Thelma & Louise (1991)

Director:

Ridley Scott

Writer (WGA):

Callie Khouri (written by)

Release Date:

24 May 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Waitress | On The Road | Fugitive | Chase | Housewife

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 20 wins & 29 nominations

Cast

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
Rob Roy Fitzgerald	...	Plainclothes Cop
Jack Lindine	...	I.D. Tech
Michael Delman	...	Silver Bullet Dancer
Kristel L. Rose	...	Girl Smoker
Noel L. Walcott III	...	Mountain Bike Rider (as Noel Walcott)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Carey	...	Restaurant Customer (uncredited)
Catherine Keener	...	Sarah, Hal's wife (scenes deleted) (uncredited)
Charlie Sexton	...	Himself (uncredited)
Marco St. John	...	Truck Driver (uncredited)
Billy Tim	...	Man in Bar (uncredited)
Robert 'Bobby Z' Zajonc	...	State Police Pilot (uncredited)

Directed by
Ridley Scott

Writing credits (WGA)
Callie Khouri		(written by)

Produced by
Mimi Polk Gitlin	....	producer (as Mimi Polk)
Callie Khouri	....	co-producer
Dean O'Brien	....	co-producer
Ridley Scott	....	producer

Original Music by
Hans Zimmer

Cinematography by
Adrian Biddle		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Thom Noble

Casting by
Louis DiGiaimo		(as Louis Di Giaimo)

Production Design by
Norris Spencer

Art Direction by
Lisa Dean

Set Decoration by
Anne H. Ahrens		(as Anne Ahrens)

Costume Design by
Elizabeth McBride

Makeup Department
Leslie Ann Anderson	....	hair stylist
Richard Arrington	....	makeup artist
Anthony Cortino	....	hair stylist
Bonita DeHaven	....	makeup artist
Karl Wesson	....	hair stylist
Steve LaPorte	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Mel Dellar	....	unit production manager
Dean O'Brien	....	unit production manager
Garth Thomas	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
J. Tom Archuleta	....	first assistant director: second unit
Bobby Bass	....	second unit director
Steve Danton	....	first assistant director
Martin Jedlicka	....	dga trainee
Wendy Peterson	....	second second assistant director (as Wendolyn Peterson)
B. Scott Senechal	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Richard J. Bayard	....	construction coordinator (as Richard Bayard)
Walter Berner	....	swing gang (as Walter Berner III)
Gary Clark	....	paint foreman (as Gary A. Clark)
Addie Flores	....	labor foreman
Frank Galvan III	....	stand-by painter
Ross Harpold	....	assistant set decorator
Paul Arthur Hartman	....	swing gang (as Paul A. Hartman)
Michael W. Hirabayashi	....	assistant art director (as Michael Hirabayashi)
Roger M. Janson	....	construction foreman (as Roger Janson)
Alan S. Kaye	....	set designer (as Alan Kaye)
Sherman Labby	....	production illustrator
Jim Olson	....	construction foreman (as James Olson)
Victor Petrotta III	....	property assistant (as Victor F. Petrotta III)
Vic Petrotta Jr.	....	property master
Richard R. Powell	....	swing gang (as Richard Raymond Powell)
Tom Randol	....	swing gang (as James T. Randol)
Chuck Roseberry	....	assistant property master
Lazar Samarzich	....	greens assistant
Robert Butch Samarzich	....	greensman (as Robert L. Samarzich)
Monti Santilli Rainbolt	....	property assistant
Scott Snyder	....	construction foreman
Kenneth Turek	....	leadman
Mark Vitale	....	construction foreman
Larry R. Wehner	....	labor foreman

