"THELMA & LOUISE" (1991)

r·

THELMA & LOUISE

by

Callie Khouri

(

SECONDDRAFT

April 4, 1990

April 4, 1990

Day by day Breakdown for Second Draft of the script dated 4/4/90:

DAY-1: scs. l - 14

NIGHT-1: scs • 15 - 39

DAY-2: . scs. 40 - 109

NIGHT-2: scs. 110 - 122

DAY-3: scs. 123 - 150

NIGHT-3: scs. 151 - 187

OAY-4: scs. 188 - 279

l.

tOOISE is a waitress in a coffee shop. She is in her early-thirties, but too old to be doing this. She is very pretty and meticulously groomed, even at the end of her shift. She is slamming dirty coffee cups from the counter into a bus tray underneath the counter. It is making a lot of RACKET, which she is oblivious to. There is COUNTR? MUZAK in the b.g., which she hums along with.

THELMA is a housewife. It's morning and she is slam- ming coffee cups from the breakfast table into the kitchen sink, which is full of dirty breakfast dishes and some stuff left from last night's dinner which had to "soak." She is still in her nightgown. The TV is ON in the b.g. From the kitchen, we can see an incom- plete wallpapering project going on in the dining room, an obvious "do-it-yourself" attempt by Thelma.

Louise goes to the pay phone and dials a number.

Phone RINGS. Thelma goes over to answer it.

(whispering guiltily) Well, wait now. I still have to ask Darryl if I can go.

(CONTINf:1EO)

Thelma has the phone tucked under her chin, as she cuts out coupons from the newspaper and pins them on a bulletin board already covered with them. We see various recipes torn out from women's magazines along the lines of "101 Ways to Cook Pork."

Thelma goes through the living room to the bott9m of the stairs and leans on the bannister.

DARRYL comes trotting down the stairs. Polyester was made for this man, and he's dripping in "men's" jewel- ry. He manages a Carpeteria.

( I I'm sorry, Doll, I just didn't

want you to be late.

Darryl is checking himself out in the hall mirror, and ( it's obvious he likes what he sees. He exudes over- confidence for reasons that never become apparent. He likes to think of himself as a real lady killer. He is making imperceptible adjustments to his over-moussed hair. Thelma watches approvingly.

·THELMA (she's enjoying her little game now) You want anything special for dinner?

(

am.

He's finally ready. He walks to the door and gives Thelma the most perfunctory kiss on the cheek.

Darryl leaves. We see his Corvette parked out front. As he closes the front door, Thelma leans against it.

Thelma laughs to herself. She goes back into the kitchen and picks up the phone and dials it.

The pay phone on the wall RINGS~ ALBERT, a busboy in his SO's, answers.

ALBERT

( (cheerfully)

Good morning. Why, yes, she is. Is this Thelma? Oh, Thelma, when you gonna run away with me?

Louise comes over and takes the phone out of his hand.

s.

r THELMA (V .0.)

Okay. I will, too.

They both hang up.

Thelma pulls out in a green '66 T-Bird in mint condition.

DAY

Going into the suitcase is bathing suits, wool socks, flannel pajamas, jeans, sweaters, T-shirts, a couple of dresses, way too much stuff for a two-day trip. REVEAL Thelma, standing in front of a closet, trying to decide what else to bring, as if she's forgotten something. The room looks like it was decorated entirely from a

Sears catalogue. It s really frilly.

DAY

A perfectly ordered suitcase, everything neatly folded and orderly. Three pairs of underwear·,one pair of long underwear, two pairs of pants, two sweaters, one furry robe, one nightgown. She could be-packing for camp. REVEALLouise. Her room is·· asorderly as the suitcase. Everything matches. It's not quite as frilly as Thelma's, but it is of the same ilk. She is debating whether to take an extra pair of socks. She decides not to and closes the suitcase. She goes to the phone, pi~ks it up and dials. We hear:

right now, but I ll probably be back 'cause••• all my stuff's here. Leave a message.

Louise slams down the phone. A framed picture of r Louise and Jimmy sits on the table next to the phone·. She matter-of-factly slams that face down, too.

Thelma is still throwing stuff in, randomly now. She talks to herself quietly the whole time. She is taking stuff off of her nightstand, a small clock, fingernail scissors, etc.

She opens the drawer of her nightstand. Her attitude is purposeful: she looks as if she knows exactly what she's doing; although, frankly, she has no idea, and each decision is completely arbitrary. As she rifles through it, plucking various items from among the jumbled contents, we see there is a gun in there, one Darryl bought her for protection. It is unloaded, but there is a box of bullets. She picks up the gun like it's a rat by the tail and puts it in her purse.

( She grabs the box of bullets and throws them in, too. She tries to close her suitcase, but there is stuff hanging out all over the place. She stuffs things back in the sides and heaves all her weight against the top.

ll EXT. THELMA'SHOUSE- DAY 11

Louise's green '66 T-Bird convertibla pulls into the driveway of Thelma's house. The garage door goes up and Thelma is standing in the garage with all her gear. A suitcase that looks like it might explode, fishing gear, a cooler, a lantern. Thelma's car, a beat-up gray Honda, is parked in there, too. Louise gets out of the driver's seat.

ll CONTINUED: ll

They load.everything into the car. The trunk barely closes. Thelma heaves all her weight agatnst it. They get into the car and pull out of the driveway. As they drive down the street, we hear Thelma let out a long h~wl. She is laughing and she sticks her arms straight up in the air.

They are driving down the interstate. Thelma reaches for her purse and finds the gun.

Louise shrieks at the sight of it.

· Thelmawonders if Louise is really that naive.

· Louise reaches over and takes the gun out of Thelma's purse and holds it in her hand. She tests the weight of it, and then puts it under the seat. Thelma puts the bullets under the seat.

a.

They are speeding off down the highway with the RADIO blaring. Louise puts in a TAPE of wild R&B MUSIC.

(

They are both silent for a minute.

After a pause:

( I guess you haven't heard anything

from Jimmy ••• yet?

Louise's jaw tightens. The car speeds up.

A huge semi-tanker carrying gas passes them on the highway and HONKS. The mud flaps are the shiny silhouettes of naked women. There is a bumper sticker on the back that says: "Lick you all over -- ten cents."

Thelma is watching herself in the side mirror, pretend- ing to smoke a cigarette.

THELMA'SPOV OF A SIGN alongside the road that reads "See you in church on Sunday!"

Thelma pushes in the lighter and waits for it to pop out. Louise gives her a sidelong glance, but does not say anything.

VARIOUSDRIVING SHOTS of the 66 T-Bird.

They pull into a gas station up to the pumps. A GAS STATIONATTENDANT comes out. He smiles leeringly.

r THELMA \

I'll never make it.

AT'l'ENDAN'l' Eleven.

Louise gives him the money. He is smiling at Thelma.

Louise starts the car and drives away.

Louise realizes that Thelma is going to revert to a teenager and continue whining unless she gives in.

They pull off at a place down on the right all lit up with neon. It's called the IDLE HOUR. The sign ( flashes COCKTAILS-- BEER -- DANCING -- FOOD. There is a huge gravel parking lot with lots of pickup trucks and older cars. Even though it's early, you can tell this place is a real night spot. It's already pretty crowded.

ll.

This place is jumpin'. There are ten pool tables with crowds all around. The long bar is filled with cus-· tomers. There are tables and booths. The room is dense. withsmoke. There is a dance floor, but no one is dancing yet because the band is still setting up. There are a lot of single men. Many heads turn and follow Thelma and Louise to an empty table.

A WAITRESS comes over and drops two menus on the table.

As the Waitress leaves:

As the Waitress returns:

·~. LOUISE ' (laughing)

Alright••• (to Waitress) I changed my mind. I'll have a margarita with a shot of Cuervo on the side, please.

As the Waitress leaves, a MANcomes over with a chair which he pulls up to the table and straddles backwards. He is in his late-40's, heavyset, his face is shiny in the neon light.

LOUISE THELMA (coldly) (real friendly)

business, why the weekend 'cause we don't you try it. wanted to try and have a

good time. And because Louise here is mad because her boyfriend won't call her while he's out on the road •••

Louise kicks Thelma under the table.

The Waitress returns with Louise's drink.

16 CONTINUED: ( 2) 16

Louise understands.

Harlan laughs. Thelma laughs, too, but doesn't really get the joke. Louise does not laugh.

(~

had •••

Harlan leaves, then:

(CONTINUED) .

16 CONTINUED: ( 3) 16

(

So what ifhe was? Nothin' was gonna happen. I'm not naive. It's just all your years of waitin' tables has made you jaded, that's all.

Thelma knocks back her shot of Wild Turkey and holds up her glass to the Waitress to bring her another one. The Waitress sees her and nods. She turns back to face her friend.

