3. Thelma & Louise (1991)
At one point in history, that car coming off the Grand Canyon could very well have happened under the direction of someone else. Scott once said I offered it to five directors who all turned it down. One of the actresses who wouldnt do the movie, a big star, she said, Why dont you come to your senses and do it? So I said all right. Thank whatever omnipresent deity you can think of that this happened, because Thelma and Louise is a very special film in Ridley Scotts career. There are four reasons for this. The first reason is that it marks his first real look at modern American culture. The closest he had come to this before was with Black Rain, but Thelma and Louise directly addressed the realities of American life through a dreamy scope of the most favored of all Yankee romanticized ideals: the road trip. The subversion of genre has come to be something of a calling card in Scotts career. The second reason for this films importance is a solidifying notion of powerful female leads within his films. Ellen Ripley had made history in Alien, and Rachael was Blade Runners throwback to the femme fatales of film noir, but the two protagonists of Louise Sawyer and her abused friend Thelma went on to become icons of feminist cinema. Even now, Scott refuses to acknowledge preconceived notions of gender specifics in film. Reason three comes in the form of character development. Thelma and Louise is expansive and artistic in visuals, but what Scott does here (arguably for the first time in his career) is that he used character psychology as a stylistic device. Its the deep psyche of the characters, which shape the tone and pace of the film. From this point on, Ridley Scott films became increasingly favorable to character development, and Scott himself worked much closer with his writers. A more obvious example of this comes later on in Scotts career with the under appreciated Hannibal and was previously hinted at in the not-as-bad-as-you-think, Someone to Watch Over Me. Proof that Scott can do "intimate" films. The fourth and final reason is simple; he propelled Brad Pitt into superstardom. Male self-esteem has never been the same since. Original Critical Responses:
Director Scott, whose films (Alien, Blade Runner) are noted for their slick surface, cuts to the marrow this time. This wincingly funny, pertinent and heartbreaking road movie means to get under your skin, and it does. -Peter Travers (Rolling Stone)
If The Witches of Eastwick marked a turn against faltering feminism, Thelma & Louise signals the end of the detour. Bumper-sticker sassy and welcome as a rest stop, this is one sweet ragtop ride, worth hitching if you don't mind getting your hair blown. -Rita Kempley (The Washington Post) Supplement Your Viewing With: Someone to Watch Over Me (1987) Matchstick Men (2003) A Good Year (2006)