Sound Department
Michael A. Carter	....	assistant sound re-recording mixer (as Michael Carter)
Norman A. Cole	....	assistant adr editor (as Norman Cole)
Gordon Davie	....	assistant sound editor
Jeffrey J. Haboush	....	additional sound re-recordist
Graham V. Hartstone	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Graham Hartstone)
Les Healey	....	assistant sound editor
Nicolas Le Messurier	....	assistant sound re-recording mixer
John Poyner	....	adr editor
Bob Risk	....	sound effects editor
Timothy P. Salmon	....	boom operator
Jim Shields	....	supervising sound editor (as Jimmy Shields)
Keith A. Wester	....	production sound mixer
Sandy Buchanan	....	post-production sound assistant (uncredited)
Tommy Goodwin	....	adr mixer (uncredited)
Preston Oliver	....	sound recordist (uncredited)
Dean St. John	....	adr recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Martin J. Gibbons	....	special effects technician
Todd Jensen	....	special effects technician (as Todd K. Jensen)
Tim Moran	....	special effects technician (as Tim J. Moran)
Stan Parks	....	special effects coordinator
Kevin Quibell	....	special effects technician (as Kevin S. Quibell)
Paul Stewart	....	special effects technician

Stunts
Gregory J. Barnett	....	stunt player (as Greg Barnett)
Bobby Bass	....	stunt coordinator
Bobby Bass	....	stunt player
Steve Boyum	....	stunt player
David Burton	....	stunt player
Terry Collis	....	stunt player
Bob Dewitt	....	stunt player
Kenny Endoso	....	stunt player
Tony Epper	....	stunt player
Glory Fioramonti	....	stunt double: 'Louise'
Diane Kay Grant	....	stunt double: 'Thelma'
Marguerite Happy	....	stunt double: 'Louise'
Billy Hank Hooker	....	stunt player (as Hank Hooker)
Buddy Joe Hooker	....	stunt player
Norman Howell	....	stunt player (as Norm Howell)
Billy D. Lucas	....	stunt player (as Billy Lucas)
John Meier	....	stunt player
Ann Melville	....	stunt player
Bennie Moore	....	stunt player (as Bennie E. Moore Jr.)
Mary Peters	....	stunt player
Ronnie Rondell Jr.	....	stunt player (as Ronnie Rondell)
Mike Ryan	....	stunt player (as Michael C. Ryan)
David Webster	....	stunt player
Dick Ziker	....	stunt player
Tommy J. Huff	....	stunt driver (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Steve Adcock	....	second assistant camera
Andrew Aguilar	....	grip (as Andy Aguilar)
Paul Amorelli	....	best boy electrician
Audie Aragon	....	best boy grip
David Canestro	....	grip
John Connell	....	aerial camera technician (as John A. Connell)
James M. Cox	....	electrician (as James Cox)
Tom Cox	....	chief lighting technician (as Thomas P. Cox)
Dennis Dodd	....	generator operator
Kenji Inouye	....	grip
R. Scott Judge	....	dolly grip
Aaron Katz	....	video assistant
J. Steven Matzinger	....	clapper loader
Daniel Mindel	....	first assistant camera (as Dan Mindel)
Bob Miyamoto	....	grip
Roland Neveu	....	still photographer
Kevin Newett	....	electrician
Stephen Patrick Norman	....	second assistant camera
David B. Nowell	....	aerial director of photography
Darrin Pulford	....	electrician
Brad Rea	....	dolly grip
Calmar Roberts	....	first assistant camera (as Cal Roberts)
Bob Rose	....	key grip (as Bobby Rose)
Erich O. Rose	....	grip
Joe Rowan	....	electrician
Michael Scott	....	camera operator
John Smock	....	electrician (as John D. Smock)
Alexander Witt	....	camera operator
Alexander Witt	....	camera operator: second unit

Casting Department
Ira Belgrade	....	casting associate
Dan Parada	....	extras casting: The Casting Group

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Nisa Kellner	....	set costumer
Taneia Lednicky	....	key costumer
Janet Powell	....	set costumer (as Janet L. Powell)

Editorial Department
Audrey Evans	....	apprentice editor
Craig Galloway	....	assistant film editor
Bob Hart	....	negative cutter (as Bobby Hart)
Alexandra Leviloff	....	assistant film editor
David Orr	....	color timer
Julie Payne	....	post-production coordinator
Chris Peppe	....	assistant film editor
David Richards	....	apprentice editor
Antonia Van Drimmelen	....	assistant film editor (as Antonia van Drimmelen)