(sympathetically) I'm sorry, Louise. I know you're all upset, and here I am not even thinkin' about you. It's just I'm so excited to be out of the house, I guess. (pause) I wonder if Darryl's home yet.

"LOUISE (wistful) I wonder if Jimmy's gotten back.

THELMA

( Why don't you tell him to just get

lost once and for all?

LS.

LOUISE

(

Why don't you ditch that loser husband of yours?

They both drift off momentarily, contemplating their domestic problems, until the Waitress comes over:

Thelma looki oier at the bar where Harlan is grinning at her, making dancing motions. She smiles and waves at him. Her face becomes serious again as she turns back to Louise.

Thelma's mind goes too fast for her mouth, and the speed at which she speaks can be staggering. Louise is used to it. Louise smiles wistfully at Thelma's assessment of the situation.

In the meantime, you said we were gonna have some fun. So let's have some!

She again drinks her whole shot of Wild Turkey and holds up her glass, as the BANDstrikes up a lively tune. P~actically the whole place "whoops" and heads for the dance floor. Louise drinks her shot of tequila and holds up her glass, too.

Thelma is dancing with Harlan and has been for quite a while. Louise has been dancing with a quiet guy named Dan. Thelma is breathless, drunk and giggly. She holds a beer bottle in one hand. She is laughing a lot about nothing, and Harlan is studying her closely. Louise notices this.

Louise heads off to the bathroom.

She stumbles a step and drops her beer bottle.

Louise is heading towards the bathroom, where there is a line of at least fifteen women in front of her.

( HARLAN

(catching Thelma, copping feels) Oopsy-doopsy. We need to get you some· freshair, little lady.

He steers her towards the door.

Louise leans against the wall, waiting in line.

Harlan is hauling Thelma out the door into the parking lot. She is pretty limp.

THELMA

( Stop.

r

The Waitress is going over to their table. She picks up Thelma's purse off the floor and puts iton her chair. She sets the check on the table, looks around to see if she can see them and walks away. ·

Louise goes into the bathroom. She stands in front .of the sink and looks at herself in the mirror.

Thelma has been sick. She has Harlan's handkerchief ahd is wiping her mouth. ·Harlan has backed off for this part, but he's right back in there.

Harlan is leaning close to Thelma's head, and she pulls her head away.

He pulls her to him and tries to put his arms around her. Thelma pulls away.

Louise comes out of the bathroom as the next woman goes in. She scans the room looking for Thelma~ She doesn't see her. She goes over to the table and sees Thelma's stuff there. She picks up the check and looks at it.

Harlan has led Thelma off to the far end of the parking lot. He is trying to kiss her now. He is pushing his arms down and turning her head away.

Harlan is pushing himself on her now, and she is begin- ning to push him away harder.

Louise is paying the Waitress. The Waitress is shaking her head, indicating she hasn't seen Thelma either. Louise picks up Thelma's stuff and heads towards the door.

Harlan has now pinned Thelma against the back of a car ( and is kissing her neck. He has her ass in his hands; He is beginning to hump her. She is pushing him away as hard as she can, but he is relentless.

26 LOUISE 26

is now standing outside the door of the Idle Hour. She is looking around.

is pulling at Thelma's clothes.

Thelma gets one of her arms free and hits him hard in ( the face. He hits her back and grabs her face, squeezing it hard.

There is no trace of friendliness in his face now. He looks mean and dangerous. He lets go of her face and pins her arms behind her. He holds both of her arms with one hand.

With his free hand, he reaches down and starts to pull her dress up. Thelma is still struggling and there are tears running down her face.

( Shut up.

He turns her around, pushing her face down onto the back of the car. He holds both her arms in one hand and continues pulling her dr.ess up over her hips. He starts to undo his pants as we hear the CRUNCH of gravel.

TIGHT SHOT of the barrel-of Thelma's gun being pressed into the nape. ofHarlan's neck. Louise's thumb pulls back the hammer.

(

Let her go, you fat fucking asshole, or I'm going to splatter your ugly face all over this nice car.

Harlan slowly raises his hands in the •air,and Thelma r darts out, pulling her dress down.

Louise glances at Thelma. Thelma shakes her head no.

Louise starts to back away, but the gun is still close to his face. His pants are undone in the front. She is still backing away with the gun raised. Thelma is inching away as well.

r Louise lowers the gun and stares at him for a second. ' Then she turns and walks away. Thelma does, too.

Louise stops in her tracks.

Louise takes two long strides back towards him, raises thegun and FIRES a bullet into his face. We hear his body BIT the gravel parking lot. LOUISE'S POV. The car behind him is splattered with blood. Thelma and Louise are both silent. We heat the SOUNDof the nightclub in the distance. Louise lowers the gun.

( THELMA

(stunned) Oh my God.

LOUISE

r I (still calm,

emotionless} Get the car.

Thelma runs to get the car.

Thelma comes careening up in reverse. Louise hops in and Thelma PEELS OUT, spraying gravel. As they speed out of the parking lot back to the road, we hear MUSIC blaring from the nightclub. They hit the main road with tires SQUEALING.

r

Louise lifts her hand and notices she is still holding the· gun.

They get onto the interstate going west.

TRAVELING SHOT FROMBEHIND -- VARIOUSDRIVING SHOTS

Louise picks up the handkerchief from the car sea·tand wipes the gun off. Her movements are as if in slow motion. She puts the gun under the seat. Thelma is watching her.

Louise does not answer.

Thelma starts to cry quietly.

r'· him all night, Thelma! Who's \

gonna believe thatl? We just don't live in that kind of a world.

29 CONTINUED: ( 2} 29

An animal runs across the road in front of the car, and Thelma swerves to avoid it. The tires SQUEAL.

Thelma pulls off to the side of the road. Louise gets out and starts to walk around the car. She stops when she gets to the back of the car, and she is sick. Thelma waits in the car and moves over to the passenger side. Louise gets in the driver's side.

Louise rests her head on the steering wheel. Off in the distance, there are SIRENS.

Thelma doesn't hear.

Thelma looks at her blankly, without answering.

Thelma's head moves almost imperceptibly. Louise studies Thelma's face.

Again, Thelma slightly moves her head in a nod. Louise r

The green '66 T-Bird pulls into a modern truck stop and parks. Louise turns to Thelma.

Again, she twitches more than nods.

Thelma nods more firmly now. She understands.

VARIOUS POV SHOTS of truck drivers seeing Thelma and Louise wind their way towards the restaurant portion of the coffee shop. They look small and incongruous with ( the surroundings.

4 A.M.

slamming dirty coffee cups from the counter into a bus tray underneath the counter. REVEAL Louise and Thelma sitting at the counter. Louise is looking at a map. Thelma is in a daze. The car is parked outside, near the door.

Louise looks at Thelma for a long time.

The waitress comes and fills their coffee cups.

( Police cars are parked around. The activity has died down. Doors on the coroner's van SLAM shut. In the back of a police car sits the Waitress with the door open. A DETECTIVEin a suit leans over the car door with his note pad.

r

could've told you that Harlan Puckett would end up buyin 1 ·itin a parkin' lot. I'm just surprised it didn't happen before now.

(CONTINUED}

Lena gets out of the back of the car.

Thelma stands up to go to the bathroom. She grabs her purse from the counter, and the strap catches on her coffee cup and it falls to the floor with a CRASH. All heads turn and look at her.

Outside the bathroom there is a pay phone. Thelma picks it up and dials.

There is no answer.

Phone RINGS.

VARIOUS SHOTS of the interior of the empty Dickinson house:

37 THE BEDROOM 37

exactly as Thelma left it. The drawer of the night- stand still open.

38 THE NOTETO DARRYL 38

taped to the refrigerator. The interior of the micro- wave with a now completely thawed microwave dinner still in the package in a little puddle.

She hangs up and goes into the bathroom. As the door closes behind her, Louise comes up with a handful of changeand starts putting it into the phone. She dials a number. It RINGS for a long time. She hangs up and goes into the bathroom. She looks at herself in the mirror. She notices a tiny speck on her cheek. She takesa paper towel and wets it and rubs the spot. She looksat the towel and there is a bright red streak.

The door of the stall flies open and Thelma comes charging out and heads straight for the door, without even looking at Louise. Louise charges out after her. They head out of the restaurant and, THROUGH THE WINDOW, we see them get into the car and drive away.

The-T-Bird barrels down a fairly empty four-lane highway. A truck passes going the other way.

The top is down on the car, and Thelma is slouched on the seat, her hair blowing wildly. Louise is wearing a scarf and the hair that shows barely moves.

( then figure out how to get some

money. We're gonna need money. Thelma. How much money do you have with you?

What? Oh, I don't know. Let me look.

