The film stars June Squibb as a woman who falls victim to a phone scam, and sets out to find the perpetrators with the help of her grandson (Fred Hechinger) and friend (Richard Roundtree, in his final role).

[4] Thelma premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2024, and was released in the United States by Magnolia Pictures on June 21, 2024.

After a panic involving her daughter Gail and son-in-law Alan, Thelma finds out Danny is safe and she was scammed.

Unable to get help from the police and unwilling to let the scammer get away with her money, Thelma evades her family and sets out to the address to retrieve it.

During an argument with his parents, Danny vents about his recent breakup with his girlfriend and his lack of skills aside from looking after Thelma, fearing he will go nowhere in life.

Ben listens through their connected phones while Thelma sneaks in and discovers the owner, Harvey, and his grandson Michael running a scam operation in the backroom.

Harvey, who relies on an oxygen regulator and his grandson, laments that his store is failing and has resorted to scamming people to stay financially stable.

As Daniel drives Thelma home, they talk in the car about how incredible it is that the trees are still alive, no matter how gnarled their roots look.

The website's consensus reads: "A stellar showcase for the talented June Squibb, Thelma avoids cheap laughs as it finds the lighter side of some serious issues.

"[11] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 77 out of 100, based on 42 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.