Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2024: Richard Roundtree in Thelma

Richard Roundtree did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Ben in Thelma.

Thelma follows the titular over 90 year old grandmother (June Squibb) as she goes to get her money back after being duped by a scammer. 

Richard Roundtree best known for being the originator of the role of John Shaft fittingly ends his career with this film as another pseudo investigator, albeit a bit gentler in the overall tone to say the least. Roundtree comes in a little while into the film after Squibb’s Thelma decides to start her investigation in order to prove her independence still which requires her a method to get around leading to her seek out her old acquaintance Ben, though early on she indicates the fact that he likes her more than she likes him. However she needs his mobility scooter. Roundtree decidedly not playing one bad mother f…shut my mouth, but just a kindly old guy who is more than welcoming to Thelma when she arrives. Roundtree approaches the part very well by very much emphasizing this contrast to Squibb’s performance, which is all about Thelma's insistence and even denial of her limitations. Which we see right off when Ben mentions the death of both of their significant others, which she doesn’t want to recognize in the least, where Roundtree brings weight in his delivery but also a certain level of comfort as someone who certainly feels the loss but also lives with it. Beyond that he brings such nice charming warmth in his part as he invites Thelma in to check out his scooter and speaks about it with such great pride in it as though it was some hotrod he purchased. There’s also the essential comfort about Roundtree as he talks about maintaining cleanliness and just general feelings about the retirement home, as someone who finds it a pleasant existence on the whole. However Thelma then goes about stealing Ben’s scooter, which results in a silly chase as Ben commandeers another scooter in pursuit, which is all very ridiculous, although I think Squibb and Roundtree sell nicely in not going too big in the moment allowing the ridiculousness of it speak for itself. In fact as Ben insists he goes on to Thelma in her investigation, Roundtree delivers it with a certain low key dramatic intensity…though with the caveat that he gets back in time to play Daddy Warbucks in their home’s production of Annie. 

Roundtree has a nice balance as he shows the bit of a kick he gets about going on the adventure but also provides a nice straight man frequently against Squibb in portraying his degree of doubts over her overall choice. They contrast off each other effortlessly creating a chemistry that has the right comedic quality in Squibb’s determination against Roundtree’s side-eyes he gives at times, but there is also a certain dramatic quality as well. As when they visit an old friend who is living in squalor and they debate the retirement home. Roundtree’s wonderful in his determined and quietly passionate way of saying all that he gets out of the home and the reasons for comfort he gets about in contrast to Thelma’s insistence on independence. Eventually though this contrast does lead to conflict, particularly when a car runs over Ben’s scooter, where Roundtree is quite moving in his moment of admitting that he didn’t hear when his wife was dying. The film doesn’t spend too much time on it, but Roundtree very nicely brings the right degree of pathos that lets us see why the man is so comfortable with accepting the help of others. Thankfully such issues are resolved, where Ben even helps Thelma after a fall and Roundtree brings a wonderful determined strength as the guy in her corner, which continues when they actually confront the crooks, including a very amusing Malcolm McDowell who isn’t exactly in great circumstances himself. Roundtree even gets to be a little bit of the old badass when he trips McDowell’s grandson and confidently says that he beat him up. Before we end on a just pleasant note of he and Thelma assuring each of their friendship which has an honest warmth from both performers. While this isn’t some tremendous soul baring swansong by Roundtree, it is a very charming turn that offers a very pleasant final reminder of perhaps an underutilized cinematic talent.