Thelma is rummaging through her purse. She finds her wallet and takes it out. Thelma finds some bills stuffed in the change compartment and takes them out. She straightens the money out.

As she is counting it, one of the bills flies out of her hands. Thelma's not that good at handling money.

Louise has not noticed any of this. She is so intent on her driving. (

The motel is near farms and agricultural areas with crops.

The curtains are open and we can see the car parked right outside the room. Thelma is lying on the bed staring up at the ceiling. Louise is bustling around the room, putting things in drawers.

Louise did not realize she was doing it.

19"'- Oh, I don't know. I'm just a \

neatnik. I'm just nervous. I gotta figure out what to do.

Louise slams the closet door. Thelma jumps.

( They are silent for a moment.

( LOUISE \ You're not touchin' that car.

Hal at gas station talking to the same Attendant that filled up Louise's car the day before.

Hal is at the police station where they're d~sting the car with Harlan all over it for prints.

(

Thelma comes out of the room and walks towards the pool. TIGHT SHOT of Thelma'~ eyes.

She stops, then decides to go on to the pool. She lies down in a lounge chair facing the road.

Louise in the motel room. She's looking at the phone. She picks it up and dials it and watches herself in the mirror. She stares as if she's trying to see into her- self, see through herself.

Thelma arranges herself in a lounge chair, trying desperately to feel like she's on vacation.

A VOICE interrupts the message: (

The machine switches OFF.

JIMMY, mid-J0's, musician, is standing in the kitchen on the phone. He's not the type you'd expect Louise to like, not quite straight-looking enough.

Louise is looking at herself on the phone in the mirror. She is very choked up.

t,'OUISE (regaining composure) Hi; I'm okay. How are you? tong time no see.

Louise is still looking at herself in the mirror, as if

she s never seen herself before.

LOUISE

I am funny. Im real funny.

LOUISE

No, I'm out of town. I m in ••• I'm in real deep shit, Jimmy. Deep shit Arkansas.

r-- JIMMY (V .O.}

(now very concerned) Louise, just tell me what the hell is going on here! I come back, nobody knows where you are. Is Thelma wi'thyou? Darryl's been callin' here every half-hour sayin' he's gonna kill you both when you get back, he's goin' nuts. I don't envy her if she is.

Thelma at pool basking in the sun.

r you to help me. This is serious.

I'm in trouble and I need you to help me. Can you do that? (she is about to cry) Jimmy?

Jimmy is shocked by the gravity of her tone of voice•

Louise covers the mouthpiece with her hand. She is trying very hard not to cry.

(

you wire me sixty-seven hundred dollars and I'll pay you back? Please, I'm desperate.

'JIMMY (V.O.) (getting very upset) Of course. Of course! Where? Can't I bring it to you? For God's sake, baby, please, just tell me what's happened, what could possibly be so bad?

Louise sits on the edge of the bed. She is looking at her hand.

She takes the ring that she wears on her left hand and turns it around backwards to make it look like a wed- ding band.

l"""'-

(CON'l'INUEO)

LOUISE

r Bow come you never married me?

( I wire it, so you'll know which

office to go to.

·LOUISE Tell me now.

r LOUISE

Okay. I'll call you back. In an hour. Don't tell Darryl.

Thelma by th.epool. Her mouth is open. She's asleep. A car SCREECHES,a loud horn HONKS.

Thelma bolts upright and grabs her sundress and dashes to the car. She jumps in over the door. She's in a mild state of shock.

Louise PEELS OUT of the parking lot.

Hal is in the office talking to his superior. He stands-in front of the desk with his hands in his pockets while his MAJORsits behind the desk looking troubled.

r witnessed it. I want somebody to

at least talk to 'em. Put out an APB with a description and see what comes back.

(CONTINUED) _

HAL

(

Alright.

LOUISE

( I don't think Darryl is mature

enough to conduct an affair.

LOUISE

(

(quietly, to Thelma) Thelma, I'm going to Mexico. I think I can make it in two and a half days, but I'm going to have to haul ass. Are you up to this? I mean, I have to know. This isn't a game. I'm in deep shit. I gotta know what you're gonna do.

Thelma is staring down the road. She does not •nswer. Then:

TIGHT SHOT of an "ident-a-kit" likeness of Louise. On a table nearby lies a drawing strongly resembling Thelma. Lena, the waitress, sits next to the plain- clothes cop who holds the ident-a-kit. Bal picks up the drawing and studies it closely.

TIGHT SHOT of a "fax" machine with the ident-a-kit drawing of Louise coming out. A MAN takes it cut, looks at it and walks across the room full.of desks and typewriters, computer terminals, etc.

(CONTINO~D)

on the wall is the symbol of the FBI and "Federal Bureau of Investigation" is spelled out underneath it. The Man walks into an office and hands several sheets of "fax" paper, including police sketches of Thelma and Louise, to a MANsitting behind a desk. The Man looks questioningly at the Man who brought him the papers.

The T-Bird rolls into town.

Louise and Thelma pull up in front of an old store, the kind with a wooden front porch, the kind that sells bait and fl~nnel shirts. They enter the store and see an OLD MAN behind the counter.

LOUISE

r-- Do you have a pay phone? \

Louise gets change while Thelma strolls around lpoking at rubber worms and pickled pigs' feet. Louise goes out to the phone.

Louise dropping change into the phone. It RINGS and Jimmy answers.

LOUISE

(

Is that how you answer the phone?

JIMMY (V .O.)

JP", (on phone)

I got it. I was afraid I'd missed you. I almost couldn't get a check cashed. It's Saturday.

(NOTE: Actual motel name will be determined by which location we shoot.)

(

That's the code word. I miss you, peaches.

Louise rolls her eyes and tries not to melt.

69 CONTINUED: ( 2 } 69

She puts her finger down on the receiver.

Jimmy is still holding the phone to his ear.

Thelma in store buying gum, beef jerky. Next to the cash register on the counter on display are those little tiny bottles of liquor. Thelma picks up a little bottle of Wild Turkey and puts it on the counter. The Old Man rings it up. She takes another one and puts it on the counter. The Old Man is still ringing stuff up.

She takes two more and puts them on the counter. She takes the rest of the little bottles of Wild Turkey out of the display and puts them on the counter. She takes one little bottle of Cuervo and puts it on the counter and puts that down, too. The Old Man finally looks at her. From the wall behind him, he takes a pint of Wild Turkey down.

Louise is hanging up the phone. She walks away towards the front of the store.

Thelma comes out of the front of the store. The store is at a crossroads with a fair amount of vehicular traffic.

Thelma is walking towards the car. She puts her purse in the front seat. She looks at Louise.

(CONTINUED}

r· THELMA

Call him?

Thelma and Louise look at each other while this sinks in.

74 THELMA 74

walks around to the side of the building to the phone. She picks it up and dials.

THELMA

(

Collect from Thelma.

Louise goes into the store for a chocolate Yoohoo.

Darryl in the den of their house. The- room is a mess. There are beer cans everywhere. The large screen TV is ON, showing a FOOTBALL GAME. Darryl is in a recliner. He is wearing loud shorts, av-necked T-shirt, and a couple of necklaces and bracelets.

( INT. THELMA'SHOUSE- DAY 81

Darryl is mad, but he's still watching the game.

He covers the mouthpiece and watches a play where "his team" fumbles the ball. This only makes him madder. He puts the phone back to his ear in time to hear Thelma say:

r--\ Thelma is trying not to cry. She's trying to be strong.

r THELMA \

You're my husband, not my father, Darryl. (pleading) Darryl, please •••

Neither one of them say anything for a moment.

( THELMA

Darryl.

She hangs up on him.

Thelma has tears running down her face and she is watching the ground as she storms back to the car. So she makes a loud grunt as she slams into someone that she did not see. Both people are knocked back a few steps from the force pf the collision.

( Thelma shakes her bead "yes," but tears continue. Ber crying is silent.

Thelma shakes her head "no." She tries to control her tears. She notices how blue his eyes are.

86 THELMA 86

collects herself as she walks back to the car. She gets in and is drying her eyes, looking in the side

mirror. In the mirror she sees the Hitchhiker come back around from the side of the building. Be is

several feet behind the car, and she watches him as he removes his long-sleeved shirt and stuffs it into his

duffle bag. Now he is just in T-shirt and jeans. He looks gqod. Really good. She watches in the mirror as he picks up his stuff and heads towards the road. She can see him as he's walking. He stops. He's thinking. He heads over to the car.

( HITCHHIKER

Would you mind me asking which direction you and your friend are going? I'm trying to get back to school and my ride fell through, so I'm kind 0£ stuck. Are you going my·way?

Thelma doesn't know what to do.

THELMA .J Umm. I think we're going to Oklahoma City. But I'm not sure.

Thelma knows Louise isn't going to like this.

