Thelma is in a semi-abusive relationship with her husband and Louise is working a dead end job waiting tables. Both women are a bit older than traditional ranges for a coming-of-age story. Perhaps this is why the story has a less than optimistic ending. However, despite the unorthodox ending, the overall feeling of the film is optimistic. After escaping their boring lives to hit the road and sharing their share of adventures and failures, both characters seem completely changed from the people shown in the dreary beginning. Their story seems to show that road trips are not just for young teenagers and perhaps even young men, but that the American road trip and the experience that accompanies it is something that can be shared regardless of gender and age.