Thelma and Louise Screenplay

7/29/2019 Thelma and Louise Screenplay

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THELMA & LOUISE

by

Callie Khouri

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT

June 5, 1990


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FADE IN:

INT. RESTAURANT - MORNING (PRESENT DAY)

LOUISE is a waitress in a coffee shop. She is in herearly-thirties, but too old to be doing this. She is verypretty and meticulously groomed, even at the end of hershift. She is slamming dirty coffee cups from the counterinto a bus tray underneath the counter. It is ma

ing alot of RACKET, which she is oblivious to. There isCOUNTRY MUZAK in the b.g., which she hums along with.

INT. THELMA'S KITCHEN - MORNING

THELMA is a housewife. It's morning and she is slammingcoffee cups from the brea

fast table into the

itchensin , which is full of dirty brea fast dishes and somestuff left from last night's dinner which had to "soa

".She is still in her nightgown. The TV is ON in the b.g.From the

itchen, we can see an incomplete wallpaperingproject going on in the dining room, an obvious "do-it-yourself" attempt by Thelma.

INT. RESTAURANT - MORNING

Louise goes to the pay phone and dials a number.


Phone RINGS. Thelma goes over to answer it.

THELMA(hollering)

I got it! Hello.


LOUISE(at pay phone)

I hope you're pac

ed, littlehousewife, 'cause we are outta hertonight.


THELMAWell, wait now. I still have to as

Darryl if I can go.

LOUISE (V.O.)You mean you haven't as

ed him yet?For Christ sa e, Thelma, is he yourhusband or your father? It's justtwo days. For God's sa e, Thelma.


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Don't be a child. Just tell himyou're goin' with me, for cryin' outloud. Tell him I'm havin' a nervousbrea down.

Thelma has the phone tuc

ed under her chin, as she cutsout coupons from the newspaper and pins them on a bulletinboard already covered with them. We see various recipestorn out from women's magazines along the lines of "101Ways to Coo

Por

."

THELMAHe already thin s you're out of yourmind, Louise, that don't carry muchweight with Darryl. Are you atwor

?

LOUISE (V.O.)No, I'm callin' from the PlayboyMansion.

THELMAI'll call you right bac .

Thelma goes through the living room to the bottom of thestairs and leans on the bannister.

THELMADarryl! Honey, you'd better hurryup.

DARRYL comes trotting down the stairs. Polyester was madefor this man, and he's dripping in "men's" jewelry. Hemanages a Carpeteria.

DARRYLDamnit, Thelma, don't holler li e

that! Haven't I told you I can'tstand it when you holler in themorning.

THELMAI'm sorry, Doll, I just didn't wantyou to be late.

Darryl is chec ing himself out in the hall mirror, andit's obvious he li es what he sees. He exudes over-confidence for reasons that never become apparent. Heli

es to thin

of himself as a real lady

iller.

He is ma

ing imperceptible adjustments to his over-moussedhair. Thelma watches approvingly.

THELMAHon.

DARRYLWhat.

THELMA


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(she decides not totell him)

Have a good day at wor today.

DARRYLUh-huh.

THELMAHon?

DARRYLWhat?!

THELMAYou want anything special fordinner?

DARRYLNo, Thelma, I don't give a shit whatwe have for dinner. I may not evenma e it home for dinner. You nowhow Fridays are.

THELMA

Funny how so many people wanna buycarpet on a Friday night. You'dalmost thin they's want to forgetabout it for the wee end.

DARRYLWell then, it's a good thing you'renot regional manager and I am.

He's finally ready. He wal s to the door and gives Thelmathe most perfunctory iss on the chee .

THELMA

'Bye, honey. I won't wait up.

DARRYLSee ya.

Darryl leaves. We see his Corvette par ed out front. Ashe closes the front door, Thelma leans against it.

THELMAHe's gonna shit.

Thelma laughs to herself. She goes bac

into the

itchenand pic s up the phone and dials it.


The pay phone on the wall RINGS. ALBERT, a busboy in his50's, answers.

ALBERTGood morning. Why, yes, she is. Isthis Thelma? Oh, Thelma, when you


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gonna run away with me?

Louise comes over and ta es the phone out of his hand.

LOUISE(to Albert)

Not this wee end, sweetie, she'srunnin' away with me.

(into phone)Hi. What'd he say?

THELMA (V.O.)What time are you gonna pic me up?

LOUISEYou're

iddin'! Alright! I'll bethere around two or three.

THELMA (V.O.)What

ind of stuff do I bring?

LOUISEI don't now. Warm stuff, I guess.It's the mountains. I guess it gets

cold at night. I'm just gonna bringeverything.

THELMA (V.O.)O ay. I will, too.

LOUISEAnd steal Darryl's fishin' stuff.

THELMA (V.O.)I don't now how to fish, Louise.

LOUISE

Neither do I, Thelma, but Darryldoes it, how hard can it be? I'llsee you later. Be ready.

They both hang up.

EXT. RESTAURANT - DAY

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

INT. THELMA'S BEDROOM - CLOSEUP - SUITCASE ON BED - DAY

Going into the suitcase is bathing suits, wool soc s,flannel pajamas, jeans, sweaters, T-shirts, a couple ofdresses, way too much stuff for a two-day trip. REVEALThelma, standing in front of a closet, trying to decidewhat else to bring, as if she's forgotten something. Theroom loo

s li

e it was decorated entirely from a Searscatalog. It's really frilly.


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INT. LOUISE'S BEDROOM - CLOSEUP - SUITCASE ON BED - DAY

A perfectly ordered suitcase, everything neatly folded andorderly. Three pairs of underwear, one pair of longunderwear, two pairs of pants, two sweaters, one furryrobe, one nightgown. She could be pac

ing for camp.REVEAL Louise. Her room is as orderly as the suitcase.Everything matches. It's not quite as frilly as Thelma's,but it is of the same il . She is debating whether tota

e an extra pair of soc

s. She decides not to andcloses the suitcase. She goes to the phone, pic s it upand dials. We hear:

ANSWERING MACHINE (V.O.)Hi. This is Jimmy. I'm not hereright now, but I'll probably be bac

'cause... all my stuff's here.Leave a message.

Louise slams down the phone. A framed picture of Louiseand Jimmy sits on the table next to the phone. Shematter-of-factly slams that face down, too.

INT. THELMA'S BEDROOM - DAY

Thelma is still throwing stuff in, randomly now. Shetal s to herself quietly the whole time.

She is ta ing stuff off of her nightstand, a small cloc ,fingernail scissors, etc.

She opens the drawer of her nightstand. Her attitude ispurposeful; she loo s as if she nows exactly what she'sdoing; although, fran ly, she has no idea, and eachdecision is completely arbitrary. As she rifles throughit, pluc ing various items from among the jumbled

contents, we see there is a gun in there, one Darrylbought her for protection. It is unloaded, but there is abox of bullets. She pic s up the gun li e it's a rat bythe tail and puts it in her purse.

THELMA(muttering toherself)

Psycho illers...

She grabs the box of bullets and throws them in, too. Shetries to close her suitcase, but there is stuff hangingout all over the place. She stuffs things bac in the

sides and heaves all her weight against the top.

EXT. THELMA'S HOUSE - DAY

Louise's green '66 T-Bird convertible pulls into thedriveway of Thelma's house. The garage door goes up andThelma is standing in the garage with all her gear. Asuitcase that loo s li e it might explode, fishing gear, acooler, a lantern. Thelma's car, a beat-up gray Honda, is


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par ed in there, too. Louise gets out of the driver'sseat.

LOUISEWe don't need the lantern. Theplace has electricity.

THELMAI wanna ta e it anyway. Just incase.

LOUISEIn case of what?

THELMAIn case there's some escaped psycho

iller on the loose, who cuts theelectricity off and tries to come inand ill us.

LOUISE(going along withher)

Oh yeah, sure, Thelma, that lantern

will come in real handy. Maybe wecould tow your car behind, in casehe steals the spar plugs.

THELMAWe'd have to. That thing barelyma es it down the driveway.

They load everything into the car. The trun barelycloses. Thelma heaves all her weight against it. Theyget into the car and pull out of the driveway. As theydrive down the street, we hear Thelma let out a long howl.She is laughing and she stic s her arms straight up in the

air.

EXT. CAR - DAY

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

THELMALouise, will you ta e care of thegun?

Louise shrie s at the sight of it.

LOUISEWhy in hell did you bring that?

Thelma wonders if Louise is really that naive.

THELMAOh, come on, Louise... psycho

illers, bears... sna es! I justdon't now how to use it. So will


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you ta e care of it?

Louise reaches over and ta es the gun out of Thelma'spurse and holds it in her hand. She tests the weight ofit, and then puts it under the seat. Thelma puts thebullets under the seat.

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

THELMAWhose place is this again?

LOUISEIt's Bob's, the day manager's. He'sgettin' a divorce, so his wife'sgettin' this place, so he's justlettin' all his friends use it tillhe has to turn over the eys.

THELMAI've never had the chance to go outof town without Darryl.

LOUISEHow come he let you go?

THELMA'Cause I didn't as him.

LOUISEAw, shit, Thelma, he's gonna illyou.

THELMAWell, he has never let me go. Henever lets me do one goddamn thing

that's any fun. All he wants me todo is hang around the house thewhole time while he's out doing Godonly

nows what.

They are both silent for a minute.

THELMA(loo ing straightahead)

I left him a note. I left him stuffto microwave.

After a pause.

THELMAI guess you haven't heard anythingfrom Jimmy... yet?