( she'll probably say no. She's a

little uptight.

(CONTINUED)-

Now she wants him to come. He starts to walk away from the car.

Just then Louise comes out of the store. She sees Thelma talking to this guy and, for one moment, stops dead in her tracks as she takes this in, then continues toward the car. Although her face is basically expres- sionless, we see that it's possible she might kill Thelma.

The Hitchhiker just nods and starts walking towards the road.

The guy does seem really nice and Thelma is really frustrated that Louise wouldn't give him a ride, but decides not to confront her.

Louise lowers the top and backs the car out. They watch him walk away.

Louise pulls out of the parking lot onto the road. ( They pass the Hitchhiker. Thelma waves.

· (CONTINUED)

She turns around in the seat to continue waving. He r smiles and waves. They drive down the road. TIGHT SHOTof the Hitchhiker as the smile fades from his face •.

87, INT. CAR - DRIVING - DAY 87

Thelma looki~g sulky.

Louise doesn't say anything.

Hal going over a list of every registered green T-Birds in the-state.

It's twenty minutes later. They are clear of the town. Thelma is like a dog with a bone. She just won't let it drop.

Louise is completely unreasonable on this subject and Thelma is totally puzzled by Louise's reaction but is reluctant to press her further.

(visibly shaken) . I •••I just••• I just don't think it's the place I wanna get caught for doin' something like ••• if you

pants down, believe me, Texas is the last place you wanna get caught! Trust me! Now, I said, I don't wanna talk about it!!

r~. Louise looks very shaken up. She keeps her eyes on the road but she's holding the steering wheel so tightly, her knuckles are white. She does not look at Thelma. Suddenly she reaches over and locks her door. Thelma flinches·imperceptibly at this gesture.

Two Harley-Davidson bikes tool past, driven by a couple

of ex-hippies from the 60 s. The Hitchhiker is on the back of one, and he waves to them as they go by. Thelma waves back enthusiastically.

Louise pops a TAPE into the dashboard and the piano part begins of Marvin Gaye's version of "Can I Get a Witness." r

/

Hal walks up· the sidewalk to the door of an apartment complex and knocks.

VARIOUSSHOTS of Louise's empty apartment.

There are pictures of Louise and Thelma in high school.

The kitchen is spotless and nothing is out on the counters.

93 HER. BED 93

is unwrinkled, perfect, and next to it on her night- stand is a picture of Jimmy and her in a small heart shaped frame.

Everything is extremely neat and orderly.

Thelma and Louise are singing along with the background vocals of the Marvin Gaye song, both pointing at the radio in a very righteous way.

THELMA/LOUISE (pointing) Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, y.e~hl

Hitchhiker standing on the side of the road. Thelma looks at Louise pleadingly. Louise's car pulls over and he hops in the back seat. An animated Thelma turns around backwards in the frpnt seat to face him.

Hal walks into the coffee shop where Louise works. VARIOUS SHOTSof him talking to other employees. Albert, wait~esses, etc. Some cover their mouths as they recognize police sketches of Louise and Thelma. The Day Manager comes over, looks at pictures and talks to Hal.

Thelma passing out beef jerky and Wild Turkey to Hitch- hiker and Louise. ·

so.

Hal's unmarked detective car pulls up in front of Thelma's house. A Corvette, completely customized with everything, sits in the driveway.

Hitchhiker leans over resting his chin on the back of the front seat.

Louise laughs. He has charmed her too. (

Hal is walking up the sidewalk as the front door flies open to reveal a drunk Darryl in Hawai.ianshorts, neck- laces and a beer can in his.hand.

Hal and Darryl in den. The TV DRONESin the b.g. Pictures and papers are on the table. TIGHT SHOTof Darryl's face.

EXTREME CLOSEUPof Darryl's face.

kids?

Sl.

r THELMA \ Darryl, that's my husband, he says

he's not ready. He's still too much of a kid himself. He prides himself on being infantile.

J.O. is looking down the road, way off in the distance.

Louise looks down the road and sees a highway patrol car coming down the road towards them. She does not look alarmed but veers off the road into a "rest area" drive that has trees and shrubs that obscure the view from the road.

She glides along as the cop car passes on the other side without seeing them.

( Louise glides right back onto the road as if nothing unusual has happened at all. They realize they have not been spotted. J.D. and Louise look at each other.

Hal is on the phone to the FBI man. Darryl is sitting on a chair looking dazed. Other law enforcement types roam around the house.

( MAX STRATTON,an FBI -MANin his early forties, is looking at the ident-a-kit drawings of Louise and Thelma.

-~ MAX I

Right. Where are they?

HAL

We re lookin'. They were on their way to some guy's cabin and they never showed up. We're lookin'. We hope you're lookin' too.

- DUSK

The T-Bird barrels down the road at high speed.

Louise, Thelma, and J.C. pull into the motel parking lot.

Louise looks at J.D. in the back seat and takes the keys out of the ignition.

Louise gets out of the car and goes inside.

An older WOMAN behind the counter is looking at a computer screen.

( Louise turns and sees Thelma crawl over into the back seat with J.D.

110 CONTINOED: ll0

LOUISE

r

Nothing under peaches? Check again under peaches.

A MAN comes up·behind Louise and stands close behind her.

He drops an envelope in front of her. Louise is startled and turns around quickly.

( Oh my God! Jimmy! You ••• Oh my

Godl What are you doin' here?

The Woman hands them a key.

lll EXT. MOTEL PARKING LOT - NIGHT 111

Louise and Jimmy walk outside and catch Thelma sitting very close to J.D. Thelma sees Jimmy and is so startled she screams and involuntarily slams herself across the back seat to the other side of the car. She tries to look nonchalant.

(

111 CONTINUED: lll

( THELMA

Good answer. Same goes double for me.

J.D. is climbing out of the car, looking very uncomfortable.

He quickly turns and walks away toward the road.

( THELMA

(watching him) Yup. That's him goin'. I love to watch him go.

Jimmy is smiling.

THELMA

( ~ regular outlaw.

Louise shoots Thelma a look. The three of them drive around to the back of the motel. Thelma turns and looks at the road. J.O. is standing there. He blows her a kiss.

They stop in front of the motel rooms and the three of them climb out of the car.

Thelma is taking their luggage out of the trunk.

Jimmy helps carry the luggage to Thelma's room. He stops at the door.

( Louise smiles at him quizzically as if she can't believe he's acting this way. He turns on his heel and slinks away.

They close the door to their room. Louise sets the envelope of money on the table.

Louise gets her purse and starts taking out her makeup. She stands very close to the mirror. She is putting on lip liner. Thelma is watching.

Louise is still putting on her makeup, making sure it's perfect.

Louise turns ·toface Thelma.

( LOUISE

Have another drink, Thelma.

Louise walks out the door.

It's raining out. Louise goes to Jimmy's room.

Louise knocks on the door to room 115. The door opens slightly and one red rose pops out.

( The following eleven roses are held out the door, then Louise is yanked inside and we hear her shriek with LAUGHTER.

Thelma has taken a shower and is dressed in cut offs and at-shirt. Her hair is still damp but she looks better than she did when she arrived. Thelma is fixing a drink of Wild Turkey and Diet 7-Up in one of the motel room glasses. There is a KNOCK on the door. She stops what she is doing and is completely still.

Another KNOCK.

J.o. (O.S.) (through the door) Thelma? It's me.

Thelma opens the door and there stands J.D., soaking wet from the rain pouring down behind him.

( J.D.

I just thought I •••I know I'm supposed to be gone, but •••

He's kind of looking over towards the road. He's still slightly shy.

He notices looking past her into the rocm that Louise isn't there. Thelma just stands there looking at him.

THELMA

( I don't know. Nothin'. Took a

shower.

You can tell he does want to but doesn't want to say so. So instead he just kind of stands there with a reticent grin on his face.

~ lonely. I ·Thelma pretends like she's had a lot of experience with this sort of thing.

115 CONTINUED: ( 2) 115

( THELMA

(letting him in the door) Oh, yes, well, they can be.

Jimmy is pouring champagne into Louise's glass. There are a dozen roses in a vase on the table. He pours for himself as he sits as close to Louise as possible.

Louise just looks at him for a minute.

Jimmy is once again shocked by how serious she is.

JIMMl Does it have something to do with another guy?

I""""" I

Louise spills her champagne.

J!MMY (calming down) Alright, alright. I'm sorry.

They both take a second to regain their composure.

Jimmy pulls a little black box out of his pocket.

He hands Louise the box. She opens it and it is a diamond ·ring. Louise is flabbergasted.

(

believe!

