Thelma & Louise (1991)

An Arkansas waitress and a housewife shoot a rapist and take off in a '66 Thunderbird.

Director:

Ridley Scott

Writer:

Callie Khouri

Stars:

Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Harvey Keitel

Won 1 Oscar. Another 20 wins & 29 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Susan Sarandon	...	Louise Sawyer
Geena Davis	...	Thelma
Harvey Keitel	...	Hal
Michael Madsen	...	Jimmy
Christopher McDonald	...	Darryl
Stephen Tobolowsky	...	Max
Brad Pitt	...	J.D.
Timothy Carhart	...	Harlan
Lucinda Jenney	...	Lena, the Waitress
Jason Beghe	...	State Trooper
Sonny Carl Davis	...	Albert
Ken Swofford	...	Major
Shelly Desai	...	East Indian Motel Clerk (as Shelly De Sai)
Carol Mansell	...	Waitress
Stephen Polk	...	Surveillance Man

Storyline

Louise is working in a fast food restaurant as a waitress and has some problems with her friend 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.

---

Plot Keywords:

waitress | on the road | fugitive | chase | housewife | 

---

Taglines:

Somebody said get a life... so they did.

---

Genres:

Adventure | Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language, and for some violence and sensuality

Details

Country:

USA France

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 May 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Thelma i Louise

Filming Locations:

Bakersfield, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$16,500,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$45,361,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pathé Entertainment, Percy Main, Star Partners III Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to a 2011 Vanity Fair article, it was Michelle Pfeiffer's idea that Ridley Scott direct the film instead of just simply executive produce it.

---

Goofs

When Hal looks up Thunderbird owners in the Arkansas State Police database, each owner's name is listed in alphabetical order. The corresponding list of vehicle's year / color is listed in chronological order, a coincidence unlikely to happen in real life.

---

Quotes

[last lines]
Thelma Dickerson: [with a cliff in front of them and cops behind them]
Thelma Dickerson: OK, then listen; let's not get caught.
Louise Sawyer: What're you talkin' about?
Thelma Dickerson: Let's keep goin'!
Louise Sawyer: What d'you mean?
Thelma Dickerson: ...Go.
Thelma Dickerson: [Thelma nods ahead of them]
Louise Sawyer: You sure?
Thelma Dickerson: Yeah.
[...]

---

Connections

Referenced in Connie and Carla (2004)

---

Soundtracks

"Tennessee Plates"
Written by John Hiatt & Mike Porter
Performed by Charlie Sexton
Produced by Nile Rodgers
Courtesy of MCA Records

User Reviews

A terrific movie about friendship.

I loved this movie from the first time I saw it, but it wasn't until I sat through it the third time that I figured out why. It is clever, exciting, and funny and is shot in the middle of the breathtaking scenery of the American Southwest. However, the thing that makes it special is its illustration of pure friendship. It may be difficult for some men to cross the gender boundary and connect with Thelma and Louise, yet doing so is critical to appreciating the film. If you can make the connection then you can get its message -- we all need a friendship like the one Thelma and Louise had. This movie will strike a deep emotional chord.....if you aren't afraid to let it. And if you happen to be too emotionally closed off to appreciate what I think the movie says about friendship I think that you will still enjoy the characters, acting, action, and humor. It is a ten out of ten.