Louise's jaw tightens. The car speeds up.

THELMA... never mind.


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A huge semi-tan

er carrying gas passes them on the highwayand HONKS. The mud flaps are the shiny silhouettes ofna ed women. There is a bumper stic er on the bac thatsays: "Lic you all over -- ten cents."

LOUISEOne of your friends?

Thelma is watching herself in the side mirror, pretendingto smo e a cigarette.

THELMA'S POV OF A SIGN alongside the road that reads "Seeyou 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 sayanything.

INT. CAR - COUNTRY ROAD - DAY

THELMAHow much longer is it gonna be? I'm

hungry.

LOUISEAnother hour of so. We've gotenough food for a month.

THELMAI'll never ma e it... Can't we stopjust for a few minutes...

LOUISEWe've not gonna get to the cabintill after dar as it is, Thelma.

THELMAThen what difference does it ma e ifwe stop? Come on. I never get todo stuff li e this.

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

LOUISEAlright, but it's gonna be a quic stop.

EXT. SILVER BULLET - NIGHT

They pull off at a place down on the right all lit up withneon. It's called the SILVER BULLET. The sign flashesCOCKTAILS -- BEER -- DANCING -- FOOD. There is a hugegravel par

ing lot with lots of pic

up truc

s and oldercars. Even though it's early, you can tell this place isa real night spot. It's already pretty crowded.


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margarita with and a shot of Cuervoon the side, please.

THELMAYeah!

As the Waitress leaves, a MAN comes over with a chairwhich he pulls up to the table and straddles bac

wards.He is in his late-40's, heavyset, his face is shiny in theneon light.

MANNow what are a couple of Kewpiedolls li

e you doin' in a place li

ethis?

LOUISE THELMAMindin' our own Well, we left town forbusiness, why the wee end 'cause wedon't you try it. wanted to try and have a

good time. And becauseLouise here is madbecause her boyfriendwon't call her while

he's out on the road...

Louise ic s Thelma under the table.

THELMA(quieter)

We just wanted to get somethin' toeat.

MANWell, you come to the right place.You li e chili? They got goodchili.

The Waitress returns with Louise's drin .

WAITRESSHarlan, are you botherin' these poorgirls?

HARLAN (MAN)Hell, no. I was just bein'friendly.

WAITRESS(ma ing eye contact

with Louise)It's a good thing they're not all asfriendly as you.

Louise understands.

THELMAYour name's Harlan? I got an unclenamed Harlan!


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HARLANYou do? Is he a funny uncle?'Cause if he is, then he and I gotsomethin' in common.

Harlan laughs. Thelma laughs, too, but doesn't really getthe jo e. Louise does not laugh.

LOUISE(to Harlan)

I don't mean to be rude, but I'vegot something I need to tal

to myfriend about. In private.

HARLANAw, I understand. I didn't mean tobother ya. It's just hard not tonotice two such pretty ladies asyourselves.

(standing, toThelma)

You better dance with me before youleave, or I'll never forgive you.

THELMAOh, sure. That'd be fun.

Harlan leaves, then:

THELMAJeez, Louise, that wasn't very nice.

LOUISECan't you tell when somebody'shittin' on you?

THELMA

So what if he was? It's all youryears of waitin' tables has made youjaded, that's all.

LOUISEMaybe.

THELMAWell, just relax, will ya. You'rema in' me nervous.

Thelma

noc

s bac

her shot of Wild Tur

ey and holds upher glass to the Waitress to bring her another one. The

Waitress sees her and nods. She turns bac

to face herfriend.

THELMASo, Jimmy still hasn't called yet?

LOUISEGivin' him a taste of his ownmedicine. Asshole.


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THELMAI'm sorry, Louise. I

now you'reall upset. It's just I'm so excitedto be out of the house, I guess.

(pause)I wonder if Darryl's home yet.

LOUISEI wonder if Jimmy's gotten bac .

THELMAWhy don't you tell him to just toget lost once and for all?

LOUISEWhy don't you ditch that loserhusband of yours?

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

WAITRESS(rolling her eyes)

This one's on Harlan.

Thelma loo

s over at the bar where Harlan is grinning ather, ma ing dancing motions. She smiles and waves at him.Her face becomes serious again as she turns bac toLouise.

THELMAJimmy'll come in off the road, youwon't be there, he'll frea out andcall you a hundred thousand times,and Sunday night you'll call himbac and, by Monday. He'll be

issin' the ground you wal on.

Thelma's mind goes too fast for her mouth, and the speedat which she spea s can be staggering. Louise is used toit. Louise smiles wistfully at Thelma's assessment of thesituation.

LOUISEExactly.

THELMAIn the meantime, you said we weregonna have some fun. So let's havesome!

She again drin s her whole shot of Wild Tur ey and holdsup her glass, as the BAND stri

es up a lively tune.Practically the whole place "whoops" and heads for thedance floor. Louise drin s her shot of tequila and holdsup her glass, too.

LATER

Thelma is dancing with Harlan and has been for quite a


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while. Louise has been dancing with a quiet guy namedDAN. Thelma is breathless, drun

and giggly. She holds abeer bottle in one hand. She is laughing a lot aboutnothing, and Harlan is studying her closely. Louisenotices this.

LOUISE(over the noise)

Thelma, I'm gonna hit the littlegirls' room, and then we gotta hitthe road.

THELMA(eyes closed, swayingwith the music)

Ready when you are.

Louise heads off to the bathroom.

THELMA(eyes still closed)

Louise, I'm gonna come with you.(she gets a funnyloo

on her face)

I don't feel so good.

She stumbles a step and drops her beer bottle.

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

HARLAN(catching Thelma,copping feels)

Oopsy-doopsy. We need to get yousome fresh air, little lady.

He steers her towards the door.

Louise leans against the wall, waiting in line.

CUT TO:

EXT. SILVER BULLET PARKING LOT - NIGHT

Harlan is hauling Thelma out the door into the par inglot. She is pretty limp.

THELMAOh shit.

HARLANWhat's wrong?

THELMAStop.

HARLANWhat for?


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THELMAI'm spinning.

INT. SILVER BULLET - NIGHT

The Waitress is going over to their table. She pic s upThelma's purse off the floor and puts it on her chair.She sets the chec on the table, loo s around to see ifshe can see them and wal

s away.

INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT

Louise goes into the bathroom. She stands in front of thesin

and loo

s at herself in the mirror.

EXT. PARKING LOT - NIGHT

Thelma has been sic . She has Harlan's hand erchief andis wiping her mouth. Harlan has bac

ed off for this part,but he's right bac in there.

HARLANHow you feelin' now, darlin'?

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

THELMAI guess I'm startin' to feel alittle better.

HARLANYeah, you're startin' to feel prettygood to me, too.

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

THELMA(uncomfortable)

I thin I need to eep wal ing.


Louise comes out of the bathroom as the next woman goesin. She scans the room loo ing for Thelma. She doesn't

see her. She goes over to the table and sees Thelma'sstuff there. She pic s up the chec and loo s at it.


Harlan has led Thelma off to the far end of the par

inglot. He is trying to iss her now. He is pushing herarms down and turning her head away.


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THELMADon't. I'm married. I don't feelgood. I've been sic .

HARLANIt's o

ay. I'm married, too.

Harlan is pushing himself on her now, and she is beginningto push him away harder.


Louise is paying the Waitress. The Waitress is sha

ingher head, indicating she hasn't seen Thelma either.Louise pic

s up Thelma's stuff and heads towards the door.


Harlan has now pinned Thelma against the bac of a car andis

issing her nec

. He has her ass in his hands. He isbeginning to hump her. She is pushing him away as hard asshe can, but he is relentless.

HARLAN(breathing heavily)

You're beautiful. It's o ay. Iwon't hurt you. It's o ay.

THELMA(struggling)

Stop it! Goddamnit, I mean it!Louise is gonna wonder where I am.Let go!

HARLAN

Louise is alright.

LOUISE

is now standing outside the door of the Silver Bullet.She is loo ing around.

HARLAN

is pulling at Thelma's clothes. Thelma gets one of herarms free and hits him hard in the face. He hits her bacand grabs her face, squeezing it hard.

HARLANDon't you hit me! Don't you fuc inghit me!

There is no trace of friendliness in his face now. Heloo s mean and dangerous. He lets go of her face and pinsher arms behind her. He holds both of her arms with onehand.

HARLAN


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You just shut up.

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

THELMADon't hurt me. Harlan. Please.

HARLANShut up.

He turns her around, pushing her face down onto the bac of the car. He holds both her arms in one hand andcontinues pulling her dress up over her hips. He startsto undo his pants as we hear the CRUNCH of gravel.

LOUISE (O.S.)Let her go.

HARLANGet lost.

THELMA

Louise!

TIGHT SHOT of the barrel of Thelma's gun being pressedinto the nape of Harlan's nec . Louise's thumb pulls bacthe hammer.

LOUISEYou let her go, you fat fuc ingasshole, or I'm gonna splatter yourugly face all over this nice car.

Harlan slowly raises his hands in the air, and Thelmadarts out, pulling her dress down.

HARLANNow, calm down. We were just havin'a little fun.

Louise glances at Thelma. Thelma sha es her head no.

LOUISELoo s li e you've got a real fuc edup idea of fun. Now turn around.

Louise starts to bac

away, but the gun is still close tohis face. His pants are undone in the front. She is

still bac

ing away with the gun raised. Thelma is inchingaway as well.

LOUISEJust for the future, when a woman'scrying li e that, she's not havingany fun!