J.D. is out of the shower standing in front of the mirror wearing only his jeans, the top button of which is still undone and no shirt. He has in incredible physique. He also has a tattoo on his shoulder of the homemade variety. Thelma has gone and bought cheese crackers and peanuts from a vending machine and is into her second Wild Turkey and 7-0p. She sits on the bed, watching him in the mirror. He definitely looks better with his shirt off. She suddenly feels awkward and stands up.

Louise has the engagement ring on her finger. It's really beautiful. Louise is practically in tears, she's so happy. They are in bed, having just made love.

( along alright. I mean you've been

tellin' me that for year·s, right?

Louise gives him a playful slap.

(

r- Thelma has poured a drink for J.D. who's sitting on the edge of the ~ed. She walks over and hands it to him. and as she does, he takes the drink with one hand and her hand with the other. He sets the drink down on the nightstand and holds her hand with both of his. He closely studies her wedding ring. He suddenly looks up at her and gazes at her just as intently. He slowly shakes his head as he removes her ring as if to say, "This is not right for you. This isn't going to work." He looks at the ring as he moves it through space finally stopping when the ring is directly over his drink. He drops it in. He looks back at Thelma and smiles as if to say, "There. Now don't you feel better?" He smartly kisses her hand.

Louise and Jimmy are in bed singing softly a song called "Levey Dovey" to each other. Loui~e sings the harmony.

121 fNT. THELMA'S ROOM - NIGHT 121

J.D. is standing on the dresser with a towel tied around his neck like a cape.

He leaps from the dresser and flies across the room landing on the bed, straddling Thelma.

Thelma has not stopped laughing since he came in the room. He is the greatest guy she's ever seen. He is sniffing her neck like a dog.

Thelma tries to catch her breath.

J.D. attacks ·her again.

Thelma gasps.

J.o. Well, not anymore, Thelma, except for bustin' parole, I haven't done

( one wrong thing.

( THELMA

(intrigued) How?

l2l CONTINUED: (2) l2l

J.O.

r

Well, I was just down on my luck and it seemed like somethin' I was good at so r ...

Well, first you pick your place, see, then I'd just sit back and watch it for awhile. Ya gotta wait for just the right moment, which is something you know instinctively, that can't be taught. Then I'd waltz on in •••

J.D. jumps up and picks up a hair dryer and holds it like a gun. He starts acting it out.

( tag on your toe. You decide."

Then I'd split. Simple.

THELMA

r

My gosh, you sure were gentlemanly about it.

They kiss passionately.

(

J.D. turns out the light.

Louise and Jimmy are wrapped in each other's arms. through this, Jimmy is ardent.

Louise giggles.

LOUISE (CONT'D)

r And do you, Jimmy, take me,

Louise, to be your knuckleheaded wife to have and to hold for the rest of the night, through richness and poorness and breakfast at the coffee shop until your plane leaves or it gets light, whichever comes first?

Jimmy is silent for a moment.

They smile and then the smiles fade and they kiss passionately.

MONTAGE of early morning stuff, a truck driver climbing into his cab with a silver thermos, squirrels hopping around on the ground.

(

TIGHT SHOT of coffee beginning to drip into an empty coffee pot. Louise and Jimmy are sitting in a booth, both on the same side. They are both playing with their wedding rings.

Jimmy is very close to tears. A taxi pulls up outside.

Jimmy pulls her to him and kisses her so passionately thatemployees in the coffee shop look away. A cook fans himself with a spatula. The taxi driver, who can see in, looks at his watch.

Louise looks at her hand and Jimmy's hand.

Jimmy gets up and leaves the coffee shop. Louise watches him go. A WAITRESScomes over and fills her coffee cup.

The Waitress chuckles and the other waitresses do too. Louise waves to Jimmy in the back of the cab. The cab driver winks at her. She smiles to herself.

The room is totally trashed. J.O. and Thelma are both asleep, naked and hanging off either side of the bed. J.D. starts to stir•••

Hal is in bed with is WIFE. He has to get up. He is holding his wife in his arms.

SARAH

(

What?

~ would depend. \

·SARAH (trying to picture it} Well, maybe if they were trying to hurt you or one of the kids. I'm sure Icould shoot someone if they tried to hurt one of the children.

( HAL

That's what everybody says. Only problem is nobody's husband was unaccounted for that night••• Could you shoot Eddie in the face? At point blahk range?

_n '1'Tl\1T

l26 CONTINUED: ( 2} l26

SARAH

r (thinking)

In the leg.

Louise is sitting in the booth by herself. Thelma comes hurrying by. She looks disheveled but is grinning like an idiot. She sees Louise and charges into the coffee shop. Her energy and volume is several notches higher than the rest of the people in the coffee shop. There are a couple more customers in there now. Thelma slides into the booth seated directly across from Louise. ·

She is shocked by Thelma's appearance.

r

Louise is studying Thelma closely as Thelma squirms in her seat, barely able to.contain herself.

LOUISE: What's wrong with you?

( LOUISE

(shaking her head) I don't think I wanna hear what you're gonna tell me.

Thelma is just about to shriek when the Waitress comes over and puts a coffee cup on the table and pours some. Thelma gets a grip on herself for a moment then loses it as the Waitress goes away.

Oh my God, Louise!!! I can't believe it! I just really can't believe it! Imean ••• whoa!

Thelma is just laughing hysterically. Louise suddenly understands.

CONTINUED: (2) 127

Louise is getting a bad feeling. She is already standing up putting money on the table.

Thelma has forgotten all about the money.

They are both leaving the restaurant now. As they hit the door they both break into a full run.

They run across the parking lot around the back to the room. The door is ajar and no one is in the room. Louise goes in and Thelma stays outside the door.

Louise comes back outside. She doesn't say anything. She is stoic, fighting tear~.

Louise sits down on the sidewalk in front of the room. Thelma comes and sits beside her.· Neither one says anything for a moment. Louise starts to cry.

Louise shakes her head no.

;1#1'. Louise••• It's okay. Louise? I'm ( I sorry. I mean it.

Louise has seen the end of the tunnel and there i~ no light.

Louise holds up her hand for Thelma to see.

Louise sits looking at her ring.,

Louise is still sitting on the sidewalk.

Louise slowly gets to her feet.

( Thelma is hauling stuff out to the car.

TIGHT SHOT of rear wheel of green T-Bird LAYINGRUBBER out of the motel parking lot. Thelma and Louise, both looking a little rougher than we've seen so far, drive away. ·

Hal, FBI Man, various other ·police and detective types, pull up in front of the house. The front door swings open and there stands Darryl looking like he's been shot out of a cannon.

Louise and Thelma pull into a large 7-Eleven.

~ ( \ Police are tapping the phones, dusting for prints, etc .•,whileDarryl sits motionless in his recliner with a dull expression on his face.

Max comes up and joins them as they walk down the hall- way.

r too personal, but do you have a \

good relationship with your wife? Are you close with her?

Thelma and Louise are sitting in the car. They've put all their money together.

( Don't worry about it. You want

anything?

Thelma marches off to the 7-Eleven. Louise puts a tape in the deck and is listening to loud R&BMUSIC. She checks herself in the rearview mirror. She takes her lipstick out and is about to put it on. She makes eye contact with herself and, instead, throws it out the window, closes her eyes and leans her head back on the seat. She's in a world of shit.

Thelma comes trotting out of the 7-Eleven and jumps into the car.

Louise looks at her.

Thelma opens her purse and exposes a bag full of bills.

Thelma shrieks with excitement. Louise is completely stunned.

Louise shoots her a look. She puts the car in gear and FLOORSit out of the parking lot. She is still looking at Thelma as if she has complet~ly lost her mind.

Hal, Max, various other cops, and Darryl all watch as TV plays back VCR TAPE of Thelma in 7-Eleven pulling a gun. In perfect lip sync is:

TIGHT SHOTof Darryl's face going deeper and deeper into a state of shock. TIGHTS SHOTS of Hal, Max, etc., all looking intently at the screen.

VIDEOTAPE IMAGEof Thelma boldly ordering cashier to fill her purse with money. As he's loading the purse with bills, she's taking beef jerky from the display and putting it in there, too, while she points the gun at the cashier.

Thelma and Louise in car, driving.

TIGHT SHOT:

TIGHT SHOT:

TIGHT SHO'l': r-

Louise throws the map across the front seat at Thelma and FLOORSit.

FADE IN:

Jimmy is entering the apartment building, carrying his overnight bag. Two men are sitting on the stairs. They stand as he comes in. They are plainclothes police•. They show their badges. He leaves with them.

made only more prominent by the bulging wallet in his back right pocket.

J.O. is walking down the road·and continues to walk as an Oklahoma State Patrol car pulls up alongside him. Be smiles and gives a friendly wave as they cruise along slowly-beside him. We can see the cop n~arest him talking, and then we see J.D. stop walking and set down his duffle bag. He reaches for his wallet. It's clear that they have asked for some I.D.

