Celebrating 30 Glorious Years Of 'Thelma & Louise' (And Why You Should Care)!

Thelma & Louise turned 30 recently, and I am again reminded of just how special that movie was. The movie wasn’t just a trailblazer for the time, but its lasting cultural impact can be felt to this day, as iconic female best friend duos have since become the norm in the entertainment zeitgeist – Tina & Amy, Abbi & Ilana, and Maya & Anna are three favorites that come to mind. But what kids today may not realize is that seeing two women eschewing their stereotypical cattiness in favor of unrelenting love and support of one another basically started with this movie. Before Thelma & Louise, two women in the same movie were generally fighting for the same man, the same job, or the same esteem. Thelma & Louise changed all of that, and thank goodness they did. We owe so much to Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis, and if you haven’t seen this movie yet (or are, somehow, too young to even have heard of it), allow me to try to convince you why it is worth a watch.

For one thing, Davis and Sarandon were both nominated for Best Actress Academy Awards for this film, the most recent case of co-stars being nominated in the same category for either Best Actor or Best Actress. And boy, did they deserve it. These two are spectacular from start to dramatic finish – I won’t spoil the wild ending, but if you don’t know what I’m talking about, I don’t know how to help you. Sarandon and Davis play their respective roles with such a grounded-ness and humanity that you feel like you can hop right in the car with them at any moment. They also do an excellent job of bringing a lightness to the heavy themes (rape and death among them) presented in this flick. I mean, talk about best friend goals. These two will literally, literally go to the ends of the Earth for each other, and the yin-yang dynamic of Louise’s toughness to Thelma’s bubbliness adds layer upon layer to two already-complex characters. You just can’t see any other women playing these roles – there’s a reason nobody has tried since.

I’ll just tell you guys right now, though, those two aren’t the only reason to press the "Rent" button on Amazon. Hello, did anyone call for a young Brad Pitt? That’s right, kids, he wasn’t just hot in Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood, he’s been hot for always! I normally don’t love objectifying men like this, but what am I supposed to do here? Sure, Pitt’s character is awful and one of the main reasons why Thelma & Louise find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place (again, LITERALLY). But wow, this man is an Adonis if ever one walked these earthly streets. Oh, and Pitt also plays the part well, if you needed more persuading.

But let’s not forget arguably the most important reason why you Gen-Zers should be streaming this on your little iPads or Apple Watches or whatever you use these days – this movie is fun! The minute you think things can’t get any crazier for these Arkansas natives, they do, and then they do again! This movie is action-packed, and not in an obnoxious is-it-exciting-or-just-loud kind of way; you know, the types of big blockbusters that we see all too much of nowadays. You genuinely want them to somehow escape the eyes of the law and live their best lives as renegades somewhere far, far away from the dreariness of their pre-road trip existences. The fearlessness, take-no-prisoners attitude, the undying care they have for each other even when things are at their most dire – these are just a few of the traits that I value in any good movie, and that I am so happy to have witnessed in a film starring two powerful females.

I hope those who haven’t seen Thelma & Louise yet – young or old – are encouraged to give it a watch. It certainly ranks as one of my favorites, and the cherry on top is that Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon are actually super badass, woke women in real life too! It’s always great to know that the entertainers I look up to the most are actually cool people off the screen as well as on. And hey, whether you’ve seen the movie or not, you should definitely go to this drive-in event presented by MGM and Cinespia on June 18 in celebration of the 30th Anniversary.

So yeah, I love this movie so, so much, and I hope you do too! May we all have friends as strong as my girls Thelma and Louise!