Thunder Road (2016 film)

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.

This article is about the 2016 short film. For its 2018 feature-length adaptation, see Thunder Road (2018 film).
Thunder Road
Directed byJim Cummings
Produced byMark Vashro
Written byJim Cummings
StarringJim Cummings
Kitty Barshay
William Daubert
Music byBruce Springsteen
Father Andrew
CinematographyDrew Daniels
Edited bySound: ornana
Distributed byVimeo
Release date
Running time
13 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Synopsis

Police officer Arnaud eulogizes his mother at her funeral by singing and dancing to the Bruce Springsteen song, "Thunder Road".

Production

Cummings said in multiple interviews that the film was written over 2 months on his commutes to work at CollegeHumor, and that he sold his wedding rings to help fund it.[1]

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.[2] Metacritic gives the film a weighted average score of 81 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[3]

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".[4] Short of the Week called it "funny, inventive, and thought-provoking" and "the toast of this year’s American festival circuit-",[5] and IndieWire listed it as one of the best short films ever made.[6]

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[7] Jim Cummings Won
Los Angeles Film Festival June 9, 2016 Jury Recognition for Outstanding Performance[8] Jim Cummings Won
Palms Springs Shorts Fest June 26, 2016 Jury Prize for Acting[9] Thunder Road Won
Atlanta Film Festival April 19, 2016 Best Narrative Short[10] Thunder Road Won
HollyShorts Film Festival August 19, 2016 Best Narrative Short[11] Thunder Road Won
Rainier Independent Film Festival May 19, 2016 Best Short Narrative[12] Thunder Road Won
ShortList Film Festival August 24, 2016 Creators League Prize [13] Thunder Road Won
ÉCU Film Festival April 12, 2016 Best Non-European Independent Dramatic Short Film [14] Thunder Road Won
Provincetown International Film Festival June 19, 2016 Best Narrative Short [15] Thunder Road Won

References
  1. Durkin, Ian (July 19, 2016). "Behind the Video: the Sundance-winning short 'Thunder Road'". The Vimeo Blog. Vimeo. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  2. "Thunder Road (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  3. "Thunder Road Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  4. "Sundance Film Festival Awards (2016)". IMDb. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  5. Sondhi, Jason (September 6, 2016). "Short of the week". Short of the Week. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  6. Ehrlich, David (July 25, 2016). "Film Critics Pick The Best Short Films Ever Made". IndieWire. Penske Business Media. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  7. Indiewire Staff (March 15, 2016). "SXSW: Complete List of Winners at the 2016 Film Awards". IndieWire. Penske Business Media. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  8. Khan, Alia Quart; Pence, Gina (June 9, 2016). "2016 LA Film Festival Announces Winners and Grant Recipients". Film Independent. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  9. Wilson, Steven; Patterson, Ashley; Lee, David (June 26, 2016). "Shortfest Announces 2016 Festival Winners". Palm Springs International Film Society. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  10. McAllister, Cameron (April 18, 2016). "16 Jury Audience Award Winners Announced". Atlanta Film Festival. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  11. "2016 HollyShorts Film Festival Award Winners". HollyShorts Film Festival. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  12. "Rainier Film Festival Award Winners 2007-2018". Rainier Independent Film Festival. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  13. TheWrap Staff (August 24, 2016). "Slingshot Mamans and Thunder Road Take Prizes at the Wraps Shortlist Film Festival". TheWrap. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  14. admin (April 10, 2016). "Award Winners - ECU 2016". The European Independent Film Festival. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  15. "Provincetown Film Festival Winners 2016". Provincetown International Film Festival. Archived from the original on March 28, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
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