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


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HARLAN(pulling up hispants)

Bitch. I should have gone ahead andfuc

ed her.

Louise stops in her trac

s.

LOUISEWhat did you say?

HARLANI said suc

my coc

.

Louise ta

es two long strides bac

towards him, raises thegun and FIRES a bullet into his face. We hear his bodyHIT the gravel par

ing lot. LOUISE'S POV. The car behindhim is splattered with blood. Thelma and Louise are bothsilent. We hear the SOUND of the nightclub in thedistance. Louise lowers the gun.

THELMAOh my God.

LOUISEGet the car.

THELMAJesus Christ! Louise, you shot him.

LOUISEGet the car!

Thelma runs to get the car.

LOUISE

(quietly, to herself)You watch your mouth, buddy.

Thelma comes careening up in reverse. Louise hops in andThelma PEELS OUT, spraying gravel. As they speed out ofthe par ing lot bac to the road, we hear MUSIC blaringfrom the nightclub. They hit the main road with tiresSQUEALING.

LOUISEGet bac to the interstate.

Louise lifts her hand and notices she is still holding the

gun.

THELMAShit! I... I, which way?

LOUISEWest. Left.

EXT. CAR - DISTANCING SHOT - NIGHT


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They get onto the interstate going west.

TRAVELING SHOT FROM BEHIND -- VARIOUS DRIVING SHOTS

INT. CAR - NIGHT

Louise pic s up the hand erchief from the car seat andwipes the gun off. Her movements are as if in slowmotion. She puts the gun under the seat. Thelma iswatching her.

THELMALouise.

Louise does not answer.

THELMALouise. Where are we going?

LOUISE(sha ing)

I don't

now, Thelma! I don't

now!

Just shut up a minute so I canthin

.

Thelma starts to cry quietly.

THELMAShouldn't we go to the cops? Imean, I thin we should tell thepolice.

LOUISETell them what?! What, Thelma?What do you thin we should tell

them?

THELMAI don't

now. Just tell 'em whathappened.

LOUISEWhich part?

THELMAAll of it. That he tried to rapeme.

LOUISEOnly about a hundred people saw youchee

to goddamn chee

with him allnight, Thelma! Who's gonna believethat?! We just don't live in that

ind of world. Pull over!

EXT. INTERSTATE - NIGHT


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Thelma pulls off to the side of the road. Louise gets outand starts to wal

around the car. She stops when shegets to the bac of the car, and she is sic . Thelmawaits in the car and moves over to the passenger side.Louise gets in the driver's side.

THELMALouise... Are you alright?

Louise rests her head on the steering wheel.

LOUISEOh Christ.

(to Thelma)Thelma.

Thelma doesn't hear.

LOUISEThelma.

Thelma loo

s at her blan

ly, without answering.

LOUISE

I've gotta stop for a minute. I'vegot to get it together. I'm gonnafind a place to get a cup of coffeeand I'm gonna sit down for a second.Do you want to come?

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

LOUISEIs that yes? Are you up to this?

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

puts the car in gear and pulls OUT OF SHOT.

EXT. TRUCK STOP - RESTAURANT - NIGHT

The green '66 T-Bird pulls into a modern truc stop andpar s. Louise turns to Thelma.

LOUISEWe gotta be inconspicuous. Do you

now what that means?

THELMA

Yes.

LOUISEIt means you don't tal to anybody.You don't draw attention to yourselfin any way. Do you understand that?

Again, she twitches more than nods.

LOUISE


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Tell me you understand that.

Thelma nods more firmly now. She understands.

VARIOUS POV SHOTS of truc drivers seeing Thelma andLouise wind their way towards the restaurant portion ofthe coffee shop. They loo small and incongruous with thesurroundings.

INT. TRUCK STOP - TIGHT SHOT - WAITRESS' HANDS - 4 A.M.

slamming dirty coffee cups from the counter into a bustray underneath the counter. REVEAL Louise and Thelmasitting at the counter. Louise is loo ing at a map. Thecar is par

ed outside, near the door.

LOUISE(halfway to herself)

We have to thin

this through. Wehave to be smart. Now is not thetime to panic. If we panic now,we're done for. Nobody saw it.Nobody

nows it was us. We're still

o

ay. Now all we have to do is justfigure out our next move.

THELMAOur next move? I'll say one thing,Louise. This is some vacation. Isure am having a good time. This isreal fun.

LOUISEIf you weren't so concerned withhaving a good time, we wouldn't behere right now.

THELMAJust what is that supposed to mean?

LOUISEIt means shut up, Thelma.

THELMASo this is all my fault, is it.

Louise loo s at Thelma for a long time.

LOUISE

Just shut up.

The Waitress comes and fills their coffee cups.

Thelma stands up to go to the bathroom. She grabs herpurse from the counter, and the strap catches on hercoffee cup and it falls to the floor with a CRASH. Allheads turn and loo at her.

THELMA


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I have to go to the bathroom. I...Sorry.

HOLD on Louise.

EXT. SILVER BULLET PARKING LOT - 4:00 A.M.

Police cars are par ed around. The activity has dieddown. Doors on the coroner's van SLAM shut. In the bac

of a police car sits the Waitress with the door open. ADETECTIVE in a suit leans over the car door with his notepad.

HALCould you identify 'em, if ya saw'em again?

LENA (WAITRESS)Hal, I've told you about twentytimes, yes, I could identify 'em,but neither one of them was the typeto pull something li e this.

HALWell, you're not exactly an expertwitness, but what ma es you so sure?

LENAIf waitin' tables in a bar don'tma e you an expert on human nature,then nothin' will, and I could'vetold you that Harlan Puc ett wouldend up buyin' it in a par in' lot.I'm just surprised it didn't happenbefore now.

HALWho do you thin did it?

LENAHas anybody as ed his wife? She'sthe one I hope did it.

HALLena, just cut the bullshit, willya? Do have any ideas or don't ya?I been standin' in this stupidpar

in' lot all goddamn night, and Istill got to go file a report before

I can go home in time to get bac

upagain!

LENAWell, if I had to guess, I'd say itwas some ol' gal, some ol' gal'shusband. But it wasn't either oneof those two. The tall one, theredhead, she left me a huge tip.


23/115

HALYou didn't happen to notice what

ind of car they were driving?

LENAIt's a nightclub, not a drive-in,Hal. I don't follow the customersto the par

ing lot.

HALAlright, Lena. Go on home. Wemight have to call you in for somemore questioning.

Lena gets out of the bac of the car.

LENAThose girls are not the murderoustype.

INT. PAY PHONE - NIGHT

Outside the bathroom there is a pay phone. Thelma pic

s

it up and dials.

THELMA(into phone)

Collect from Thelma.

There is no answer.

INT. THELMA'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Phone RINGS.

VARIOUS SHOTS of the interior of the empty Dic

insonhouse:

THE BEDROOM

exactly as Thelma left it. The drawer of the nightstandstill open.

THE NOTE TO DARRYL

taped to the refrigerator. The interior of the microwavewith a now completely thawed microwave dinner still in thepac age in a little puddle.

INT. TRUCK STOP - NIGHT

THELMAThan s. I'll try later.

She hangs up and goes into the bathroom. As the doorcloses behind her, Louise comes up with a handful ofchange and starts putting it into the phone. She dials a


24/115

number. It RINGS for a long time. She hangs up and goesinto the bathroom. She loo

s at herself in the mirror.She notices a tiny spec on her chee . She ta es a papertowel and wets it and rubs the spot. She loo s at thetowel and there is a bright red strea .

LOUISEThelma... Come on, Thelma!

The door of the stall flies open and Thelma comes chargingout and heads straight for the door, without even loo ingat Louise. Louise charges out after her. They head outof the restaurant and, THROUGH THE WINDOW, we see them getinto the car and drive away.

EXT. CAR - DRIVING SHOT - DAWN

The T-Bird barrels down a fairly empty four-lane highway.A truc

passes going the other way.

INT. CAR - DAWN

The top is down on the car, and Thelma is slouched on theseat, her hair blowing wildly.

LOUISEWe're gonna go to the next town andstop. We'll get a motel room. Ican rest for a while and then figureout how to get some money. We'regonna need money. Thelma. How muchmoney do you have with you?

THELMAWhat? Oh, I don't now. Let me

loo

.

Thelma is rummaging through her purse. She finds herwallet and ta

es it out. Thelma finds some bills stuffedin the change compartment and ta es them out. Shestraightens the money out.

THELMASixty-four dollars.

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

THELMAUmm. Shit. Forty-four dollars.

Louise has not noticed any of this. She is so intent onher driving.

THELMAI'm cash poor.

LOUISE


25/115

Hmmm. We gotta get some money.

EXT. MOTEL - ESTABLISHING SHOT - DAY

The motel is near farms and agricultural areas with crops.

INT. MOTEL ROOM - DAY (6 A.M.)

The curtains are open and we can see the car par ed rightoutside the room. Thelma is lying on the bed staring upat the ceiling. Louise is bustling around the room,putting things in drawers.

THELMAWhy are you unpac ing? You said wewere just gonna ta

e a nap.

Louise did not realize she was doing it.

LOUISEOh, I don't now. I'm just nervous.I gotta figure out what to do.

THELMAWell, when you figure it out, wa eme up.

LOUISEJust what the hell is wrong withyou?

Louise slams the closet door. Thelma jumps.

THELMAWhat do you mean?

LOUISEWhy are you actin' li e this?

THELMAActin' li e what?! How am Isupposed to act? 'Scuse me for not

nowing what to do after you blowsomebody's head off!

