Thelma

Directed by Josh Margolin, Thelma follows June Squibb’s title character as she embarks on a perilous journey to find and confront the scammers who ripped her off. It’s appealing subject matter that’s employed to slightly erratic yet mostly compelling effect by Margolin, as the filmmaker, armed with his own screenplay, delivers a pleasant endeavor that benefits from Squibb’s superb, ingratiating turn as the sympathetic protagonist – with the actress’ top-flight efforts going a long way towards smoothing over the narrative’s periodically hit-and-miss sensibilities. (And it doesn’t hurt, certainly, that Margolin has elicited equally engaging work from such supporting players as Fred Hechinger, Richard Roundtree, and Parker Posey.) There is, as such, little doubt that Thelma‘s pervasively amiable atmosphere carries it through a midsection that never quite becomes as engrossing as one might’ve hoped, although, by that same token, it’s clear that the tremendously satisfying third act ensures that the whole thing ends on an agreeable, satisfying note – which, when coupled with Margolin’s appreciatively ambitious visual sensibilities (ie the director is obviously a fan of Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch-Drunk Love), cements the movie’s place as a stirring endeavor that boasts, at its core, a thoroughly memorable lead performance.

*** out of ****