Super Safi’s Monday Morning Musings 50 – Thelma & Louise

Morning Musically-Minded, Medically-Minded, Masticators!

(Today’s post is sponsored by the letter “M”)

Over the past 600+ episodes, The Simpsons has taken us on an amazing journey involving music, science, and food to name a few concepts.

And what better way to start your week, then by discussing some of these concepts Monday morning?

So let’s get started this week by talking about a classic ’90’s movie, Thelma & Louise.

In the fiftieth episode of The Simpsons, Homer Alone (Season 03, Episode 15), poor Marge reaches a breaking point. Broken vases from Bart and Homer recreating Roadrunner/Wile E. Coyote antics, normal baby care for Maggie, special lunch orders from a complaining/needy/non-appreciative family, kids missing the school the bus, grocery shopping, going to two bowling shops for Homer’s bowling ball, horrible radio, and spilled milk! Is it any wonder poor Marge Simpsons has a nervous breakdown?

After seeing a commercial for Rancho Relaxo, Marge decides she needs a vacation alone and makes her way to the spa.

At the spa, there’s a variety of movies available for viewing, including Thelma & Louise. At the suggestion of Spa guide Troy McClure, Marge decides to relax with a sundae and some Thelma & Louise.

But have you ever wondered what the movie Thelma & Louise is about?

Thelma & Louise

Thelma & Louise is a 1991 American female buddy road movie. It was directed by Ridley Scott and written by Callie Khouri. Thelma & Louise stars Geena Davis as Thelma Dickinson and Susan Sarandon as Louise Sawyer; along with a supporting cast comprised of Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, and Brad Pitt in one of his first major movie roles.

Michelle Pfeiffer and Jodie Foster were originally chosen for the leads and both accepted their roles with enthusiasm. However, as pre-production of the movie dragged on, both Michelle and Jodie eventually dropped out for other roles. Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn were then offered to play the leads, but Meryl later dropped out while Goldie was not considered a right fit for the part. Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon were ultimately chosen.

Principal photography for Thelma & Louise began in June 1990 and lasted 12 weeks. Although the setting for the film is a fictional route between Arkansas and the Grand Canyon, it was filmed almost entirely in the states of California (near Bakersfield) and Utah (near Moab). The film was made on a budget of $16.5 million.

Thelma & Louise screened on May 20, 1991 as the closing film at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival. It then had it’s wide release premiere four days later on May 24, 1991. It was a financial success making $45.4 million on a budget of $16.5 million.

At the 64th Academy Awards, the film received six nominations, including

1. Best Cinematography,
2. Best Film Editing,
3. Best Directing,
4. Best Actress for Geena Davis,
5. Best Actress for Susan Sarandon, and
6. Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.

It only won the Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, but is the last film to date to have two actors nominated in the same category for either Best Actor or Best Actress. In 2016, the United States Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Here’s the trailer from MGM:

Now that we’ve learned more about the movie Thelma & Louise, be sure to come back next week when we continue our Monday morning musings with the next episode of The Simpsons.

Did you remember Marge watching the movie in this episode? Have you ever seen the movie before? What is your favourite movie to relax and unwind to? Have you seen any other movies with either Geena Davis or Susan Sarandon? Sound off in the comments below. You know we love hearing from you.