Thelma is a geri-action movie that doesn’t miss a step

polygon.com:

Everyone knows summer is the domain of the action blockbuster. It’s a time for gunfights, car chases, death-defying stunts, and nefarious crimes that have to be thwarted. And while all those things have largely fallen to stars like Tom Cruise to handle, this year’s hilarious action-comedy Thelma is passing the mantle off to 94-year-old Oscar-nominated actress June Squibb.

Thelma is the first feature film from director Josh Margolin. It’s about a 92-year-old woman named Thelma who loses $10,000 to a scammer pretending to be her grandson. But instead of taking the scam lying down, she jumps on her scooter, recruits a friend, and sets off on a quest to take back her money.

In an interview with Polygon, Margolin explained that the story is based on a real incident that happened to his own grandma — though thankfully, in real life, she didn’t actually send the money to her would-be scammers. But if that premise sounds familiar, Margolin is very aware of the happy accident of his movie’s proximity to Jason Statham’s recently released The Beekeeper, which was also about a phone scammer getting a very different kind of comeuppance.

“It was so funny to see that trailer,” Margolin says with a laugh. “I was like, Oh my god, we’re a little bit like The Beekeeper. I definitely watched it because I was like, I have to see this. And it was wild and crazy and fun. [...] I’m glad we can continue the grand tradition that The Beekeeper started.”

But while Thelma might be significantly less violent than The Beekeeper, it’s even funnier and no less thrilling. For Margolin, one of the most important parts of the movie was translating the language of action filmmaking to this less-than-traditional cast, which also includes the late Richard Roundtree (Shaft) in a fantastic and fun performance. That means high-speed chases on scooters, fistfights at more manageable speeds, and high-tension heists with hearing aids.

“I’m a big fan of action movies. I always have been,” says Margolin. “The