Tag: june squibb

Revenge has never been sweeter. “Thelma” (2024)

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directed by Josh Margolin
© 2024 Magnolia Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t mess with grandmas! I mean it. They won’t only feed you till you can’t move – they can also fight criminals like pros! If you’re in need of good vibes, this comedy is definitely for you. We get to know Thelma (June Squibb), who’s a 93-year-old woman living alone and enjoying her retirement. She has a loving grandson, Danny (Fred Hechinger), who’s overly protective and always makes sure his grandma is fine. One day, Thelma answers a phone from Danny who says that he’s arrested and the woman has to send $10 000 to a certain adress to let him free. The woman panics and does it, but soon after she finds out that the caller wasn’t her Danny and she’s got scammed. Thelma is furious about the situation and asks the police for help, but they don’t even bother. And when people don’t seem to care, what do we do? Yes, baby, we do it ourselves! The brave granny decides to find the scammer’s address and visit them in order to get her money back. But how will an elderly lady like her actually manage to fight a criminal? Oh, you’d be surprised… I absolutely loved this comedy and the story about Thelma, because it gives positive vibes and shows how much power elderly people still have. We often see grandmas and grandads being pushed away from our everyday life as if they weren’t able to join us in numerous activities. Well, if you ask them to run a marathon, they may rather refuse, but so would I and I’m much younger. However, they deserve to be seen and included. And they have the right to catch the scammer that fooled them. As I said, I had a lot of fun watching this film, but I also find it important when it comes to picturing seniors nowadays. I wish for more productions like this one, so please – feel free to tell stories of brave and crazy grandparents who break the boring stereotypes! Cheers to Thelma and all the unstoppable seniors!

My rating: 7/10
S.

I can smell the toilets from here. “Table 19” (2017)

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directed by Jeffrey Blitz
© 2017 Fox Searchlight Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

It’s not such a new production but somehow I missed it for a few years. Luckily, I’ve finally seen it and can recommend it to you as a guilty pleasure film for a relaxing evening. At first we have a protagonist, Eloise (Anna Kendrick), but I feel like later we’re following several people and enjoying the story from various perspectives. Still, back to Eloise, she’s a young woman who’s just received an invitation for her old friend’s wedding. How awkward the invitation is, considering the fact that Eloise was supposed to be the maid of honour, but that changed after Teddy (Wyatt Russell) broke up with her. And Teddy is the brother of the bride. So, you know, not the best circumstances, if you ask me. However, Eloise decides to attend the wedding either way. At the venue, she realises that they’ve chosen the worst table for her – table 19, which is basically for all the people that showed up but shouldn’t. There she meets very random individuals who are all feeling quite uncomfortable and misfit. And obviously, Eloise has to watch her ex-boyfriend having a lot of fun, while she’s pretending to be over him and moved on in life. Luckily, all those random people at table 19 seem to be much concerned about her and, despite everything, they become some kind of team in order to survive the wedding. I have to say that the ending is rather strange and quite disappointing, but that’s just my opinion. Overall, however, it’s an adorable comedy with several really funny texts that may cheer you up, especially if you’re one of those people who feel awkward at weddings. Taking things to a deeper level, I liked the contrast between the pure happiness that the married couple with their main guests share and all those random people from table 19 who are far from being perfect, yet support each other in accepting their flaws or differences. If you ask me, I’d totally want to be seated at table 19. Even if you can smell the toilets from there… but you can always steal some food and smoke something in your room, right? You’ll get it when you see the film. Enjoy!

My rating: 6/10
S.

We all depend on the system. “Palmer” (2021)

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directed by Fisher Stevens
© 2021 Apple TV+. All Rights Reserved.

That’s the kind of drama I personally love. I mean, I generally enjoy drama, even in life, and especially when it doesn’t consider me so I can be just an observer with popcorn. However, “Palmer” is one of those productions that are simple, yet they hit hard with their messages. We get to know Eddie Palmer (Justin Timberlake), who’s just got out of prison. As he has no life options, he starts living with his grandma Vivian (June Squibb) and tries to get back on track with everything. Unfortunately, it’s horribly difficult for him to regain his social status or find a job as nobody wants an employee with such background. In the meantime, Eddie gets to know Sam (Ryder Allen), a boy that keeps coming to Vivian and spends a lot of time in their house. Vivian kind of treats him like her own grandson, especially since the boy doesn’t receive much attention or love from his parents. His mother Shelly (Juno Temple) is a drug addict and often disappears leaving Sam alone. One day Vivian passes away and Eddie decides to keep supporting Sam as he’s not only struggling with his own family, but also with his sexuality. The child doesn’t really follow social “norms” and prefers more feminine objects, toys and clothes, which leads to problems at school and with his friends. Personally, I’m getting a lot of thoughts from this production. First of all, only people who are left alone and without support will understand others like them. And, paradoxically, they are the ones who will help each other the most. Second, we’re living in a big system that doesn’t care about individuals, it cares about not caring, to be honest. We judge people with black or white, yes or no questions, while all they need is a bit of attention and personal approach. Third, sometimes, no matter how badly we want to change the world, we just have to let it be. Let it be and take care of ourselves. Because, unfortunately, karma doesn’t always work, or not immediately. If we dedicate ourselves to another person, perhaps nobody will dedicate themselves to us at the same time. It’s important to take actions, indeed, but sometimes the best option is to wait for a better moment in life. And that’s why I like films like “Palmer”, because you may think it’s a simple production, but it seriously crashes you from the inside. And may I just say that I’m glad to see more Juno Temple? Of course I may and I’m saying it. She’s a very good actress and I hope she’ll keep appearing in next films.

My rating: 7/10
S.