Just as Bonnie and Clyde are synonymous with any young male - female criminal duo, so have Thelma and Louise become the poster girls for female best friend ride-or-dies. The movie Thelma and Louise was released in 1991 and quickly became a classic. It tells the story of two friends, the eponymously named Thelma and Louise, played by Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis respectively, who take a road trip together. The trip starts off well, but rapidly degenerates and ends up in a series of tragic and unforeseen circumstances.
The film was controversial in some ways, particularly because it portrayed men in what was seen to be a negative way, but despite this (or perhaps because of it) it was a global smash; it was eventually considered one of the most groundbreaking feminist movies of all time. In all it received six Academy Awards, including one each for Sarandon and Davis in the Best Actress in a Leading Role category. A young actor named Brad Pitt also made his movie debut in Thelma and Louise.
Originally, the roles of Thelma and Louise were intended for Cher and Meryl Streep, who had already starred opposite each other in the movie Silkwood, and who would go on to appear together in Mama Mia : Here We Go Again thirty years later. Cher's then brother-in-law Michael Madsen was cast as Jimmy, Louise's lover. When Streep decided that she wanted to pursue more comedic roles at that time in her career, and Cher wanted to focus more on her musical career, Sarandon and Davis were cast instead. Critics praised their performances, especially the fact that they created two feisty, spirited characters who were memorable almost from the first scene of the movie.