They are silent for a moment.

LOUISE

You could help me try and figure itout! I gotta figure out what to do,and you could try and help me.

THELMAI suggested we go to the police, butyou didn't li

e that; so, fran

ly,Louise, I'm all out of ideas.

LOUISE


26/115

Well, what's the big rush, Thelma?If we just give 'em some time,they'll come to us...! Oh Christ.I'm just not ready to go to jailyet. Why don't you go out to thepool or something and I'll figure itout...

THELMAGive me the

eys.

LOUISEYou're not touchin' that car.

THELMAMy stuff's in the trun

! God! Youcare more about that car than you doabout most people.

LOUISEMost people just cause me trouble,but that car always gets me out ofit.

INT. POLICE GARAGE - DAY

Hal is at the police station where they're dusting the carwith Harlan all over it for prints. Hal loo s closely atthe bac of the car. He holds his hands over two sets ofhand prints. He moves his hands to the outside of theprints so as not to smear them, and puts his hands on thecar. His face is one inch away from the trun . He sees avery clear drop of blood. It's different than any of theother blood splatters on the car. He calls theidentification technician over and points it out.

HAL(pointing)What's that?

The I.D. TECH comes over and loo s and shrugs hisshoulders.

I.D. TECHBlood?

HALWhose?

I.D. TECHHis, I guess...

Hal ma es a face li e he suddenly felt a slight toothache.He stares at the guy.

HALYou guess?

Hal ta es out a blac sharpie and draws a circle around


27/115

the area of the blac smudge and the drop of blood. Hesha

es his head slightly.

EXT. MOTEL - DAY

Thelma comes out of the room and wal s towards the pool.She stops, then decides to go on to the pool. She liesdown in a lounge chair facing the road.

INT. MOTEL ROOM - DAY

Louise in the motel room. She's loo

ing at the phone.She pic s it up and dials it and watches herself in themirror. She stares as if she's trying to see intoherself, see through herself.

EXT. MOTEL POOL - DAY

Thelma arranges herself in a lounge chair, tryingdesperately to feel li e she's on vacation.


ANSWERING MACHINE (V.O.)Hi. This is Jimmy. I'm not hereright now...

A VOICE interrupts the message:

JIMMY (V.O.)Hello! I'm here. Hang on a minute!

The machine switches OFF.

INT. JIMMY'S APARTMENT - DAY

JIMMY, mid-30's, musician, is standing in the itchen onthe phone. He's not the type you'd expect Louise to li e,not quite straight-loo ing enough.

LOUISE (V.O.)(on phone)

Jimmy...


Louise is loo

ing at herself on the phone in the mirror.She is very cho ed up.

JIMMY (V.O.)(on phone)

Louise! Where are you? Are youalright? Honey...


28/115

LOUISEHi. I'm o

ay. How are you? Longtime no see.

JIMMY (V.O.)Louise, honey... Where are you? Yousound funny.

Louise is still loo ing at herself in the mirror, as ifshe's never seen herself before.

LOUISEI am funny. I'm real funny.

JIMMY (V.O.)Are you in town? This sounds longdistance.

LOUISENo, I'm out of town. I'm in... I'min real deep shit, Jimmy. Deep shitAr

ansas.

JIMMY (V.O.)

Louise, just tell me what the hellis going on here! I come bac

,nobody nows where you are. IsThelma with you? Darryl's beencallin' here every half-hour sayin'he's gonna ill you both when youget bac , he's goin' nuts. I don'tenvy her if she is.


Thelma at pool bas ing in the sun.



Where'd y'all go?

LOUISEFishing. Loo , Jimmy... I need youto help me. This is serious. I'min trouble and I need you to helpme. Can you do that?


Jimmy is shoc ed by the gravity of her tone of voice. Herealizes this is very serious.

JIMMYYes, yes, darlin'. I can help you.Tell me where you are.


29/115


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

LOUISEI have a savings account with aboutsixty-seven hundred dollars in it.Now I now you won't be able to getit out, but I'm good for it. I needthat money. Can you wire me thesixty-seven hundred dollars and I'llpay you bac ? Please, I'mdesperate.

JIMMY (V.O.)What the fuc is going on?

LOUISESomething real bad has happened andI can't tell you what, just thatit's bad and I did it and I can't

undo it. Can you help me?

JIMMY (V.O.)Of course. Of course! Where? Can'tI bring it to you? For God's sa e,baby, please, just tell me what'shappened, what could possibly be sobad?

Louise sits on the edge of the bed. She is loo ing at herhand.

LOUISE

Jimmy?

She ta es the ring that she wears on her left hand andturns it around bac

wards to ma

e it loo

li

e a weddingband.

LOUISEDo you love me?

JIMMY (V.O.)Christ, sure... yes!

LOUISE

Wire it to the Western Union inO lahoma City,


JIMMYYou're in O lahoma?!

LOUISE (V.O.)


30/115

Not yet.

JIMMYLouise, let me call you bac after Iwire it, so you'll now which officeto go to.

LOUISE (V.O.)Can't it go to any office?

JIMMYNo, for that much money I have totell them exactly which office. I

now, I've had to have money wiredto me on the road. And there has tobe a code word or they won't give itto you. I'll have to tell you thecode.


LOUISETell me now.

JIMMY (V.O.)Call me bac .

LOUISEO ay. I'll call you bac . In anhour. Don't tell Darryl.

JIMMY (V.O.)I now. Call me bac . Louise, Ilove you, o ay?

LOUISE

O

ay.


Thelma by the pool. A car SCREECHES, a loud horn HONKS.

LOUISE(bellowing)

Come on, Thelma! Get in the car!

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

state of shoc

.

THELMADid you finish thin ing?

LOUISEI thin

better when I drive.

Louise PEELS OUT of the par ing lot.


31/115

INT. POLICE STATION - MAJOR'S OFFICE - DAY

Hal is in the office tal ing to his superior. He standsin front of the des with his hands in his poc ets whilehis MAJOR sits behind the des

loo

ing troubled.

HALAll we now is there were two womenin a green T-Bird convertible thatturned left out of the par ing lot,going real fast. We're trying toget a ma e on the car, but nothin'yet. So far, we got nothin'.

MAJORWell, you'd best get something.Even if they didn't do it, it timesout that they most li ely witnessedit. I want somebody to at leasttal to 'em. Put out an APB with adescription and see what we getbac .

HALAlright.

MAJORIs there any reason to believethey've left the state?

HALThat's certainly possible.

MAJORWhy don't we go ahead and let thebureau in on this.

HALI have no problem with that.

MAJORSomebody's butt is gonna bar-b-que.

EXT. CAR - FARMLAND - DRIVING SHOT - DAY

INT. CAR - DAY

THELMADon't get mad, Louise, but where arewe going?

LOUISEO lahoma City. Jimmy's gonna wireme some money, and then...

THELMAYou tal ed to him?! Is he mad? Did


32/115

you tell him?

LOUISENo, I didn't tell him. And that'ssomething we gotta get straight.Darryl's been callin', mad as ahornet, ma in' all inds of noise.When you tal

to him, you cannot sayanything about this. You gotta ma esure everything sounds normal.

THELMAI called the asshole at 4:00 in themorning and he wasn't even home. Idon't now what he's got to be madabout. I'm the one who should bemad.

LOUISEI've been tellin' you that for thelast ten years.

THELMADo you thin

Darryl's having an

affair?

LOUISEI don't thin Darryl is matureenough to conduct an affair.

THELMABut you thin he fools around.

LOUISEThelma, I'm going to Mexico. Ithin I can ma e it in two and ahalf days, but I'm going to have to

haul ass. Are you up to this? Imean, I have to now. This isn't agame. I'm in deep shit. I gotta

now what you're gonna do.

THELMAI... I don't now. I don't nowwhat you're as

in' me.

LOUISEDon't you fall apart on me.Goddamnit, Thelma. Every time weget in trouble, you go blan or

plead insanity or some such shit,and this time... Not this time.Everything's changed now... Now youcan do whatever you want, but I'mgoing to Mexico. I'm going. Are youcoming with me?

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


33/115

THELMAI thin

he does. Fool around.

EXT. CAR - FARMLAND - DRIVING SHOT - DAY

INT. POLICE STATION - INTERROGATION ROOM - DAY

TIGHT SHOT of an "indent-a-

it" li

eness of Louise. On atable nearby lies a drawing strongly resembling Thelma.Lena, the waitress, sits next to the plain-clothes cop whoholds the indent-a- it. Hal pic s up the drawing andstudies it closely.

EXT. SMALL COUNTRY TOWN - DAY

The T-Bird rolls into town.

EXT. COUNTRY STORE - DAY

Louise and Thelma pull up in front of an old store, the

ind with a wooden front porch, the

ind that sells baitand flannel shirts. They enter the store and see an OLDMAN behind the counter.

LOUISEDo you have a pay phone?

OLD MAN'Round the side, by the restrooms.

Louise gets change while Thelma strolls around loo ing atrubber worms and pic led pigs' feet. Louise goes out tothe phone.

EXT. PAY PHONE - DAY

Louise dropping change into the phone. It RINGS and Jimmyanswers.


JIMMYLouise!


LOUISEIs that how you answer the phone?


I got it. I was afraid I'd missedyou. I almost couldn't get a chec


34/115

cashed. It's Saturday.

LOUISEWho did it?

JIMMY (V.O.)Friend of mine, owns a club. Dic ieRandall. You'd

now him if you sawhim. His brother was in your class.Terry.