Louise is driving. They fly past .a kid on his bike in a long gravel driveway. He watches them. A huge cloud of dust blows up as they pass him. Be turns and rides his bike down the driveway towards the house.

Louise looks·at the speedometer touching 80mph and lets r her foot off the gas. Louise is looking a little nervous.

Maybe. Maybe. The call of the. wild!

Thelma howls like a dog and drinks a little bottle of Wild Turkey.

Jimmy is in a small room with Hal, Max, other cops, looking stunne_d.

BO.

HAL

( Tell us about him.

Jimmy is really upset and has to really struggle to control himself.

Thelma and Louise are in the car. Thelma is taking empty little Wild Turkey bottles out of her purse and throwing them out the window.

LOUISE

( Litterbug.

They come ROARINGup on a semi-tanker carrying gas. We see their FISH-EYE REFLECTIONSin the shiny tanker.

Bl.

l43 CONTINUED: 143

~ The mud flaps are the shiny silhouettes of naked women \. that Thelma and Louise saw earlier. The truck is going slower than they are.

She noses out to see if she can pass, but there's a car coming. The car passes and the truck HONKS. The truck driver's arm comes out his window and waves them past.

As they get next to the truck, the truck driver is smiling and waving at them. They smile and wave back. He flicks his tongue at them. Louise screams.

THELMA/LOUISE Ugh!! Gross!! Oh my God! Aw, God!

Louise FLOORS it and speeds past him.

Louise shivers with disgust.

Jimmy is looking at police mug shots of a lot of young guys. Hal shows Jimmy a mug shot of J.O.

JIMMY

r

(looking closely) It's him.

(CONTINUED}

The T-Bird is entering terrain that looks more like desert.

Thelma is leaning back in the seat. The RADIO blares loud R&BMUSIC, Thelma leans up and turns the radio DOWN.

THELMA (CONT'D)

r-

I mean real!¥ mean girls, and they got her in the bathroom one day, when they were supposed to be cleaning the showers and the meanest one •••she gets Linda Blair down on the floor and all her friends are holdin' her down, and this mean one has this mop handle or this broom handle and, oh my God, it was ugly. I mean, she ••• oh my God.

Thelma is too grossed out to go on.

They both have the creeps.

Oh my God. That girl, Linda Blair, she's had some weird stuff •••.oh my God.

They are both quiet now. They both get very serious. Louise pushes the accelerator to the floor and the car STREAKS OFF down the road.

J.D. arriving, handcuffed, at State Police building.

The top of theT-Bird is up now. Louise and Thelma pull off of the main road and drive down a dirt road. A huge cloud of dust trails behind them.

( to Mexico, the least I can do is

phone in.

( THELMA

Murder one! God, Louise, can't we even say it was self-defense?

as.

LOUISE

(

(emphatically) But it wasn't! We got awayt We were walkin' away!

you and me there. I ll say he raped me and you had to shoot him! I mean, it's almost the truth!

They both pause for a moment.

Then:

Louise does not answer the question.

·LOUISE Besides, what do we say about the robbery? No excuse for that. No such thing as justifiable robbery.

As the sun sets, the T-Bird drives deeper into the vast desert.

( 151 INT. STATE POLICE BUILDING - NIGHT 151

Darryl is sitting in the hallway. Two officers are leading J.D. down the hall.

151 CONTINUED: lSl

r Hal, Max, other plainclothes officers follow. Darryl '· looks at Hal questioningly. Hal doesn't respond and the entourage quickly goes into a room. Darryl stands and crosses the hall to the room as the door shuts in his face.

Darryl tries the doorknob, but the door is locked.

Hal, Max, J.D., other officers. There is a VCR and monitor set up in the room and they view the videotape of Thelma in the convenience store.

r

ffAL Did either one of them ever indicate that they might be

r running from the Law?

(

murder and armed robbery, well, I · think we can safely place your ass

- back in the slammer for at least

the remaining eight, don't you?

Oh, definitely.

'

Darryl is sitting in the hallway. Hal comes out of the room first.

Police officers lead J.D. out of the interrogation room, down the hallway. Darryl is watching J.D. closely. J.D. is smirking at him.

( I like your wife.

Hal and another police officer are restraining Darryl. J.O. is led off down the hall.

Louise and Thelma pull into a self serve gas station and market. Louise goes around to the back of the car and Thelma goes in to pay.

A WOMAN CLERK in her 40's sits behind the counter reading Scientific American.

Darryl, Hal, Max, and other cops spring into action as the phone RINGS, putting on headsets, turning on tape recorders. Darryl picks up the phone~

Hal, Max, et al are gesticulating wildly.

Thelma hangs up the phone.

Everyone is very disappointed, taking off their headsets, turning off tape recorders and looking at Darryl like he's an idiot.

Darryl still holds the phone in his hand.

Thelma and Louise are staring at each other intently. ( Louise steps up to the phone.'

Thelma digs in her bag and hands Louise a roll of r· quarters. Louise gets out of the car and goes to the pay phone. Thelma follows her. She puts the money in and dials. It RINGS.

·Again everybody springs into action. Darryl is fumbling with the phone.

Darryl gives Hal and Max a look as if he's got it completely under control. Clever guy.

(

Hal comes over and takes the phone away from Darryl.

·168 EXT. PHONE- NIGHT 168

HAL (V.O.)

,· You girls are in some hot water.

LOUISE

r Yessir. I know. \

(

Louise looks at her watch.

on hearing this Louise mouths the word "shit" in a very frustrated way.

Louise hangs up the phone.

All are busy trying to see if the call was traced. Darryl is back in his recliner still in shock.

She is stomping back to the car. Thelma follows doggedly. A moving van pulls in and parks in the b.g.

Louise stops as she is about to get in and faces Thelma who's standing on the other side of the car.

THELMA

( (stammering)

I . • •I • • •

Louise yanks open her car door, gets in and slams the door and fires up the ENGINE. Thelma hops in quickly.

Louise careens back onto the road.

( THELMA

I'm sorry. I mean I •••

Louise slams on the brakes.

Louise stops yelling for a moment groping for self- control. Thelma looks pitiful.

The T-Bird flashes by on a road that looks a lot like

Route 66.

r

BLACKNESS.

The car goes streaking by.

All's quiet. The large screen TV is ON and the room is ( filled with dense smoke. Bal, Max, sit at a table going over paperwork. Other plainclothes and surveil- lance guys play cards. Darryl sits crumpled in his recliner staring blankly at the TV.

Jimmy sits on his couch with his guitar while two plainclothes cops sit reading the paper, doing the crossword puzzle.

OVERMUSIC FROM TAPE:

Thelma is sipping on a little Wild Turkey.

(

Louise speeds.up.

Thelma hands Louise a little bottle of Wild Turkey and she drinks it down. Thelma has one too.

LOUISE

(

Yeah.

LOUISE; I guess I always thought the worst thing that could happen would be to end up old and alone in some crummy apartment with one of those little dogs.

"THELMA Well, to be honest, the idea of getting old with Darryl was kinda startin' to get to me.

180 CONTINUED: ( 2) 180

OVERMUSIC: A song by Pat McLaughlin plays called "In a Moment of Weakness."

They are driving through Monument Valley. The T-Bird speeds through the beautifully moonlit desert. It is almost like daylight.

SHOT OF FOLL MOON RISING.

MONTAGE of silhouettes of cacti, huge rock formations, desert beauty SHOTS, etc.

WINDSHIELD - NIGHT

The sky is bright and expansive and the road goes on forever.

They both look forward for another moment. And then, at the same time, they look at each other, each taking

the other one in completely, in this moment. They're saying everything to each other in this moment, but their expressions don't change and they don't say a

word. Pat McLaughlin SINGS on the RADIO.

The road still has a Route 66 look. A semi-gas tanker

is up ahead on the road. It looks like the one they

saw earlier. It's got the same mud flaps •••

Louise passes him and, as she does, he HONKS. They

look up and he is w~ldly pointing to his lap.

LOUISE

( Oh, Christ. I hate this guy.

The car is flying down the road.

There is one light on in the den. Hal is the only one awake in a room full of men sleeping with their mouths wide open.

The room is blue with the sky outside just beginning to get light. Max is now at Jimmy's apartment. The policemen are asleep. Jimmy's phone RINGS. Everyone leaps up.

Everyone springs back to life there, too. Hal grabs his headset.

Jimmy answers the phone.

LIGHT) .

(NO'l'E:SHOOTNIGHT FOR DAY.)

Louise is on the pay phone at an old gas station.

( HAL

Okay, Miss sawyer. But please talk to me. I want to help you.

FOR DAY}

Louise looks at her watch.

Thelma goes into the restroom, but comes out immedi- ately, thoroughly disgusted. She clambers down an embankment to find a spot out of sight.

