses his concerns and tells her he knows what happened to her in Texas but is unsuccessful in persuading her to surrender. Hal knows that the women are headed to Mexico as Thelma told JD and JD squealed to Hal.Thelma tells Louise she will not go back to Darryl and asks her friend if she intends to cut a deal with police so she can return to Jimmy. Louise rejects the notion of betraying her friend and promises Thelma they will keep going together. While back on the road, Thelma recalls the incident with Harlan and tries to ask Louise if something similar happened to her in Texas. Louise responds angrily and tells Thelma to never bring it up again.Later, they are pulled over by a New Mexico state trooper for speeding. Knowing he will soon discover they are wanted for murder and armed robbery; Thelma holds him at gunpoint and locks him in the trunk of his police car. Driving further west, they encounter a foul-mouthed truck driver who repeatedly makes obscene gestures at them. They pull over and demand an apology from him; when he refuses, they fire at his fuel tanker, causing it to explode. The women leave him stranded in the desert with the wreckage.Thelma and Louise are finally cornered by the authorities only a hundred yards from the edge of the Grand Canyon. Hal arrives on the scene, but the women refuse his last attempt to talk them into surrendering. Rather than be captured, Thelma proposes that they "keep going". Both kiss and hold hands as Louise steps on the gas and they accelerate over the cliff to their certain deaths.
Storyline
- 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. — Harald Mayr