LOUISEYou didn't say what it was for, didyou?


No, honey. I told him I was buyin'a car. What is it for?

LOUISE(not responding tothe question)

Good. That was good. Where do I

go?


It's a place called Shaw's SiestaMotel. The address is 1921 NorthEast 23. It's under your name.

LOUISEAnd what's the mysterious code word?


Peaches.

LOUISEWhat?

JIMMY (V.O.)That's the code word. I miss you,peaches.

Louise rolls her eyes and tries not to melt.

LOUISEO ay, Jimmy. Than s.

She puts her finger down on the receiver.


Jimmy is still holding the phone to his ear.

JIMMYLouise?


35/115

INT. COUNTRY STORE - DAY

Thelma in store buying gum, beef jer y. Next to the cashregister on the counter on display are those little tinybottles of liquor. Thelma pic s up a little bottle ofWild Tur

ey and puts in on the counter. The Old Man ringsit up. She ta es another one and puts it on the counter.The Old Man is still ringing stuff up.

She ta

es two more and puts them on the counter. Sheta es the rest of the little bottles of Wild Tur ey out ofthe display and puts them on the counter. She ta

es onelittle bottle of Cuervo and puts it down on the counter,too. The Old Man finally loo

s at her. From the wallbehind him, he ta es a pint of Wild Tur ey down.

OLD MANMa'am, are you sure you wouldn'trather have the large economy size?


Louise is hanging up the phone. She wal

s away towardsthe front of the store.


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

LOUISEGo call Darryl.

Thelma is wal

ing towards the car. She puts her purse inthe front seat. She loo s at Louise.

THELMACall him?

LOUISECall him. Don't tell him anything.Tell him you're having a wonderfultime and you'll be home tomorrownight.

THELMA

Will I be?

LOUISEI don't now. I won't be.

Thelma and Louise loo at each other while this sin s in.

THELMA

wal s around to the side of the building to the phone.


36/115

She pic s it up and dials.

THELMA(into phone)

Collect from Thelma.

EXT. STOREFRONT - DAY

Louise goes into the store for a chocolate Yoohoo.


THELMAHoney?

INT. THELMA'S HOUSE - DAY

Darryl in the den of their house. The room is a mess.There are beer cans everywhere. The large screen TV isON, showing a FOOTBALL GAME. Darryl is in a recliner. Heis wearing loud shorts, a V-nec

ed T-shirt, and a couple

of nec

laces and bracelets.

DARRYLGoddamnit, Thelma, where in the SamHill are you?!


THELMAI'm... I'm with Louise. We're inthe mountains, we're...


DARRYL(interrupting)

What in the hell do you thin you'redoing? Have you lost your goddamnmind?! Is that it? I leave forwor and you ta e complete leave ofyour senses?


THELMADarryl... baby... Darryl, calm downnow, honey. Please don't get somad. I can explain...


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


37/115

DARRYLHold on. Hold on a minute, damnit.

He covers the mouthpiece and watches a play where "histeam" fumbles the ball. This only ma

es him madder. Heputs the phone bac to his ear in time to hear Thelma say:

THELMA (V.O.)... only for one day and we'll bebac tomorrow night.

DARRYLNo you won't. You'll be bac

today.Now! You get your ass bac here,Thelma, now, Goddamnit. Thelma, doyou understand me?


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

THELMA

Darryl, please... You're my husband,not my father, Darryl.


DARRYL(interrupting)

That does it! That Louise isnothin' but a bad influence. Ifyou're not bac here tonight,Goddamnit, Thelma... well, I justdon't wanna say...

Neither one of them say anything for a moment.

DARRYLThelma?


THELMADarryl.

DARRYL (V.O.)

What?

THELMAGo fuc yourself.

She hangs up on him.



38/115

Thelma has tears running down her face and she is watchingthe ground as she storms bac

to the car. So she ma

es aloud grunt as she slams into someone that she did not see.Both people are noc ed bac a few steps from the force ofthe collision.

HITCHHIKERWhoa! Excuse me! Miss, are youalright?

Thelma nods her head "yes," but tears continue. Hercrying is silent.

HITCHHIKERIs there anything I can do?

Thelma sha es her head "no." She tries to control hertears. She notices how blue his eyes are.

THELMANo. Than s. Sorry.

THELMA

collects herself as she wal

s bac

to the car. She getsin and is drying her eyes, loo

ing in the side mirror. Inthe mirror she sees the Hitchhi er come bac around fromthe side of the building. He is several feet behind thecar, and she watches him as he removes his long-sleevedshirt and stuffs it into his duffel bag. Now he is justin T-shirt and jeans. He loo s good. Really good. Shewatches in the mirror as he pic s up his stuff and headstowards the road. She can see him as he's wal ing. Hestops. He's thin ing. He heads over to the car.

HITCHHIKERWould you mind me as ing which

direction you and your friend aregoing? I'm trying to get bac toschool and my ride fell through, soI'm

inda stuc

. Are you going myway?

Thelma doesn't now what to do.

THELMAUmm. I thin we're going toO lahoma City. But I'm not sure.

HITCHHIKER

Do you thin

you could... I mean, Icould help pay for gas.

Thelma nows Louise isn't going to li e this.

THELMAUmmm. Well, see, it's not really upto me. It's not my car. Umm, we'llhave to as my friend, but she'llprobably say no. She's a little


39/115

uptight.

HITCHHIKERWell. Maybe we better not as her.But than you anyway.

Now she wants him to come. He starts to wal away fromthe car.

THELMAWell, we can as her. That won'thurt.

Just then Louise comes out of the store. She sees Thelmatal ing to this guy and, for one moment, stops dead in hertrac

s as she ta

es this in, then continues toward thecar. Although her face is basically expressionless, wesee that it's possible she might

ill Thelma.

THELMALouise, this young man is on his waybac

to school and needs a ride, andI thought since...

LOUISEIt's probably not a good idea.

THELMALouise.

The Hitchhi er just nods and starts wal ing towards theroad.

HITCHHIKERY'all have a nice day. Drive safe.

The guy does seem really nice and Thelma is really

frustrated that Louise wouldn't give him a ride, butdecides not to confront her.

THELMASee how polite he is? He was reallynice.

Louise lowers the top and bac

s the car out. They watchhim wal away.

Louise pulls out of the par ing lot onto the road. Theypass the Hitchhi

er. Thelma waves.

HITCHHIKER(to Thelma)

You cheer up now!

She turns around in the seat to continue waving. Hesmiles and waves. They drive down the road. TIGHT SHOTof the Hitchhi

er as the smile fades from his face.

CUT TO:


40/115

INT. CAR - DRIVING - DAY

Thelma loo ing sul y.

THELMAI wish we could've brought him withus.

LOUISEWhat did Darryl say?

THELMA(sarcastically)

He said "O

ay, Thelma. I justwanted to now you were alright. Ihope you're havin' a good time. Yousure deserve one after puttin' upwith me all the time. I love you,honey."

Louise doesn't say anything.

THELMAHow long before we're in Goddamn

Mexico?

INT. POLICE STATION - DAY

Hal goes over a list of every registered green T-Bird inthe state.

INSERT - COMPUTER MONITOR

Names are scrolling by as Hal stares blan ly at thescreen. We see the name LOUISE ELIZABETH SAWYER scrollpast. It means nothing to Hal.

INT. CAR - DAY

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

THELMAI just don't see what it would hurtjust to give somebody a ride. Didyou see his butt? Darryl doesn'thave a cute butt. You could par a

car in the shadow of his ass.

LOUISEI'm sorry. I'm just not in the moodfor company right now. Here. Ta ethis map. I need you to find allthe secondary roads to Mexico fromO lahoma City. I thin we shouldstay off the interstates. We're tooconspicuous.


41/115

THELMA(ta ing map)

Well, it loo s li e we can get onthis road 81 that heads down towardsDallas, then cut over to...

LOUISE(interrupting)

I don't want to go that way. Find away that we don't have to go throughTexas.

THELMA(loo ing at map)

Wait. What? You want to go toMexico from O lahoma and you don'twant to go through Texas?

LOUISEYou now how I feel about Texas...We're not going that way.

THELMA

I

now, Louise, but we're runningfor our lives! Don't you thin

youcould ma e an exception just thisonce?! I mean, loo at the map.The only thing between O lahoma andMexico is Texas!

LOUISEThelma! I'm not gonna tal aboutthis! Now find another way or giveme the goddamn map and I will! Youunderstand?

THELMANo, Louise. How come you never saidwhat happened?

Louise is completely unreasonable on this subject andThelma is totally puzzled by Louise's reaction but isreluctant to press her further.

LOUISEI... I just... I just don't thin it's the place I wanna get caughtfor doin' something li

e... if youblow a guy's head off with his pants

down, believe me, Texas is the lastplace you wanna get caught! Trustme! Now, I said, I don't wanna tal

about it!!

Louise loo s very sha en up. She eeps her eyes on theroad but she's holding the steering wheel so tightly, her nuc les are white. She does not loo at Thelma.Suddenly she reaches over and loc s her door. Thelmaflinches imperceptibly at this gesture.


42/115

THELMAO ay. We'll go around Texas to getto Mexico. This is crazy.

EXT. ROAD - FARMLAND - DAY

Two Harley-Davidson bi es tool past, driven by a couple ofex-hippies from the 60's. The Hitchhi

er is on the bac

of one, and he waves to them as they go by. Thelma wavesbac

enthusiastically.

THELMAI'll tell you what. He is goooodloo

in'.

Louise pops a TAPE into the cassette player.

