X
- 2018
- Vanishing Angle
- 1 h 32 m
- 2018
- Vanishing Angle
- 1 h 32 m
Summary Thunder Road follows a Texan police officer who loses his mother, custody of his daughter, and eventually his job. Inspired by one of the greatest songs ever written, we see officer Jim Arnaud apply this lullaby of his mother's to his life during his ongoing and often hilarious nervous breakdown.
Directed By: Jim Cummings
Written By: Jim Cummings
- 2018
- Vanishing Angle
- 1 h 32 m
- 2018
- Vanishing Angle
- 1 h 32 m
Thunder Road
79
7.1
Where to Watch
Summary Thunder Road follows a Texan police officer who loses his mother, custody of his daughter, and eventually his job. Inspired by one of the greatest songs ever written, we see officer Jim Arnaud apply this lullaby of his mother's to his life during his ongoing and often hilarious nervous breakdown.
Directed By: Jim Cummings
Written By: Jim Cummings
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 17 Critic Reviews
79
82% Positive
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
18% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 17 Critic Reviews
79
82% Positive
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
18% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
The film is all at once a genuine, crowd-pleasing barnstormer and an uncomfortably identifiable personal theme park 4D experience.
At Thunder Road, you’ll giggle at moments, and you’ll also be moved, but mostly you’ll know the precise crazy-sane reality of who this man is.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 45 User Ratings
7.1
82% Positive
37 Ratings
37 Ratings
7% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
11% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 45 User Ratings
7.1
82% Positive
37 Ratings
37 Ratings
7% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
11% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
Wow, This was amazing!! I would never have watched this if it weren't for stumbling across that trailer. So funny, fresh and engaging. Highly recommend this one.
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It's safe to say Thunder Road is not going to appeal to a wide audience. To call it a 'dramedy' is a bit misleading and while it's wryly humerous in places, you're not going to be doing much laughing. For a 90 minute movie it felt much longer which is not a criticism, it's just that it's so emotionally exhausting. Well worth watching but not quite worthy of all the high praise it's garnered.
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A hugely accomplished debut, and an innovative approach to filmmaking, Cummings will be one to watch for sure.
Thunder Road has received oodles of festival awards, including the Grand Jury Award at SXSW. The film is a singular work. Even though it doesn’t always live up to the promise of its opening sequence, Thunder Road is an exhilarating ride.
Through a combination of caricature and psychological portrait, subtle touches and howls of impotent, uniformed rage, [Cummings’] film offers a memorable depiction of a man ill-equipped to deal with or direct his feelings—probably not all that different from the rest of us.
The film is wholly original taking on issues of the day from parental rights to mental illness and later, the opioid crisis. But while there is plenty of depth here, Thunder Road feels a little too much like it has been cobbled together from sketches and ideas for a one-man show.
Pelted with tragicomic scenes, Thunder Road, an acceptably funny slice of drama, depicts anxious times by carrying a furious tone and bitter pathos. However, not everything shines here.
'Thunder Road' is so far one of my favorite films this year and I've watched movies like Avengers Endgame and yet I prefer watching Thunder Road again then Endgame. Jim Cummings gave a very emotional performance to his character of an Officer who has been through a lot. Everyone gave out a great performance, especially the child actor. It's something that most low budget movies couldn't even do, including again a child actor. Speaking of low budget, I was surprised of the cinematography, It didn't feel at all cheap to look at. The camera rarely moved so it gives out this smooth camera work when something is moving. This movie doesn't feel at all cheap. This can be compared to movies like Primer or Reservoir Dogs. The story keeps the viewer intact through the movie, the characters are interesting to watch and Overall, this is really a fantastic movie if alone for the music. The music is nothing really special but when everything in the movie from cinematography to the acting incredible, the music just felt out of place.
However, I highly recommend this film to everyone if you love to be sad
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How many of us have been in the world of Officer Jim Arnaud is hard to say. It is probable if we ourselves have not, then knew someone who has, thus clearly sympathize with the man and his situation which Jim Cummings completed near-perfect going through the full range of emotions to the, thank God, not a ‘typical’ classless Hollywood ending defining points about humanity and how we’ve driven ourselves to our own near extinction through choices made.
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THUNDER ROAD begins at a funeral. Actor/director/writer Jim Cummings plays Officer Jim, a cop who comes to the front of the church to eulogize his mother. This scene is one of the most amazing and unexpected scenes I've ever watched. In a few minutes, Officer Jim veers wildy from moments of light humor while recollecting his mom, to unstoppable tears, to deeply inappropriate dancing to, frankly, a total, emotional breakdown unlike any you've seen. This guy just looses his cool, but in a way that feels unique and organic. He's all over the place, and we laugh and then we're just appalled for him. It feels real and specific and is very moving and yet uncomfortably laughable at the same time. I've not seen anything quite like it. (Apparently, this scene was originally a short film Cummings made and used to scrounge up enough funding to stretch this character's experiences into a feature film.)
The scene is probably the best thing in the movie, as we move out of the church and spend more time with Jim and, in particular, his young daughter. The girl's mother is a **** cares for her and is deeply angry at her at the same time. In fact, Jim is subject to fits of rage. He is clearly carrying around a lot of grief and confusion, and he doesn't really have an outlet or anyone to "talk to" about it. He's a proud man who doesn't want to admit he's hurting. His temper is sometimes comical and sometimes terrifying. He is, in short, a mess. But you've never seen a character quite like this or a mess quite like it either. Cummings, who is not necessarily the most gifted actor ever, has a quality about him that I've not really seen in another "star." We can laugh with him and at him, and be infuriated by him yet root for him deeply. His brand of "messed-up-ness" is singular and we feel like we're seeing a real person break down.
But, despite the mess that Jim has become, the result of the movie (and it's string of odd incidents) is a feeling of hope and uplift. Life is never going to be perfect, far from **** perhaps Jim learns to appreciate the little joys and victories it brings. We suspect he'll always be a bit of a mess, but we also see that he might be pulling his act together at least a little.
The film will be off-putting to some. It's low budget, and that often shows. It swings wildly in tone, often within scenes. It's tough to describe the emotional impact (is it a comedy with some drama, or a drama with some comedy, or is it even a drama that doesn't realize how silly much of it is?). Cummings has made one other film (THE WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW) that also plays around with similar themes of anger and inchoate reaching for manly self-improvement. If you can manage it, I'd suggest a mini-film festival, with THUNDER ROAD first and then SNOW HOLLOW. While the film(s) are far from perfect, the best thing I can say is that I still can't wait to see what Cummings comes up with next. Unique!
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Using a Springsteen lyric from another of his most famous songs, Jim Cummings' character was born not to run but to lose. And Thunder Road demonstrates a key plot flaw in being an extension of a short film by constructing a plot in which basically the idea is to see him continually humiliating himself without much being said in between. Cummings evidently gave all the plot weight to himself, and both his work as a director and his character are merely interested in enhancing him. That's kinda boring to be honest. This is not me saying that Thunder Road is a failed comedy in general terms, but it does become monotonous and when the humor falters, his director is incapable of working out anything to lift it up and on final counts with the exception of the opening scene - which is the entire short film - Thunder Road doesn't really provoke anything truly lasting.
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Save your money, save your time. This cringe-worthy, self-indulgent, one-man show is a waste of both.
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Production Company
The 10 East,
Vanishing Angle
Release Date Oct 12, 2018
Duration 1 h 32 m
Awards
Film Club's The Lost Weekend
• 5 Wins & 5 Nominations
Cinema Jove - Valencia International Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 3 Nominations
Montréal Festival of New Cinema
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
