Susan Sarandon And Geena Davis Reflect On Their Film "Thelma & Louise" After Nearly 30 Years

Feb 11, 2020 by apost team

To commemorate the cultural achievements of "Thelma & Louise," New York City’s Museum of Modern Art hosted a celebration of the movie during their recent “Women in Motion” gathering.

The screening was a star-studded event that featured appearances from the production’s biggest celebrities. It all culminated in a heart-warming reunion between Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon.

It has already been almost 30 years since the iconic release of this production. Despite an unceremonious promotional campaign, the film was recognized as a compelling masterpiece that enshrined a turning point in feminist cinema.

No one really knew just how big Thelma & Louise was going to get. At the time, it was simply billed as a female-fronted action flick. As we all know, it wound up being so much more. Still, even Sarandon kept her expectations in check, as detailed in the Hollywood Reporter:

"I thought it was going to be a cowboy movie with trucks and women… It turned out to be something that was so empowering and infuriating at the time."

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By shining a light on the importance of contemporary female friendships, this dramatic story inspired a new genre of theater specifically focusing on the dynamic relationships between women. By refusing to shy away from hot-button social issues or realistic depictions of violence, this on-the-road adventure sparked a rallying call for female solidarity during the early 1990s. Its influential impact is almost impossible to overstate.

The recent commemoration also provided a venue for today’s attendees to reflect upon #MeToo and #TimesUp. For a film that was once stigmatized as man-hating propaganda for taking a stand against rape, it really feels like society is going full circle and finally catching up to the progressive ways of 1991’s gritty housewife and waitress duo. As Davis articulated,

“I do believe that this is a turning point… The tone and the feeling in Hollywood is really different now.”

While Sarandon said: 

“One of my favorite lines is, ‘You are what you settle for,’ and I’m happy that this time when we’re celebrating the anniversary of women being able to vote… We are not going to settle.”

Do you find this film and the celebration of it inspiring? Pass it on to friends and family and let them know never to settle for anything less than you deserve.