Thelma & Louise (1991)

Two best friends set out on an adventure, but it soon turns around to a terrifying escape from being hunted by the police, as these two girls escape for the crimes they committed.

Director:

Ridley Scott

Writer:

Callie Khouri

Stars:

Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Harvey Keitel

Won 1 Oscar. Another 21 wins & 43 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Susan Sarandon	...	Louise
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
Shelly Desai	...	East Indian Motel Clerk (as Shelly De Sai)
Ken Swofford	...	Major
Carol Mansell	...	Waitress
Stephen Polk	...	Surveillance Man

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.

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Plot Keywords:

road movie | female bonding | female protagonist | waitress | female friendship | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Adventure | Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Country:

USA UK France

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 May 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Thelma and Louise

Filming Locations:

Derby Acres, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$16,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,101,297, 27 May 1991, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$45,361,000

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

Before Brad Pitt was cast, the role went to William Baldwin but he ended up dropping out. George Clooney was rejected multiple times. Mark Ruffalo auditioned. Eventually, the role went to Robert Downey Jr. but Ridley deemed him too short compared to Geena. Geena was the one who picked Brad to do the part.

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Goofs

The holes in the trunk of the police cruiser are much larger than ones made by a .38 ... which Thelma had.

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Quotes

Louise: Damn, Jimmy. What'd you do, take some kinda pill that makes you say all the right stuff?
Jimmy: Yeah. I'm chokin' on it.

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Connections

Referenced in Josh and S.A.M. (1993)

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Soundtracks

I Don't Want To Love You (But I Do)
Written by Paul Kennerly
Performed by Kelly Willis
Courtesy of MCA Records

User Reviews

Still great

You have to give it up for a movie that casts Michael Madsen as pretty much the only sane guy in existence. Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon) go off from their banal existences to a trip that heads up poop creek really REALLY fast. After shooting dead a would-be rapist, they both head for the hills where the law, personal freedom and, yes, Brad Pitt await! I hadn't seen this in quite a number of years, and it was great to come back to. I remembered a lot of it, but I noticed particularly this time the strong performances of not only of Davis and Sarandon, but of Harvey Keitel, Madsen (who is actually amazing), Pitt, and quite underplayingly, Christopher Mcdonald. Ridley Scott puts these elements all together in one explosive package.