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One of the most controversial movies of the 1990s, Thelma & Louise pushed every hot button of the new decade: date rape, sexual harassment, the failure of the feminist movement to create real change for the working class, and how pissed off women were, or were not, entitled to be about all of the above. Though it made more noise as a media phenomenon than at the box office, Thelma & Louise made so many people so mad that it had the feeling of a turning point. We’ll talk about the anger the movie communicated, the anger it inspired, and debate its lasting legacy.
SHOW NOTES:
“The President’s Manhood” by Asa Baber, Playboy, May 1990
“Dealing with Lady Macbeth” by Asa Baber, Playboy, October 1990
“The True Sister Profile” by Asa Baber, Playboy, November 1990
“Driving with Daisy” by Asa Baber, Playboy, December 1990
“Lost in America” Premiere, April 1991
“A Question of Focus” by Asa Baber, Playboy, March 1991
“Thelma and Louise” Review by Henry Sheehan, The Hollywood Reporter, May 6, 1991
Thelma and Louise, Roger Ebert May, 1991
“Thelma & Louise” Variety, May 13, 1991
“Queens of the Road: Thelma and Louise Leave Hollywood in the Dust” by John Powers and Helen Knode, LA Weekly, May 24, 1991
“Ms. Maverick” Profile of Susan Sarandon by Jay Carr, Long Beach Press-Telegram, May 25, 1991
“Borderline” by J. Hoberman, Village Voice, May 28, 1991
“Her Say” by Nancy Randle, Chicago Tribune, c. 1991
“Film: Hollywood-Style Firefighters; Ladies on the Lam” by Julie Salamon, Wall Street Journal, May 30, 1991
“Movies” by Bruce Williamson, Playboy, May 1991
Thelma & Louise By Peter Travers, Rolling Stone, May 24, 1991
Movie Reviews: Smooth Ride For ‘Thelma & Louise’ By Kenneth Turan, La Times, May 24, 1991
“Outlaw Princesses” by Terrence Rafferty, New Yorker, May 26, 1991
“A Postcard From the Edge” by Richard Schickel, TIME May 27, 1991
“True or False: Thelma and Louise or Just Good Ol Boys? side by side editorials by Peter Rainer and Sheila Benson, LA Times, May 31, 1991
“Driving Force” by Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly, May 31, 1991
“Film: Hollywood-Style Firefighters; Ladies on the Lam” by Julie Salamon, Wall Street Journal, May 30, 1991
“The Current Cinema: Outlaw Princesses” by Terrence Rafferty, New Yorker, June 3, 1991
“The Third Woman of Thelma and Louise” NYTimes, June 6, 1991
“Road Games” Anne Thompson, LA WEEKLY, June 21, 1991
“Films” by Stuart Klawans, The Nation, June 24, 1991
“Toxic Feminism on the Big Screen” U.S. News & World Report; Washington Vol. 110, Iss. 22, Jun 10, 1991
“Thelma, Louise Hit the Road” by Andrew Sarris, NY Observer, June 10, 1991
“Lay Off 'Thelma and Louise'” by Janet Maslin, NYTimes, June 16, 1991
“Women Who Kill Too Much: Is Thelma and Louise Feminism, or Fascism?” Laura Shapiro
Andrew Murr, Karen Springen, Newsweek, June 17, 1991
“Can Thelma and Louise Continue to Defy Gravity?” by Anne Thompson, Variety June 17, 1991
“Films” by Stuart Klaxons, The Nation, June 24, 1991
“Faces Places” US, June 27, 1991
'Thelma And Louise'; It's All In the Context” Letter to the Editor, NYTimes, June 30, 1991
“Is This What Feminism is All About?” TIME, Margaret Carlson Monday, June 24, 1991
“Get a Grip Guys: This is Fantasy” by Patt Morrison, LA Times, July 22, 91
“Killer Bimbos” by Richard Grenier, Commentary, Sept 1991
“Their Endless Summer: Which Other Movies March Off to Video, Thelma and Louis Keeps
Rolling Along” LA Times, Sept 15, 1991
“Men” by Asa Baber, Playboy, October 1991
“Guerrilla Feminism” by Asa Baber, Playboy, October 1991
“The Movie Management Of Rape” by Schulman, Sarah, Cineaste, Dec 1991
“The Woes of ‘91” The Ten Most Important Films of a Troubled Year” By John H. Richardson, Premiere, February 1992
“Shorts” The Hollywood Reporter, May 5, 1992
“Thelma and Louise” Screen International, February 26, 1993
“The Mutant Offspring of Thelma and Louise, Mantrack” by Joe Bob Briggs, Playboy, Playboy 41, issue 2 (1994)
Off the Cliff: How the Making of Thelma & Louise Drove Hollywood to the Edge by Becky Aikman
“'Thelma & Louise' Ending Deleted Scene Shows What Really Happened to Them”
by Safeeyah Kazi, Newsweek, May 24, 2021
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Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon in Thelma & Louise, 1991
Music:
The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.
Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode:
Ewa Valley - Cloud Harbor
Launch Code - Kittyhawk
Vengeful - Warmbody
Floating Whist - Aeronaut
Gaddy - Little Rock
Gusty Hollow - Migration
Jat Poure - The Sweet Hots
Mknt - Simple Machines
Our Only Lark - Bitters
Maisie Dreamer - Nursery
Lick Stick - Nursery
Four Cluster - Fornax
Junca - Orange Cat
Susan Sarandon and Timothy Carhart in Thelma & Louise, 1991
Credits:
This episode was written, narrated, and produced by Karina Longworth.
Our editor this season is Evan Viola.
Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.
Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.
Logo design: Teddy Blanks.
Brad Pitt in Thelma & Louise, 1991