''Thunder Road'' is a short
comedy-drama film written, directed by, and starring
Jim Cummings
James Jonah Cummings (born November 3, 1952) is an American voice actor. Since beginning his career in the 1980s, he has appeared in almost 400 roles. Cummings has frequently worked with The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros., including as th ...
. Shot in
one take
A one-shot cinema (also one-take film, single-take film, or continuous shot feature film) is a full-length movie filmed in one long take by a single camera, or manufactured to give the impression it was.
Use and theory
In a 2019 article, discus ...
, the film depicts a police officer giving a eulogy for his mother. It premiered at the
2016 Sundance Film Festival
The 2016 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 21 to January 31, 2016. The first lineup of competition films was announced on December 2, 2015. The opening night film was ''Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You'', directed by Heidi Ew ...
, 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
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
song, "
Thunder Road".
Cast
* Jim Cummings as Jimmy Arnaud
* Kitty Barshay as Funeral Director
* Francesca I. Biasiolo as Crystal (as Francesca Biasiolo)
* Melissa Papel as Carissa
* William "Will" Daubert as Police Chief (as William Daubert)
Production
Cummings wrote the film over 2 months on his commutes to work at
CollegeHumor. He sold his wedding rings to help fund it.
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.
Metacritic gives the film a weighted average score of 81 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
The film was awarded at the
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...
with the Short Film Grand Jury Prize, being called "a mini masterpiece of writing, directing and acting". ''Short of the Week'' called it "funny, inventive, and thought-provoking" and "the toast of this year’s American festival circuit-", and ''
IndieWire'' listed it as one of the best short films ever made.
Awards and nominations
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Thunder Road (2016 film)
2016 comedy-drama films
2016 films
2016 short films
One-shot films
Films directed by Jim Cummings (filmmaker)
Sundance Film Festival award-winning films
2010s English-language films
English-language comedy-drama films