( LOUISE (V.O.)

Wild, isn't it? I just want to say I'm sorry about all this. I love you. Imiss you. I'll love you forever.

Louise is looking at her watch.

Thelma is back, just leaning on the car watching Louise. She studies her a·sif she's never really seen her before. Louise is oblivious. She is wrapped up, travelling through the wires.

lOl.

FOR DAY)

r Louise hangs up the phone. She stands for a moment, lost in thought.

l98 INT. THELMA'SHOUSE- DAWN 198

Hal takes off the headset and looks at the Surveillance Man who shakes his head, indicating it wasn't enough time, they didn't get it.

FOR DAY)

Louise is walking back over to the car, a bare smile lefton her face. Thelma watches. All of a sudden, a lookof shocked realization comes over Thelma's face. Itstartles Louise. ·

It happened to you ••• didn.t it?

Louise knows what she is talking about. She becomes immediately agitated.

Louise looks as if she is looking for a way to flee. She opens the.car door and then slams it closed. She paces around the car.

·~ LOUISE I \ (fighting hysteria,

through clenched teeth) I'm warning you, Thelma. You better drop it right now! Idon't want to talk about it!

Louise's eyes are wild, not seeing, while Thelma now seems completely serene. They are quiet for a moment, then Thelma starts quietly laughing to herself. She is trying to stop but cannot.

Thelma is trying to compose herself but cannot.

Thelma isn't making a sound. She is stuck in a con- vulsion of laughter.

(gasping for air) Harlan.

_,• apart again}

••• it's not funny!

Thelma is still trying to get a grip on herself.

Thelma is laughing wildly.

Thelma has just crossed the line from laughing to cry- ing. (

They both get quiet.

The car is SCREAMING down the road.

A car speeds up to try and catch them •••The red and blue lights pop on. It is a New Mexico State Patrol car.

Louise sees the lights in the rearview mirror. LOUISE'S POV OF THE SPEEDOMETER at 100mph. Thelma is asleep.

~. I, Thelma jumps awake.

They are trying not to panic. They are slowing down, but still doing 70mph. The patrol car is right behind them.

uouise pulls the car off the road. The patrol car pulls up right behind them. The lights shine brightly in through the windows.

Louise does. The PATROLMAN gets out of his car and approaches their car. He comes to the driver's side window. It is rolled up.

PATROLMAN'S POV OF LOUISE smiling up at him. He ges-. tures to her to roll her window down. She does.

r Louise fumbles in her purse for her wallet, opens it '· · and showsher license.

She does and hands it to him.

They walk to the back of the c~r. He notes the license plate number.

Patrolman gets in the driver's side. Be picks. up a clipboard and clips Louise's driver's license to it. Be picks up the hand mike for the radio and, as he does, a hand with a gun comes in his car window. It.' s Thelma and she puts the gun to his head.

203. CONTINUED: (2) 203

r THELMA

(sincerely) Officer, I am so sorry about this. Could you let go of that?

He drops it.

Louise reaches over and takes his gun.

Louise SHOOTSthe car radio. The cop flinches with each shot. ·

Louise fires TWO SHOTS into the police radio. It BLASTSall to hell.

203 CONTINUED: ( 3) 203

Louise reaches over and takes the keys. She takes her license off the clipboard. She gets out and trots around to the back of the car. Thelma is holding the gun on the Patrolman. Suddenly Thelma FIRES the gun, blowing two holes into the trunk cover.

Louise opens the trunk.

As he's climbing into the trunk, Thelma explains to Louise:

He's all the way in and Louise closes the trunk.

Louise hands Thelma the keys. Thelma gets into the patrol car and STARTS it up as Louise walks on up and gets in her car and STARTS it.

Both cars are driving down the road. They come t·oa huge rock formation along th~ side of the.road. They drive around behind it.

Thelma stops the car and opens the glove compartment. She takes a box of spare ammo and closes it. Thelma takes the keys and gets out of the car. She walks around to the trunk.

Thelma hops into the car with Louise. They look at each other.

( Louise pulls the car back onto the road and they drive away.

208 MONTAGE DRIVING SHOTS. They are in really beautiful 208 country now.

The car goes streaking by.

{CONTINUED)

~ ( LOUISE

Yes?

Thelma ~auses while she searches for the logic.

THELMA

( Then aren't we going in the wrong

direction?

the trunk, it s best to just get on out of the state if you can.

They are both quiet for a second. Louise goes a little faster. We PULL BACK as they drive down the highway.

Max is on the cellular phone there.

( thing if these girls were hardened

criminals, but Jesus, Hal, this is makin' us look bad. I don't know••• maybe they're not movin'. Maybe that little creep lied.

r HAL (V .O.)

He's got nothin' to gain by lyin'. Nothin' at all. He already got all their money.

2ll INT. THELMA'SHOUSE- DAY 211

As always, the others are scattered around as the TV PLAYS.

( 212 INT.JIMMY'S APARTMENT - DAY 212

Thelma is digging through her bag.

(CONTtNUED)

r LOUISE (CONT'D)

I don't want to see any more beef jerky. It's drivin' me crazy. The whole.car smells like it.

Thelma puts down her bag.

( LOUISE

You do?

Thelma starts to dig through her bag again.

Louise is rubbing her face. She looks pretty bad. Her hands are shaking.

Are you alright?

Lou.'.se doesnot really seem alright.

LOUISE

~-

{upset) I think I've really fucked.up. I think I've got us in a situation where we could both get killed. (MOR~)

LOUISE (CONT' 0.)

r-,

I mean, Idon't know what's the matter with me. I don't know why we didn't just go straight to the police.

Louise is at a pay phone as the sky is just starting to get light. Thelma is in the bathroom nearby. Louise has already•dialed and the phone is RINGING.

The TV DRONES on in the b.g. as the phone RINGS there, everyone leaps into action again. Hal picks up the phone.

(~ snowball effect goin' here or

somethin'.

( Louise does not answer.

LOUISE

r (interrupting)

Nol

Louise thinks for a minute.

The surveillance man motions to Hal to keep it going.

r' 220 EXT. PAY PHONE- DAY 220

A finger.reaches up and presses down-the.lever and hangs up the phone.

Frustrated, Hal slams down the phone. He looks over at

the surveillance man who nods to say "we got it. The

entire room springs into action. Max immediately picks up the phone and Hal watches him intently. He mouths

the words to Max -- "I wanna go" emphatically. Max

nods affirmatively.

ANGLE ON Thel~. She has her finger on the lever.

(CONTINUED) .

11S.

She walks away towards the car. Louise is still standing there holding the phone. Thelma stops and looks at her.

Louise doesn't move.

Louise is surprised to be hearing this from Thelma.

( LOUISE

I know. I know what you mean. I don't think Jimmy would even marry me for real now. (MORE)

LOUISE (CONT'D)

r· You think he's gonna consent to

some kinda death row wedding? I don't wanna end up on the damn Geraldo show.

They are both quiet for a moment.

Louise STARTS the car. They lurch into reverse then SCREECH forward as they tear off down the road.

223 WIDE SHOTOF CAR 223

as they fly down the road.

( LOUISE

Well, don't worry. I'm sure you'll figure it out.

A car pulls up on an airstrip and stops next to a small jet. Hal and Max get out of the car and board the· plane.

MONTAGE of driving shots as Louise and Thelma drive through the intense beauty of the Arizona desert.

This gets a smile out of Louise.

This cracks them up.

Louise and Thelma both get.quiet for a second.

They are both laughing. The car is still flying down the road. The sun is coming up higher in the sky now. They-come to an intersection in the middle of nowhere. Louise stops and looks at themap.

Louise takes a right turn and speeds down the road.

Louise and Thelma are singing along to a wild R&B SONG. They do the hand movements as if they are the Supremes. They come roaring up on the semi-tanker, the same one they have seen three times before.

( THELMA

Pass him!

Louise bears down really hard and passes him. Again as they get right next to him, he blows kisses down at them. He is leering at them and laughing. Louise and Thelma drive further down the road.

Louise pulls the car off to the side of the road. As the truck gets close they start waving to him to stop. He pulls his truck off the side of the road and stops. ANGLE 'ON Louise and Thelma smiling up at him. He chuckles to himself. He leans out the window.

(

The Trucker reaches over and opens a glove compartment

crammed full of copdoms. He grabs a few and shoves him in his pocket. He turns off his engine and gets out of the truck.

He walks up to the car.

Louise turns off the road and drives out a distance

into the desert. She stops and turns off the .car.

( THELMA

Where you goin'?

(CONTINUED)·

LOUISE

We been seein you all along the way.

Louise nods.

This is not what is supposed to be happening.

He is getting a little panicky.