Music Department
Joachim H. Hansch	....	music executive: Pathe
Peter Haycock	....	musician: solo guitar (as Pete Haycock)
Blake Lewin	....	music coordinator
Kathy Nelson	....	music supervisor
Laura Perlman	....	music editor
Jay Rifkin	....	music recordist
Nico Golfar	....	score wrangler (uncredited)
Charlie Morgan	....	musician: drums (uncredited)
Brad Segal	....	assistant music executive: Pathe (uncredited)
John Van Tongeren	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Lynn Collis	....	transportation captain
Terry Collis	....	transportation coordinator
Jerry Sidwell	....	transportation captain (as Gerald L. Sidwell)
David Trevino	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Robin Allen-Paris	....	production assistant (as Robin Allen)
Christine Baer	....	production coordinator
Paul J. Bellman	....	production assistant (as Paul Bellman)
Scotty Bergstein	....	assistant: Ms. Polk (as Scott Bergstein)
Sam Bernstein	....	production accountant
Gerald Bowne	....	craft service
Cary Burns	....	assistant: Mr. Scott
Larry D. Campbell	....	location assistant (as Larry Campbell)
Diana Campbell-Rice	....	production secretary
Stephanie Claxton	....	assistant production accountant
Tracy DeFreitas	....	assistant production coordinator (as Tracy Defreitas)
Joe Everett	....	unit publicist
Guiliano Gallo	....	caterer (as Michaelson-Gallo)
Anthony Goldschmidt	....	title designer
Tim Gonzales	....	craft service
Pauline Granby	....	assistant post-production accountant
Ken Haber	....	location manager: Utah (as Kenneth Haber)
Lisa Hackler	....	projectionist
Don Hildebrand	....	helicopter pilot
James Kelly	....	assistant location manager (as James M. Kelly)
Luca Kouimelis	....	script supervisor
Michelle Michael	....	first aid
Steve Michaelson	....	caterer (as Michaelson-Gallo)
Patrick Mignano	....	location assistant
Tim Monich	....	dialect coach (as Timothy Monich)
Michael Neale	....	location manager: California
Cee Ozenne	....	stand-in: 'Thelma'
David Paris	....	helicopter pilot
Patrick Spezialy	....	payroll supervisor
Deborah Stenard	....	stand-in: 'Louise'
Rob Stevens	....	accounting secretary
Julie Strain	....	stand-in: 'Thelma'
Arthur Tarry	....	post-production accountant
Phillip L. Tomalin Jr.	....	assistant: Ms. Sarandon (as Phillip Leslie Tomalin Jr.)
Kami Turrou	....	production assistant
Cynthia Zajonc	....	ground safety (as Cynthia V. Zajonc)
Robert 'Bobby Z' Zajonc	....	aerial coordinator
Francie Brown	....	dialect coach: Mr. Keitel (uncredited)
Kristi Frankenheimer	....	production associate (uncredited)
Jim Jaffe	....	product placement (uncredited)
Jon Sperry	....	dialect coach: Harvey Keitel (uncredited)
Larry Stelling	....	mechanic (uncredited)
Joe Straw	....	production accountant (uncredited)
Terrance Ottis Williams	....	post-production accountant (uncredited)

