There are a lot of terrific road trip movies out there.Crossroads,Into the Wild,Little Miss Sunshine,The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert— the list goes on and on. But in the Top 10 of iconic movies centered around tough lessons and unbreakable bonds being formed while rolling down the highway,Ridley Scott’s 1991 feature,Thelma & Louiseis certainly at the top. StarringSusan SarandonandGeena Davis, you simply can’t get two better actresses to headline a movie about sisterhood and sticking it to the patriarchy. But, with supporting work fromHarvey Keitel,Michael Madsen,Christopher McDonald, andBrad Pittin one of his career-making movies, the film has solidified itself as a classic now more than three decades since its release (we are all old). Right now, you’ll want to put the pedal to the metal to catch the classic on Prime Video before it speeds off on January 31.
The lives of bestiesThelma Dickinson (Davis) and Louise Sawyer (Sarandon) couldn’t be any more different. For the former, she stays within the confines of her home and lives in fear of her abusive husband, Darryl (McDonald), while Louise is a working woman, picking up checks as a waitress and dating an easy-breezy musician named Jimmy (Madsen). Both women need a break from their lives and decide to take the weekend away and travel to a little cabin in the mountains. But trouble almost immediately strikes on the duo’s trip when, after dancing with a stranger at a bar, Thelma is sexually assaulted by the man, with Louise pulling a gun and fatally shooting her friend’s attacker. What happens next is a cross-country road trip towards freedom as the two women attempt to hide from the law andregain control of their lives.
Ridley Scott Steps Outside His Comfort Zone
If you know anything about Scott’s lengthy list of credits,Thelma & Louisesticks out like a sore thumb. After all, by the time the Sarandon and Davis-starrer drove onto screens in 1991, he had made a name for himself as a sci-fi pioneer, helming blockbuster titles likeAlienandBlade Runner. But,Thelma & Louisechallenged the celebrated director to step out of his box and explore something new — even if he would largely stay in the action, historical drama, and sci-fi boxes for much of his career. And, it’s a good thing that Scott took that leap of faith, as the movie is now a classic in American cinema — not to mention a huge money-maker and a favorite on the award circuit. At the Academy Awards, the title nabbed six nominations, including Best Director and Best Actress for both Davis and Sarandon, with the film’s scribe,Callie Khouri, taking home the trophy for Best Original Screenplay.
Buckle up and join the wild journey withThelma & Louisebefore the movie zooms off Prime Video on January 31.
Thelma & Louise