EXT. LOUISE'S APARTMENT COMPLEX - DAY

Hal wal s up the sidewal past a couple of elderly peoplesitting outside, to the door of an apartment complex and

noc

s.

INT. LOUISE'S APARTMENT - DAY

VARIOUS SHOTS of Louise's empty apartment.

There are pictures of Louise and Thelma in high school.

The itchen is spotless and nothing is out on thecounters.

HER BED

is unwrin led, perfect, and next to it on her nightstandis a picture of Jimmy and her in a small heart shapedframe.

Everything is extremely neat and orderly.

EXT. LOUISE'S APARTMENT COMPLEX - DAY

Hal is wal ing bac down the sidewal past the old people.He stops, turns around and goes bac

to them. We see himstand and tal to them.

OVER MUSIC:

INT. CAR - DAY

Thelma and Louise are singing along with the MUSIC.

THELMA/LOUISE(pointing)

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!


43/115

EXT. CROSSROADS - DAY

Hitchhi er standing on the side of the road. Thelma loo sat Louise pleadingly. Louise's car pulls over and he hopsin the bac seat. An animated Thelma turns aroundbac

wards in the front seat to face him.

INT./ EXT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY

Hal wal s into the coffee shop where Louise wor s.VARIOUS SHOTS of him tal

ing to other employees. Albert,waitress, etc. Some cover their mouths as they recognizepolice s

etches of Louise and Thelma. The Day Managercomes over, loo s at the pictures and tal s to Hal.

INT. CAR

Thelma passing out beef jer

y and Wild Tur

ey toHitchhi er and Louise.


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

INT. CAR

Hitchhi er leans over resting his chin on the bac of thefront seat.

THELMASo J.D., what are you studying inschool?

J.D.Human nature. I'm majoring inbehavioral science.

LOUISEAnd whaddya wanna be when ya growup?

J.D.

A waiter.

Louise laughs. He has charmed her too.


Hal is wal ing up the sidewal as the front door fliesopen to reveal a drun Darryl in Hawaiian shorts,nec laces and a beer can in his hand.


44/115


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

DARRYLWhat?!

CUT TO:

INT. THELMA'S HOUSE - DEN - DAY

EXTREME CLOSEUP of Darryl's face.

DARRYLWhat?!!

EXT. RURAL HIGHWAY - DAY

J.D.

(to Thelma)So how come you don't have any

ids?

THELMADarryl, that's my husband, he sayshe's not ready. He's still too muchof a id himself. He prides himselfon being infantile.

LOUISEHe's got a lot to be proud of.

THELMA

Louise and Darryl don't get along.

LOUISEThat's puttin' it mildly.

THELMAShe thin s he's a pig.

LOUISEHe's a real piece o' wor . I wishyou could meet him.

J.D.

Did you get married real young?

THELMATwenty-four isn't young. I'dalready been goin' out with him tenyears when we got married. I'venever been with anybody but Darryl.

J.D.Well, if you don't mind me sayin'


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so, he sounds li e a real asshole.

THELMAIt's o ay. He is an asshole. Mostof the time I just let it slide.

J.D. is loo ing down the road, way off in the distance.

J.D.Better slow down. That's a cop.

Louise loo

s down the road and sees a highway patrol carcoming down the road towards them. She does not looalarmed but veers off the road into a "rest area" drivethat has trees and shrubs that obscure the view from theroad.

She glides along as the cop car passes on the other sidewithout seeing them.

Louise glides right bac onto the road as if nothingunusual has happened at all. They realize they have notbeen spotted. J.D. and Louise loo at each other.

J.D.Maybe you got a few too many par

ingtic ets?

LOUISEWe'll ta e you on to O lahoma City,then you'd best be on your way.


Hal is on the phone to the FBI man. Darryl is sitting ona chair loo ing dazed. Other law enforcement types roam

around the house.

HALThe prints on the trun

of the carmatch those of Thelma Dic inson.

INT. FBI OFFICE - DAY

MAX STRATTON, an FBI MAN in his early forties, is loo ingat the ident-a- it drawings of Louise and Thelma.

MAX

Well I'll be damned. Isn't thatstrange.


HALAnd the husband says a gun ismissing. She too a lot of stuff.It loo s li e she maybe planned on


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being gone a while. The strangething is, her husband said she wouldnever touch that gun. He got it forher 'cause he's out late a lot, buthe said she'd never touch it,wouldn't learn to shoot it, justleft it in a drawer for years.

INT. FBI OFFICE - DAY

MAXWhat ind of gun was it?

HAL (V.O.)A .38.

MAXRight. Where are they?


HAL

We're loo

in'. They were on theirway to some guy's cabin and theynever showed up. We're loo in'. Wehope you're loo in' too.

EXT. FLATLANDS - ROAD - DUSK

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

EXT. SHAW'S SIESTA MOTEL - DUSK

Louise, Thelma, and J.D. pull into the motel par

ing lot.

LOUISEI just gotta run in for a minute.

Louise loo s at J.D. in the bac seat and ta es the eysout of the ignition.

LOUISEYou two better go on and say yourgoodbyes.

Louise gets out of the car and goes inside.

INT. MOTEL OFFICE - NIGHT

An older WOMAN behind the counter is loo ing at a computerscreen.

LOUISELouise Elizabeth Sawyer. Are yousure?


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WOMANNothin'. Nothin' came in today atall.

Louise turns and sees Thelma crawl over into the bac

seatwith J.D.

LOUISENothing under peaches? Chec

againunder peaches.

WOMANNaw, nothin' under peaches neither.

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

MAN (JIMMY)Did you say Peaches?! Why that'sthe secret word! Show her whatshe's won, Don.

He drops an envelope in front of her. Louise is startledand turns around quic

ly.

JIMMYHey, peaches.

LOUISEOh my God! Jimmy! You... Oh myGod! What are you doin' here?

JIMMY(to Woman)

Can we get another room? Just putit on my credit card.

The Woman hands them a

ey.

WOMAN'Round to the bac

.

EXT. MOTEL PARKING LOT - NIGHT

Louise and Jimmy wal outside and catch Thelma sittingvery close to J.D. Thelma sees Jimmy and is so startledshe screams and involuntarily slams herself across thebac

seat to the other side of the car. She tries to loo

nonchalant.

THELMAJimmy! Hello, stranger. What inthe world are you doin' here?

JIMMYAs

me no questions, I'll tell youno lies.

THELMA


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Good answer. Same goes double forme.

JIMMYWho's your friend?

J.D. is climbing out of the car, loo ing veryuncomfortable.

THELMAThis is J.D. He's a student. We'rejust givin' him a ride to... tohere. Louise said we could bringhim here and then he'd have to go.And that's what he's doin'. He'sgoin'. Aren't you, J.D.?

J.D.Yup. Than s for the ride. You allta

e care.

He quic

ly turns and wal

s away toward the road.

THELMA

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

LOUISE(to Jimmy)

Thelma inda too to him.

Jimmy is smiling.

JIMMY(to Thelma)

Well, come on, gal, I got you a

room. You can go on in and ta

e anice cold shower.

THELMADon't mind me, Jimmy, I'm just awild woman.

JIMMYI always new that.

THELMAA regular outlaw.

Louise shoots Thelma a loo

. The three of them drivearound to the bac of the motel. Thelma turns and loo sat the road. J.D. is standing there. He blows her a iss.

EXT. MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT

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


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LOUISELet me just go in and freshen up fora minute. I need to wash my face,you now.

Thelma is ta ing their luggage out of the trun .

JIMMYO

ay, honey. I don't want to rushyou. I just wanna tal to youand...

(whispering)... be alone with you. I'll just bein my room, 115, you just come ondown when you're ready.

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

JIMMYI'll be waiting.

Louise smiles at him quizzically as if she can't believe

he's acting this way. He turns on his heel and slin

saway.

THELMAI don't care what you say about him.The boy has got it bad.

LOUISEHe's always got it bad as long asI'm running in the other direction.Don't be fooled, he's no differentthan any other guy. He nows how tochase and that's it. Once he's

caught you, he don't

now what todo. So he runs away.

THELMAI heard that.

INT. MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT

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

LOUISE

(indicating envelope)Our future.

Louise gets her purse and starts ta ing out her ma eup.She stands very close to the mirror. She is putting onlip liner. Thelma is watching.

THELMASo what are you gonna tell him?


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LOUISEHello...

JIMMY(in a falsetto voice)

Who is it?

LOUISEIt's me.

The following eleven roses are held out the door, thenLouise is yan

ed inside and we hear her shrie

withLAUGHTER.

INT. THELMA'S MOTEL ROOM - EVENING

Thelma has ta

en a shower and is dressed in cut-offs and aT-shirt. Her hair is still damp but she loo s better thanshe did when she arrived. Thelma is fixing a drin

ofWild Tur ey and Diet 7-Up in one of the motel roomglasses. There is a KNOCK on the door. She stops whatshe is doing and is completely still.

THELMALouise?

Another KNOCK.

THELMALouise, is that you?

J.D. (O.S.)(through the door)

Thelma? It's me.

Thelma opens the door and there stands J.D., soa ing wet

from the rain pouring down behind him.

J.D.I just thought I... I

now I'msupposed to be gone, but...

He's ind of loo ing over towards the road. He's stillslightly shy.

J.D.I'm not havin' much luc gettin' aride.

He notices loo

ing past her into the room that Louiseisn't there. Thelma just stands there loo ing at him.

J.D.Well, I guess I'd better...

THELMAWait...! Um, where ya going?

J.D.