He starts to climb out of the car. Thelma leans over and shoves him back into the seat.

Louise pulls the gun they stole from the State Patrolman.

His hands fly up in the air.

He keeps repeating this like a prayer throughout.

He nods, still repeating the words.

He hops out of the car and puts his hand back in the air. Louise looks at his truck off in the distance. She points the gun at it, takes a second to get a bead, then SHOOTStwo of the tires flat. The truck slowly sinks as the air escapes from the tires.

Louise and Thelma look at each other. They both turn towards the truck and FIRE rounds into the tankers until they EXPLODEin a huge ball of fire. The truck driver screams at the top of his lungs. Louise starts the car and starts driving in circles around the truck driver. Thelma and Louise are both howling at the top of their lungs. Thelma is sitting on the back of the front seat with her legs on the dashboard.

Louise stops the car right next to him.

Louise takes off again and Thelma falls into the back seat. They drive off trailing a huge cloud of dust.

Louise drives through the desert back towards the road, past the burning debris of the truck. As she gets to the road she stops.· Thelma climbs into the front seat.

They pull away from the burning wreckage.

As Thelma and- Louisetalk, their voices are heard over the following scene.

LOUISE (V .O.)

( You know what's happened, don't

you?

THELMA (V.O.)

r-\

What?

A battered old pickup tiuck is parked by the New Mexico State Patrol•. An old man uses a crowbar to pry open the trunk. The New Mexico State Patrolman hops out of the trunk.

(END VOICE OVER SC. 234)

Police Bulletin VOICE OVERBEGINS AND PLAYS OVER following scenes:

A police helicopter flies over the burning wreckage of the fuel truck. The truck driver is waving his arms as the helicopter descends, blowing dirt all over him.

Darryl sits practically comatose in a big chair. His eyes have a dull glaze as he stares first at one wall, then another.

A TIGHT SHOT of a TAPE being shoved into the cassette deck and Aretha Franklin sings "Save Me" at full volume.

Max and Sal sit next to each other in the jet. Hal tries to appear as if he's used to all this. Max holds a cellular phone to his ear. ( TIGHT SHOTof Max as we hear through the phone:

(Police VOICE OVERbecomes part of scene)

POLICE (V .O.)

r (on phone)

••• Abducted••• shot up the car •••stole the officer's weapon •••tanker •••blown up ••• terrorized•••

Max's face becomes troubled and more serious than we've seen so far. -He looks at Hal as he hangs up the phone.

The jet banks off to the left.

WIDE SHOT of car speeding through the desert on an empty highway. DRIVING SHOT - "Save Me" is still playing on the car stereo. Thelma has her face to the sun with her eyes closed. Louise is driving with a fierce intensity. They hardly resemble the two women that started out for a weekend in the mountains two days earlier. Although their faces are tannea and lined and their hair is blowing wildly there is a sense of serenity that ~ervades. . ·

Hal and Max are climbing out of the jet and running across the tarmac to a waiting helicopter. Max is carrying a walkie-talkie now.

Thelma sits up suddenly. She turns to look behind them.

( 245 LOUISE'S POV - REARVIEW MIRROR 245

An Arizona State Police car is bearing down on them really fast. The lights are flashing.

Thelma puts her seat belt on. Louise floors the car and it streaks off, putting some distance between them and the police car. Thelma looks back at the police car. She looks scared.

STATE POLICEMAN is on his radio.

POLICEMAN #1 ••• requesting assistance. In pursuit of a green T-Bird, 1966 license, seven, one, nine,

(

William, Zebra, Adam•••

A steady stream of state police cars pulls out of the parking lot with lights flashing while other policemen are running to their cars still parked in the lot.

·THELMA Bow far are w~ from Mexico?

l27.

There are now two police cars behind them about half a r I mile back. They are going really fast.

Louise and T~elma both are looking back at the two police cars following them. They turn back around just in time to see a third Arizona State police car has pulled into the middle of an intersection of the only road that crosses it for miles. They both scream. Louise swerves just in time to keep from hitting it broadside. She goes off the road and has to struggle to pull her car back onto the road, leaving a huge cloud of dust.

The first two police cars are approaching the same intersection. They are driving side by side. There is still a huge cloud of dust that now covers the third car in the middle of the intersection.

A huge cloud of dust blows across the road as he approaches the intersection. It clears to reveal the third police car in the middle of the road, just as he and police car #2 reach the intersection. ANGLE ON POLICEMAN 11 as he screams and swerves to the right.

as he sees both police cars heading right for him at 120mph. He screams and ducks down into the seat.

swerves to the right. Police car #2 swerves to the left, both barely missing police car #3.

ANOTHER ANGLEas police car #1 and police car #2 both pull back onto the road right next to each other.

Policeman #3 sits up in the seat. He can't believe he isn't dead. He puts his car in gear and takes off down the road after them.

(

Louise and Thelma blow through a stand of buildings left from when the train went through here. There are two parallel streets on either side of the one they're on and, as they pass by the buildings, they can see police cars ROARINGdown these parallel streets trying to "head them off at the pass." Louise FLOORS it and her car screams ahead.

Louise doesn't reply.

Up ahead, the road is blocked by five state police cars. Louise swerves off the road and begins driving

their cars and take off across the desert after them. The police cars that were behind them drive off the road as well, and they are now being pursued by at least ten cars.

Thelma starts to laugh. Louise is only concerned with missing the cacti and other obstacles that lie before her.

It does look like an Army. More police cars have joined, and from every direction, police cars are swarming across the desert, although none are in front of them. Way off in the distance, a helicopter joins thechase.

Thelma is looking way up ahead in the distance.

Louise strains to see. Whatever it is, Louise is barreling towards it, the car leaving the ground as they fly through the desert.

Louise starts to laugh and cry at the same time.

Behind them is a huge wall of dust created by all the police cars following them. In front of them, looking larger every moment, is the awesome splendor of the Grand Canyon.

Louise has tears streaming down her face as she realizes there is absolutely no escape. She continues barreling toward it without slowing down.

All the police cars are still following about a half a mile behind. The car is bouncing and flying across the desert. Finally, they get about two hundred yards from the edge and Louise SLAMS on the brakes.

( 267 INT. CAR- DAY 267

She can't think of the words.

LOUI;.:.E One little thing••• We're never gonna get out of this. You know that, right? This is never gonna be over.

Thelma and Louise are just ~aiting fo~ the cars to . catch up. The police cars stop in a line about two hundred yards behind them. The dust from the cars is blowing across them. They just sit looking at the Grand Canyon.

From the canyon, the FBI helicopter rises up in front of the car.

Bal sees Thelma and Louise for the first time. They are sitting in the car, oblivious in a way, to all the activity around them. He only takes his eyes off of

them long enough to look at Max. His eyes say I didn't expect them to look so humanl"

r

LOUISE

~- ( . How do you stay so positive?

They smile.

He sees Thelma and Louise facing each other. They look ( so nice. Be can't stop looking. He borrows the binoc- ulars from Max. As they fly above the scene, Hal sees the row of police officers surrounding Thelma and Louise on the ground. Some of the police sharpshooters are sporting semi-automatic rifles. Hal looks to Max.

Thelma is smiling at her. r\

(CONTINO.ED)

They look at·each other, look back at the wall of police cars, and then look back at each other. They smile.

be~ng loaded into automatic rifle.

GUN SIGHT

274 SXT. DEStRT - DAY 274

TWO OF THE ARIZONA COPS by their cars, as they are loading weapons, talk quietly_.·

ARIZONACOP #1 • • • heardth~ys_hot acop.

ARIZONACOP #2 No shit.

Louise and Thelma are looking at each other. They both look nervous. They are trying to smile, but their mouths are twisted with fear.

(

Hal is about to crawl out of his skinl Be can't believe this thing is getting_out of control.

HAL

r

(to Max) Let me talk to 'em! I can't believe this!

They are still looking at each other really hard.

MUSIC: A a.a. King song entitled "Better Not Look Down" begins. It is very upbeat.

Thelma nods.

Louise puts the car in gear and FLOORSit.

Hal's eyes widen for a moment at what he sees, and then a sense of calm overtakes him and he mouths the word

"alright."

L· r-·--

The co~s all lower ~heir weapor, d~~·&:>oks.6:J'~ckand disbelief cover their faces. A -;\t.iof ·.ttt.:~:;.,"6lows THROUGH THE FRAME as the speedir.if·ci"J~.ti..k-;¥.,;.'erthe edgeof the cliff. -~·"':.. ·

9.B. i:IN~:-'-~owt~-•·r~.O.) Better not look down, 1, i -~•J1-ic.,,-~.:! keep on flyin'. Put the hammer down, keep it full speed ahead. Better not look back or you might just wind up cryin'. You can keep it movin' if you don't look down•••

THE IUIO