2016 American film
Thunder Road Directed by Jim Cummings Written by Jim Cummings Produced by Mark Vashro Starring Jim Cummings Kitty Barshay William Daubert Cinematography Drew Daniels Edited by Sound: ornana Music by Bruce Springsteen Father AndrewDistributed by Vimeo Release date
Running time
13 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $7,000[ 1]
Thunder Road is a short comedy-drama film written, directed by, and starring Jim Cummings . Shot in one take , the film depicts a police officer giving a eulogy for his mother. It premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival , where it received positive reviews, winning the Short Film Grand Jury Prize. A feature-length adaptation of the same name was released in 2018, also written, directed by, and starring Cummings.
Synopsis
Police officer Arnaud eulogizes his mother at her funeral by singing and dancing to the Bruce Springsteen song "Thunder Road ".
Cast
Jim Cummings as Jim Arnaud
Kitty Barshay as Funeral Director
Francesca Biasiolo as Crystal
Melissa Papel as Carissa
William Daubert as Police Chief
Production
Cummings wrote the film over two months on his commutes to work at CollegeHumor . The film cost $7,000 to make, of which $2,500 was renting the funeral home.[ 2] He sold his wedding rings to help fund it.[ 3] Cummings did not license the song "Thunder Road" prior to its screening at Sundance. Springsteen later viewed the film and enjoyed it, and agreed to license it for online distribution for $1,000.[ 4]
Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes , the film holds an approval rating of 100% based on 8 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10.[ 5] Metacritic gives the film a weighted average score of 81 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[ 6]
The film was awarded at the Sundance Film Festival with the Short Film Grand Jury Prize, being called "a mini masterpiece of writing, directing and acting".[ 7] Short of the Week called it "funny, inventive, and thought-provoking" and "the toast of this year’s American festival circuit-",[ 8] and IndieWire listed it as one of the best short films ever made.[ 9]
Awards and nominations
Award
Date of ceremony
Category
Recipient
Result
Sundance Film Festival
January 28, 2016
Short Film Grand Jury Prize
Thunder Road
Won
South by Southwest
March 15, 2016
Jury Prize for Acting[ 10]
Jim Cummings
Won
Los Angeles Film Festival
June 9, 2016
Jury Recognition for Outstanding Performance[ 11]
Jim Cummings
Won
Palms Springs Shorts Fest
June 26, 2016
Jury Prize for Acting[ 12]
Thunder Road
Won
Atlanta Film Festival
April 19, 2016
Best Narrative Short[ 13]
Thunder Road
Won
HollyShorts Film Festival
August 19, 2016
Best Narrative Short[ 14]
Thunder Road
Won
Rainier Independent Film Festival
May 19, 2016
Best Short Narrative[ 15]
Thunder Road
Won
ShortList Film Festival
August 24, 2016
Creators League Prize [ 16]
Thunder Road
Won
ÉCU Film Festival
April 12, 2016
Best Non-European Independent Dramatic Short Film [ 17]
Thunder Road
Won
Provincetown International Film Festival
June 19, 2016
Best Narrative Short [ 18]
Thunder Road
Won
References
^ "Interview: Jim Cummings Takes Hold on THUNDER ROAD" . ScreenAnarchy . 2016-07-21. Retrieved 2024-02-15 .
^ "Interview: Jim Cummings Takes Hold on THUNDER ROAD" . ScreenAnarchy . 2016-07-21. Retrieved 2024-02-15 .
^ Durkin, Ian (July 19, 2016). "Behind the Video: the Sundance-winning short 'Thunder Road' " . The Vimeo Blog . Vimeo . Retrieved September 6, 2016 .
^ "Jim Cummings: 'I spent three months trying to get in touch with Bruce Springsteen' " . Little White Lies . Retrieved 2024-02-16 .
^ "Thunder Road (2018)" . Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved July 16, 2018 .
^ "Thunder Road Reviews" . Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved July 16, 2018 .
^ "Sundance Film Festival Awards (2016)" . IMDb . Retrieved September 2, 2016 .
^ Sondhi, Jason (September 6, 2016). "Short of the week" . Short of the Week. Retrieved September 6, 2016 .
^ Ehrlich, David (July 25, 2016). "Film Critics Pick The Best Short Films Ever Made" . IndieWire . Penske Business Media . Retrieved September 6, 2016 .
^ Indiewire Staff (March 15, 2016). "SXSW: Complete List of Winners at the 2016 Film Awards" . IndieWire . Penske Business Media . Retrieved October 10, 2016 .
^ Khan, Alia Quart; Pence, Gina (June 9, 2016). "2016 LA Film Festival Announces Winners and Grant Recipients" . Film Independent. Retrieved October 10, 2016 .
^ Wilson, Steven; Patterson, Ashley; Lee, David (June 26, 2016). "Shortfest Announces 2016 Festival Winners" . Palm Springs International Film Society . Retrieved July 16, 2018 .
^ McAllister, Cameron (April 18, 2016). "16 Jury Audience Award Winners Announced" . Atlanta Film Festival . Retrieved October 10, 2016 .
^ "2016 HollyShorts Film Festival Award Winners" . HollyShorts Film Festival . Retrieved July 16, 2018 .
^ "Rainier Film Festival Award Winners 2007-2018" . Rainier Independent Film Festival. Retrieved October 10, 2016 .
^ TheWrap Staff (August 24, 2016). "Slingshot Mamans and Thunder Road Take Prizes at the Wraps Shortlist Film Festival" . TheWrap . Retrieved October 10, 2016 .
^ admin (April 10, 2016). "Award Winners - ECU 2016" . The European Independent Film Festival . Retrieved October 10, 2016 .
^ "Provincetown Film Festival Winners 2016" . Provincetown International Film Festival . Archived from the original on March 28, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2016 .
External links
Films directed and written Films produced only