Thanks
Brett Palmer	....	special thanks: The San Juan County Film Commission
Bette Stanton	....	special thanks: The Moab Film Commission
Dale Stapley	....	special thanks: State of Utah Department of Transportation
Amanda Temple	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Pathé Entertainment (presents)
• Percy Main
• Star Partners III Ltd. (in association with)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1991) (USA) (theatrical)
• Alamode Film (2003) (Germany) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Columbus Film (199?) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Europe Image Distribution (1991) (France) (theatrical)
• Tobis Filmkunst (1991) (Germany) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1992) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1991) (Spain) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1991) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (VHS)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (1992) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Columbia Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• Film1 (2012) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
• Gativideo (2004) (Argentina) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (worldwide) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD) (The Susan Sarandon Star Collection)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2011) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray) (20th anniversary)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1992) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1997) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1994) (USA) (TV)
• Nordisk Film (2001) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2002) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI) (1994) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2011) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Warner Home Video (1992) (Germany) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (199?) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Alpine/Luxman Electronics of America  the producers wish to give special thanks to (as Alpine Electronics of America, Inc.)
• Arches National Park  the producers wish to give special thanks to
• Brooks Athletic Shoes  the producers wish to give special thanks to (as Brooks Athletic Footwear)
• Bureau of Land Management  the producers wish to give special thanks to (as Bureau of Land Management, Utah and Colorado)
• Canyonlands National Park  the producers wish to give special thanks to
• Department of the Interior  the producers wish to give special thanks to
• Dolby Laboratories  sound post-production
• Eastman Film  originated on (as Eastman Color Film)
• Gala Catering  catering
• Ghurka  the producers wish to give special thanks to (as The Ghurka Collection)
• Grisco's Animals  animal trainer
• Kawasaki  the producers wish to give special thanks to (as Kawasaki Motors Corp., USA)
• Kodak  film stock
• Lillie Yard Studios  music recorded at (as Lillie Yard Studios, London)
• MCA Records  soundtrack album on (as MCA Cassettes and Compact Discs)
• Moab Film Commission  the producers wish to give special thanks to (as The Moab Film Commission)
• National Park Service, The  the producers wish to give special thanks to (as National Park Service)
• Pacific Title  titles and opticals
• Patrick Sport Shoe  the producers wish to give special thanks to (as Patrick Sport Shoe Inc., USA)
• Pinewood Studios  post-production facilities (as Pinewood Studios, England)
• San Juan County Film Commission, The  the producers wish to give special thanks to
• The Casting Group  extras casting
• Tony Lama Boots  the producers wish to give special thanks to (as Tony Lama Boot Company)
• Warner Hollywood Studios  additional re-recording at

Also Known As:

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

130 min

Country:

USA | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Germany:16 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Portugal:M/16 (Qualidade) | Singapore:M18 | Iceland:12 | Brazil:14 | USA:R (No. 31011) | Canada:18A (Canadian Home Video rating) | New Zealand:M | Canada:14+

Filming Locations:

Bakersfield, California, USA

Company:

Pathé Entertainment

Trivia:

Rosanna Arquette and Phoebe Cates were initially in talks to play the part of Thelma.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Thelma is on the car about to be raped Louise comes up from behind with the handgun. Just before you see her put the gun to the guys neck we hear the gun being cocked. When we see the gun placed to his neck it is not cocked.

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.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 100 Greatest Sexy Moments (2003) (TV)

Soundtrack:

I Don't Want To Love You (But I Do)

Well, I liked the car...

Overlooking for a moment THELMA AND LOUISE's blatant sexism: all the men are liars, cheats, rapists or morons; all the women are "Victims" with a capital "V" -- even as they kill, rob and vandalize their way across the US Southwest.

And setting aside that Callie Khouri's Oscar-winning screenplay is nothing but a collection of tired cliches from two separate genres: the male buddy film ("bang bang boom boom) and the whiny chick flick: "weep weep sob sob").

The question that comes to my mind is why this is, in any way, considered to be a "feminist" film. These are, after all, two of the stupidest women who ever stumbled across a movie screen. The are not in control of their lives as some have suggested: they are on the run from the law, on the run from taking responsibility for their own reckless and criminal behavior. They are stupid and they are cowardly. They are not role models, or even typical "oppressed" women. But because they chose men as their victims -- and stand up to the men only when they have guns in their hands -- they are applauded for their boldness. Two men who only terrorized women would be dismissed as creeps.

It is one of the perversions of feminism that women measure their success by the standards set by men, even when they would otherwise condescendingly criticize that behavior as being negative and/or macho. In this case, adventures that would be mocked as sexist if perpetrated by men, are embraced as being empowering when committed by women. Also, it is the added dynamics of the situations: if Thelma and Louis victimized any women, their defenders would not praise their actions because it would be a violation of the "sisterhood." It is only the targeting of male victims that earn this film its praise: Surely pure, unadulterated sexism -- or is that feminism? It's hard to tell the difference.

Not that THELMA AND LOUISE isn't without good points. Anyone who appreciates Susan Sarandon's acting skills and/or Brad Pitt's sculpted torso will be gratified. Perhaps the only real star of the film, however, is Thelma's mint 1966 Thunderbird convertible; a gorgeous classic that deserves a fate far better than what is served up by this pathetically mediocre film. When Louise and Thelma meet their ultimate demise, one wishes they had had the common decency to get out of the car and jump off the cliff by themselves. The loss of that beautiful car is the real tragedy. As for Thelma and Louise? Good riddance.