Hitting the Road: Gorillaz and Lady Gaga pay homage to Thelma and Louise

Ridley Scott is by any measure one of the great filmmakers of our time. I suppose one yardstick of a great film is its enduring impact on popular culture. It is therefore very notable that two great video pop stars should both launch videos almost simultaneously that reference the iconic ending of Ridley Scott’s Thelma and Louise, which was released almost 20 years ago in 1991.

Here’s a clip of Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis as the heroines in that climactic scene (SPOILERS):

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Stylo, the new single from Gorillaz, references the Thelma and Louise ending while mashing it up with Mad Max and possibly even a little James Bond in there too . . .

You can watch the video on YouTube - embedding disabled on request, boringly.

Mr Bruce Willis, I salute you! Bruce does a great car chase.

Lady Gaga camps it up to the max - the Thelma and Louise references in her new video for Telephone (featuring Beyoncé) are very specific (even down to the clasped hands). Her choice of mash is the pussy wagon from Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill:



I am a major fan of the Gaga’s outrageous creativity and lush video work but have a few qualms about this one. She’s corrupting Beyoncé! ~ and what to make of mass murder played cartoon style? Not to mention the grossly blatant product placement. However, one cannot deny the video is compellingly watchable and the single is another great pop tune; another worthy stepping stone in her quest to out-Madonna Madonna.