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.
Thunder Road | |
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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 Andrew |
Distributed by | Vimeo |
Release date |
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Running time | 13 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Police officer Arnaud eulogizes his mother at her funeral by singing and dancing to the Bruce Springsteen song, "Thunder Road".
Cummings wrote the film over 2 months on his commutes to work at CollegeHumor. He sold his wedding rings to help fund it.[1]
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]
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient | Result |
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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 |
Works by Jim Cummings | |
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Films directed and written |
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Films produced only |
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