June Squibb Stars As A Gun-Wielding Grandma Who Goes After Her Scammers In Thelma

Dealing with scammers has unfortunately become part of life, especially since the advent of AI and the incredibly realistic way that artificial intelligence can clone someone’s voice. Parents and grandparents have had to become savvy in case they suddenly receive a phone call claiming their child or grandchild has been kidnapped or is in jail and needs to be bailed out. Although maybe after Thelma hits theaters, scammers might think twice before trying to take money from a seemingly helpless grandmother. Because this grandma is out for revenge.

June Squibb stars as the title character in Thelma, a movie about a grandmother who thinks she has gotten a call from her 24-year-old grandson in jail. She is told that she needs to send $10,000 to an address, and a trailer for Thelma sees Squibb scrambling around her home to collect up envelopes of money for her grandson Danny (White Lotus’ Fred Hechinger) to be released from prison.

She finds out that the entire call was a scam. Danny is safe at his mom Gail’s house, and defends his grandmother when she is admonished by her daughter Gail (Parker Posey) for believing the scam. While she’s relieved that Danny is fine, she can’t quite seem to get over the fact that she is just expected to say goodbye to her $10,000. So she jumps on her motorized scooter, grabs her pal Ben (Richard Roundtree), and heads off to get revenge on these scammers. After getting a gun from her friend Mona’s house, obviously.

This film marks Squibb’s first ever leading role in a film at 94 years old. When Thelma was released at Sundance Film Festival in January, the “unlikely action hero” told People that she did her own stunts for the film. “I was so proud of myself doing this. The scooter was great fun — it was a joy to be on that,” she said. Squibb isn’t done just yet either. “I always thought about a Western, but I don't know that I can get on a horse anymore,” Squibb told People when asked if there was a role she might still like to tackle. “I used to ride when I was younger, and I've never done a Western, so I always thought that's something I'd love to do. Maybe if they can get me on the horse, I can stay on and do it.”

Could this be Thelma 2: Back In The Saddle?

Thelma, starring Academy Award-nominee June Squibb as the gun-wielding grandma out for revenge, hits theaters on June 21.