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I don't now. Nowhere. What areyou doin'?

THELMAI don't now. Nothin'. Too ashower.

J.D.That sounds nice.

THELMAWell, you wanna use the shower?

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

J.D.Oh. I... where's Louise?

THELMAShe's off with Jimmy, that's herboyfriend.

J.D.That's lonely for you, I guess. Ialways thin of motel rooms aslonely.

Thelma pretends li e she's had a lot of experience withthis sort of thing.

THELMA(letting him in thedoor)

Oh, yes, well, they can be.

INT. JIMMY'S ROOM - NIGHT

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

JIMMYNow, my little coconut, what seemsto be the trouble here? Tell Daddyeverything.

LOUISE

(cringing)Jimmy, my daddy's still alive and it

ind of gives me the creeps when youdo that...

JIMMYO

ay, o

ay, just tell me what's thetrouble.

Louise just loo s at him for a minute.


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JIMMYWill you at least see how it fits?

LOUISEJimmy... it's beautiful!

JIMMYYou didn't see that one comin', didya?

INT. THELMA'S MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT

J.D. is out of the shower standing in front of the mirrorwearing only his jeans, the top button of which is stillundone and no shirt. He has an incredible physique. Healso has a tattoo on his shoulder of the homemade variety.Thelma has gone and bought cheese crac

ers and peanutsfrom a vending machine and is into her second Wild Tur eyand 7-Up. She sits on the bed, watching him in themirror. He definitely loo s better with his shirt off.She suddenly feels aw

ward and stands up.

THELMA

You wanna drin

?

INT. JIMMY'S MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT

Louise has the engagement ring on her finger. It's reallybeautiful.

JIMMYSo whaddya thin . I mean... Icould... uh... get a job. Of some

ind. I mean you've been tellin' methat for years, right?

LOUISEWhy now, Jimmy?

JIMMY(this is hard forhim)

'Cause, Louise. I don't want tolose you. And for some reason I getthe feelin' you're about to split.Permanently.

Louise doesn't now how to respond. She struggles for a

reply.

LOUISEJimmy, we've gone all these years...we never made it wor . We're notgonna be able to just... I'm not...What

ind of job, honey? Can yousee it. I can't.

Jimmy doesn't answer right away. He's trying to see it.


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J.D.Faster than a speeding green T-Bird,able to leap tall babes in a singlebound...

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

J.D.(in his deep man'svoice)

Hi. Could I interest you in someFuller brushes?

Thelma has not stopped laughing since he came in the room.He is the greatest guy she's ever seen. He is sniffingher nec li e a dog.

THELMA(giggling)

Stop, stop, stop!

Thelma tries to catch her breath.

THELMAWho are you?

J.D. attac s her again.

J.D.I am the great and powerful Oz...

THELMAJ.D.! Just tell me. I now you'renot some schoolboy. Now come on,nobody ever tells me shit.

J.D.I'm just some guy. A guy whoseparole officer is probably having ashit fit right about now.

Thelma gasps.

THELMAWhat?! Parole officer? You meanyou're a criminal?

J.D.Well, not anymore, Thelma, except

for bustin' parole, I haven't doneone wrong thing.

THELMAWhat did ya do?

J.D.I'm a robber.

THELMA


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You're a ban robber?

J.D.Nope. I've never robbed a ban .

THELMAWhat?

J.D.Well, I robbed a gas station once,and I robbed a couple of liquorstores, and some convenience stores.And that's it.

THELMAHow?

J.D.Well, I was just down on my luc andit seemed li

e somethin' I was goodat so I...

THELMA(interrupting)

No, I mean how would you do it? Doyou just snea

in real fast or hideout till the store closes or what?

J.D.Naw, honey, that would be burglary.I never got arrested for burglary.Burglary's for chic en shits. Ifyou're gonna rob someone, ya justhave to go right on up to 'em and doit. Just ta e the money. That'srobbery. That's a whole 'notherdeal.

THELMATell me.

J.D.Well, first you pic your place,see, then I'd just sit bac andwatch it for awhile. Ya gotta waitfor just the right moment, which issomething you now instinctively,that can't be taught. Then I'dwaltz on in...

J.D. jumps up and pic

s up a hair dryer and holds it li

ea gun. He starts acting it out.

J.D.And I'd say, "Alright, ladies andgentlemen, let's see who'll win theprize for

eepin' their cool. Simonsays everybody lie down on thefloor. If nobody loses their head,then nobody loses their head. You


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Are you happy, Louise? I just wantyou to be happy.

Louise loo s at her hand and Jimmy's hand.

LOUISEI'm happy, sweetie. Happy as I canbe.

Jimmy gets up and leaves the coffee shop. Louise watcheshim go. A WAITRESS comes over and fills her coffee cup.

WAITRESSGood thing he left when he did. Wethought we were gonna have to putout a fire.

The Waitress chuc

les and the other waitresses do too.Louise waves to Jimmy in the bac of the cab. The cabdriver win

s at her. She smiles to herself.

INT. THELMA'S MOTEL ROOM - MORNING

The room is totally trashed. J.D. and Thelma are bothasleep, na

ed and hanging off either side of the bed.J.D. starts to stir...

INT. HAL'S BEDROOM - MORNING

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

HALHoney?

SARAHYes, baby?

HALDo you thin you could ever shootsomeone?

SARAHWhat?

HALDo you thin

you could ever thin

ofa set of circumstances that would

just cause you to haul off and shootsomeone?

SARAHI could shoot your cousin Eddie.

HALWhy?

SARAH


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Because he's an inconsiderateasshole.

HALI'm as ing you seriously, Sarah, astranger?

SARAHI don't now, honey. I guess itwould depend.

HALOn what?

SARAH(trying to pictureit)

Well, maybe if they were trying tohurt you or one of the ids. I'msure I could shoot someone if theytried to hurt one of the children.

HALYeah, I could too. But... I don't

now why I'm even as

ing you this.It's just... we can't place anybodyat the scene but these two gals thateverybody swears is sweet as pie.I don't now. I eep hearing words-- impossible -- inconceivable. Ifjust one person would say...

SARAHHoney. Nothing's impossible. Youjust don't shoot someone li e thatfor no reason. Maybe he was as in'for it. Anyway, somebody's husband

probably got ol' Harlan.

HALThat's what everybody says. Onlyproblem is nobody's husband wasunaccounted for that night... Couldyou shoot Eddie in the face? Atpoint blan

range?

SARAH(thin ing)

In the leg.

HAL(getting up)

I gotta go to Little Roc

.

INT. COFFEE SHOP - MORNING

Louise is sitting in the booth by herself. Thelma comeshurrying by. She loo s disheveled but is grinning li e anidiot. She sees Louise and charges into the coffee shop.


62/115

Her energy and volume is several notches higher than therest of the people in the coffee shop. There are a couplemore customers in there now. Thelma slides into the boothseated directly across from Louise.

THELMAHi.

She is shoc ed by Thelma's appearance.

LOUISEWhat happened to your hair?

THELMANothing. It got messed up.

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

LOUISEWhat's wrong with you?

THELMANothing. Why? Do I seem different?

LOUISEYes, now that you mention it. Youseem crazy. Li e you're on drugs.

THELMAWell, I'm not on drugs. But I mightbe crazy.

LOUISE(sha ing her head)

I don't thin I wanna hear whatyou're gonna tell me.

Thelma is just about to shrie when the Waitress comesover and puts a coffee cup on the table and pours some.Thelma gets a grip on herself for a moment then loses itas the Waitress goes away.

THELMAOh my God, Louise!!! I can'tbelieve it! I just really can'tbelieve it! I mean... whoa!

Thelma is just laughing hysterically. Louise suddenlyunderstands.

LOUISEOh, Thelma. Oh, no.

THELMAI mean I finally understand what allthe fuss is about. This is just awhole 'nother ball game!

LOUISE


63/115

Thelma, please get a hold ofyourself. You're ma

ing aspectacle.

THELMAYou

now, Louise, you're supposed tobe my best friend. You could atleast be a little bit happy for me.You could at least pretend to beslightly happy that for once in mylife I have a sexual experience thatisn't completely disgusting.

LOUISEI'm sorry. I am happy. I'm veryhappy for you. I'm glad you had agood time. It's about time. Whereis he now?

THELMATa ing a shower.

LOUISEYou left that guy alone in the room?

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

LOUISEWhere's the money, Thelma?

Thelma has forgotten all about the money.

THELMAUmmm... it's on the table. It'so ay.

They are both leaving the restaurant now. As they hit thedoor they both brea into a full run.

THELMAI don't remember.

EXT. MOTEL PARKING LOT - DAY

They run across the par ing lot around the bac to theroom. The door is ajar and no one is in the room. Louisegoes in and Thelma stays outside the door.

THELMAGoddamnit! I've never been luc y!Not one time!

Louise comes bac outside. She doesn't say anything. Sheis stoic, fighting tears.

THELMAShit. That little sonofabitchburgled me. I don't believe it.


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pull up in front of the house. The front door swings openand there stands Darryl loo

ing li

e he's been shot out ofa cannon.

EXT. STREET - DAY

Louise and Thelma pull into a convenience store.


Police are tapping the phones, dusting for prints, etc.,while Darryl sits motionless in his recliner with a dullexpression on his face.

HAL(to Darryl)

As you now, we've tapped yourphone. In the event that she callsin.

Max comes up and joins them as they wal down the hallway.

MAXWe're going to leave someone here atthe house in the event that shecalls in. Someone will be hereuntil we find them.

