''Thank You a Lot ''is a 2014 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by Matt Muir. Set in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

, the film stars

Blake DeLong Blake Anthony DeLong (born 1980) is an American film, television, and stage actor best known for originating the role of Andrey/Old Bolkonsky in the hit musical ''Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812''. He played the lead role opposite ...

as a struggling music manager who is forced to sign his estranged father, country music singer James Hand (played by the eponymous country musician). The film premiered at the 2014

South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...

Film Festival as part of the Narrative Spotlight Section.

Plot

Jack Hand (Blake DeLong) is a hustling music manager of a hip-hop artist and an indie rock band. Jack’s estranged musician father, James Hand, is a respected but reclusive songwriter living and working in Austin. Jack is pressured by his management company to sign his musician father to a deal or lose his job there.

Cast

as Jack Hand * James Hand as James Hand * Robyn Rikoon as Allison * Sonny Carl Davis as Frank * Jeffrey Da'Shade Johnson as Desmond D *

Kaci Beeler Kaci or KACI may refer to: People * Kaci Battaglia (born 1987), American singer * Kaci Brown (born 1988), American pop and R&B singer * Kaci Kullmann Five (1951–2017), Norwegian politician and business professional * Mohamed Aït Kaci (born 1986 ...

as Sissy * Indigo Rael as Steph

Background and production

Muir began writing the script for actor and long-time friend

. After seeing James Hand perform in Austin, Muir said he decided to base a character on him: With the script completed, Muir reached out to Hand, who agreed to play the fictionalized version of himself. Principal photography took place over eighteen days in August, 2012, after a successful

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

campaign. Most of the film was shot in and around

, and features appearances by various locals, including David Wingo, Andy Langer, Sam Wainwright Douglas, and Zell Miller III. All musical performances were captured live.

Release and reception

The film has screened at South by Southwest Film Festival, Dallas International Film Festival and others, receiving mostly positive reviews.

Austin Film Society The Austin Film Society (AFS) is a non-profit film society based in Austin, Texas. Founded in 1985 to exhibit independent, experimental, foreign and various other non-mainstream art films, the film society has grown from just film exhibition to fos ...

-published site, Slackerwood, praised writer/director Muir and noted that DeLong and Hand had a chemistry that was "hilariously realistic". '' D Magazine'' and other outlets commended Hand on his performance despite a lack of acting experience. Truth On Cinema praised first-time director Muir and the "immersive on screen experience" he delivered. For his work on this and other films, producer

Chris Ohlson Chris Ohlson (born August 24, 1975) is an American video artist and director based in Brooklyn, New York. Ohlson's thoughtfully provocative work often explores and dissects our memory of time—how we perceive, formulate, edit and curate our own ...

received the

Independent Spirit The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass ...

Piaget Producers Award.

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title, 2368056 2014 films Films set in Austin, Texas American musical drama films Films shot in Austin, Texas Films about singers Kickstarter-funded films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films