| Thunder Road | |
| Director: | Jim Cummings |
| Producer: | Mark Vashro |
| Starring: | Jim Cummings Kitty Barshay William Daubert |
| Music: | Bruce Springsteen Father Andrew |
| Cinematography: | Drew Daniels |
| Editing: | Sound: ornana |
| Production Companies: | --> |
| Distributors: | --> Vimeo |
| Runtime: | 13 minutes |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Budget: | $7,000[1] |
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.
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 two months on his commutes to work at CollegeHumor. The film cost $7,000 to make, of which $2,500 was renting the funeral home.[2] He sold his wedding rings to help fund it.[3] Cummings did not license the song "Thunder Road" prior to its screening at Sundance. Springsteen later viewed the film and enjoyed it, and agreed to license it for online distribution for $1,000.[4]
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.[5] Metacritic gives the film a weighted average score of 81 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[6]
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".[7] Short of the Week called it "funny, inventive, and thought-provoking" and "the toast of this year’s American festival circuit-",[8] and IndieWire listed it as one of the best short films ever made.[9]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sundance Film Festival | January 28, 2016 | Short Film Grand Jury Prize | Thunder Road | ||
| South by Southwest | March 15, 2016 | Jury Prize for Acting[10] | Jim Cummings | ||
| Los Angeles Film Festival | June 9, 2016 | Jury Recognition for Outstanding Performance[11] | Jim Cummings | ||
| Palms Springs Shorts Fest | June 26, 2016 | Jury Prize for Acting[12] | Thunder Road | ||
| Atlanta Film Festival | April 19, 2016 | Best Narrative Short[13] | Thunder Road | ||
| HollyShorts Film Festival | August 19, 2016 | Best Narrative Short[14] | Thunder Road | ||
| Rainier Independent Film Festival | May 19, 2016 | Best Short Narrative[15] | Thunder Road | ||
| ShortList Film Festival | August 24, 2016 | Creators League Prize [16] | Thunder Road | ||
| ÉCU Film Festival | April 12, 2016 | Best Non-European Independent Dramatic Short Film [17] | Thunder Road | ||
| Provincetown International Film Festival | June 19, 2016 | Best Narrative Short [18] | Thunder Road |