HALThe important thing is not to let onthat you now anything. We want totry and find out where they are.Now I don't want to get toopersonal, but do you have a goodrelationship with your wife? Are

you close with her?

DARRYLYeah, I guess. I mean, I'm about asclose as I can be with a nut caseli e that.

MAXWell, if she calls, just be gentle.Li e you're happy to hear from her.You now, li e you really miss her.Women love that shit.

EXT. CONVENIENCE STORE - DAY

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

LOUISEEighty-eight dollars ain't gonnama e a dent, baby girl.


66/115

THELMA(getting out of thecar)

Don't worry about it. You wantanything?

LOUISENo.

Thelma marches off to the store. Louise puts a tape inthe dec and is listening to loud R&B MUSIC. She chec sherself in the rearview mirror. She ta

es her lipstic

out and is about to put it on. She ma es eye contact withherself and, instead, throws it out the window, closes hereyes and leans her head bac on the seat. She's in aworld of shit.

Thelma comes trotting out of the store and jumps into thecar.

THELMA(breathless)

Drive!

Louise loo

s at her.

THELMADrive! Drive away!

LOUISE(driving away)

What happened?

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

LOUISEWhat? You robbed the store? You

robbed the Goddamn store?!

Thelma shrie s with excitement. Louise is completelystunned.

THELMAWell! We needed the money! It'snot li

e I

illed anybody, for God'ssa e.

Louise shoots her a loo . She puts the car in gear andFLOORS it out of the par

ing lot. She is still loo

ing atThelma as if she has completely lost her mind.

THELMAI'm sorry. Well, we need the money.Now we have it.

LOUISEOh shit, Thelma!! Shit! Shit!Shit!

THELMA


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(sternly)Now you get a grip, Louise! Justdrive us to Goddamn Mexico, will ya!

LOUISEO

ay. Shit, Thelma! What'd you do?I mean, what did you say?

THELMAWell, I just...


Hal, Max, various other cops, and Darryl all watch as TVplays bac

VCR TAPE of Thelma in the convenience storepulling a gun. In perfect lip sync is:

THELMA (V.O.)Alright, ladies and gentleman, let'ssee who'll win the prize for eepin'their cool. Everybody lie down onthe floor. If nobody loses theirhead, then nobody loses their

head...

TIGHT SHOT of Darryl's face going deeper and deeper into astate of shoc . TIGHT SHOTS of Hal, Max, etc., allloo ing intently at the screen.

VIDEO IMAGE of Thelma boldly ordering cashier to fill herpurse with money. As he's loading the purse with bills,she's ta ing beef jer y from the display and putting it inthere, too, while she points the gun at the cashier.

THELMA (V.O.)(videotape playbac )

You, sir... You do the honors. Justempty that cash into this bag andyou'll have an amazing story to tellall your friends. If not, you'llhave a tag on your toe. You decide.

CUT TO:

INT. CAR - DAY

Thelma and Louise in car, driving.

LOUISE

(incredulous)Holy shit.

CUT TO:


TIGHT SHOT:

DARRYL


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THELMALouise, you'd better slow down.I'll just die if we get caught overa speeding tic et.

Louise loo s at the speedometer touching 80 mph and letsher foot off the gas. Louise is loo

ing a little nervous.

LOUISEFor the first time in my life, Iwish this car wasn't green.

THELMAAre you sure we should be drivingli

e this? In broad daylight andeverything?

LOUISENo we shouldn't, but I want to putsome distance between us and thescene of our last Goddamn crime!

THELMA

Oooooweee!! You shoulda seen me!Li

e I'd been doin' it all my life!Nobody would ever believe it.

LOUISEYou thin you've found your calling?

THELMAMaybe. Maybe. The call of thewild!

Thelma howls li e a dog and drin s a little bottle of WildTur ey.

LOUISEYou're disturbed.

THELMAYes! I believe I am!


Jimmy is in a small room with Hal, Max, other cops,loo

ing stunned.

JIMMYI swear to God, she wouldn't tell meone thing! Christ! You oughta tryto find that id that was with 'em.

HALTell us about him.

JIMMYJust some young guy. Around twenty


70/115

years old. Dar hair.

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

JIMMY(trying to rememberhim)

They said they'd pic ed him up alongthe way. He was a student. But hedidn't loo right. But he left whenthey got to the motel.

MAXDo you understand that you may befacing an accessory charge?

HALThis is serious, son. A man isdead.

JIMMYI now! I'd tell you if I new!Goddamn! I

now something happened,

or she wouldn't have left. I'mtrying to remember everything! Findthat fuc ing id. He probably nowssomething.

EXT. DRIVING SHOT - DAY

Thelma and Louise are in the car. Thelma is ta ing emptylittle Wild Tur ey bottles out of her purse and throwingthem out the window.

LOUISE

So what's the plan, Thelma? You justgonna stay drun ?

THELMATry to.

LOUISELitterbug.

They come ROARING up on a semi-tan er carrying gas. Wesee their FISH-EYE REFLECTIONS in the shiny tan er.

The mud flaps are the shiny silhouettes of na ed women

that Thelma and Louise saw earlier. The truc

is goingslower than they are.

LOUISEAw, great. This always happens.Whenever you're in a hurry.

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


71/115

THELMAIsn't that nice? Truc drivers arealways so nice. The best drivers onthe road.

As they get next to the truc , the truc driver is smilingand waving at them. They smile and wave bac

. He flic

shis tongue at them. Louise screams.

THELMA/LOUISEUgh!! Gross!! Oh my God! Aw, God!

Louise FLOORS it and speeds past him.

THELMAUgh!! Why do they have to do that?

LOUISEThey thin

we li

e it. Maybe theythin it turns us on.

Louise shivers with disgust.


Jimmy is loo ing at police mug shots of a lot of youngguys. Hal shows Jimmy a mug shot of J.D.

HALIs this the guy you saw them with?

JIMMY(loo ing closely)

It's him.

MAX(clapping his hands)Oh, happy day.

JIMMYYou gotta be iddin' me. They pic edup a murderer?!

HALArmed robber.

JIMMYOh, great.

MAX(to Hal)

They're flying him here right now.He was pic ed up this morning forparole violation. They also foundabout six grand on him, so heprobably noc ed over somethingwhile he was out there. They candrop him by here for questioning.


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mean, it's almost the truth!

LOUISEIt won't wor .

THELMAWhy not?!

LOUISENo physical evidence. We can'tprove he did it. We probably can'teven prove he touched you by now.

They both pause for a moment.

THELMAGod. The law is some tric y shit,isn't it?

Then:

THELMAHow do you now 'bout all this stuffanyway?

Louise does not answer the question.

LOUISEBesides, what do we say about therobbery? No excuse for that. Nosuch thing as justifiable robbery.

THELMAAlright, Louise!

EXT. DIRT ROAD - HELICOPTER SHOT - DUSK

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

INT. POLICE STATION - NIGHT

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

Hal, Max, other plainclothes officers follow. Darrylloo

s at Hal questioningly. Hal doesn't respond and theentourage quic ly goes into a room. Darryl stands and

crosses the hall to the room as the door shuts in hisface.

DARRYL(yelling at thedoor)

Hey! Hey!

INT. POLICE STATION - INTERROGATION ROOM - NIGHT


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J.D.Who's the nut?

HALThat's Thelma Dic

inson's husband.

J.D.Aw, God.

INT. POLICE STATION - HALLWAY - NIGHT

Darryl tries the door

nob, but the door is loc

ed.

INT. POLICE STATION - INTERROGATION ROOM - NIGHT

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

J.D.(pleased)

Alright! She did good! Didn't she?

HALWell, son, she's doin' a damn sightbetter 'n you right now.

MAXWhere did you get $6600.00 in cash?

J.D.A friend.

HAL

We spo

e with a gentlemen today whosays he personally delivered veryclose to that same amount to a MissLouise Sawyer. Do you

now her too?

J.D.Umm, yes. She was driving.

HALHe said he too it to a motel inO lahoma City. He also says that atthat time he met a man. Heidentified you through a series of

mug shots. He also told us that youand Mrs. Dic inson seemed "close."Is that true?

J.D.You might say we had a meeting ofthe minds, yes.

MAXDid you now that Mrs. Dic inson and


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Miss Sawyer are wanted in connectionwith a murder?

J.D.What?!

HALDid either of them ever indicatethat they might be running from theLaw?

J.D.(surprised to hearthis)

Now that you mention it, they mighthave been a little bit jumpy.

HALYou now what? You're starting toirritate me.

MAXYeah. Me too.

Hal thin

s for a moment and then loo

s to Max.

HALDo you mind if I have a word withhim alone for a minute.

Max agrees and opens the door for the others to leave. Heand Hal ma e eye contact before Max closes the door.

J.D.What?! What'd I do?

Hal sits down across the table from J.D. and loo s at

him.

HALSon, I gotta feelin' about somethin'and I just wanna as your opinion.Do you thin Thelma Dic inson wouldhave committed armed robbery if youhadn't ta

en all their money?

J.D. doesn't say anything. They both just sit there fora moment.

HAL

Cat got your tongue?

J.D. shifts in his chair.

J.D.How do you now I too it? How doyou

now they didn't just give it tome?

HAL


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There's two girls out there that hada chance, they had a chance...! Andyou blew it for 'em. Now they'vegotten in some serious trouble, somevery serious trouble and for atleast part of it, I'm gonna hold youpersonally responsible for anythingthat happens to them. I've got nofeelin' for you. But I may be theonly person in the world who gives arat

Thelma and Louise Screenplay

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