ReviewBehind the scenes of Thelma & Louise, a movie that upended Hollywood
A road movie about two female outlaws, Thelma & Louise was an anomaly in Hollywood, as a wide-ranging study of the film and its impact makes clear
by Becky Aikman (read by Kirsten Potter)
Penguin Audio
Girl pride doesn’t begin to explain why Thelma & Louise, and now the book about the making of the movie, are special. Off the Cliff reminds fans what an anomaly Callie Khouri’s screenplay was, and tells of the difficulty she had persuading producers to embrace a story about two female outlaws kicking ass in their pursuit of freedom.
Becky Aikman discusses the roles offered to women then, and how many people, including Khouri, were having their talent throttled: she made music videos, starring strippers, for “spandex hair bands”. Of course, a few women were able to bank on their box-office power to pursue film projects, including Barbra Streisand, but even she was paid only the guild minimum for directing.
Name dropping is to be expected, but it’s done in a way that makes the book even more appealing.