Story of movie Thunderpants :
Thunderpants is a 2002 British-German family film about a boy whose incredible capacity for flatulence gets him a job as an astronaut. The film was directed by Pete Hewitt, whose previous work included Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991) and The Borrowers (1997). The script was written by Phil Hughes, based on a story by Peter Hewitt about a boy who dreams to be a spaceman, but has a problem with flatulence.
| Thunderpants | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Pete Hewitt |
| Produced by | Damian Jones Graham Broadbent |
| Written by | Pete Hewitt Phil Hughes |
| Starring | Bruce Cook Rupert Grint Simon Callow Adam Godley Stephen Fry Celia Imrie Paul Giamatti Ned Beatty |
| Music by | Rupert Gregson-Williams |
| Cinematography | Andy Collins |
| Edited by | Michael Parker |
Production company | CP Medien AG Mission Pictures Pathé Pictures International |
| Distributed by | Pathé Distribution (United Kingdom) The Weinstein Company/Magical Films (United States home media) |
Release date |
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Running time | 87 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom Germany |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £3,500,000 (Estimated) |
| Box office | £1,860,002 |
Screenplay
Born with two stomachs, Patrick Smash (Bruce Cook) is uncontrollably and devastatingly flatulent. No more than thirty seconds after his birth, he first breaks wind, horrifying his parents (Bronagh Gallagher, and Victor McGuire) and doctor (Robert Hardy). As he grows up, Patrick's farts become so uncontrollable and destructive that his father has to flee their home, as he is often injured by his son's gaseous emissions, whose force is so strong that it can blow people over. Patrick is bullied at school as a result of his condition, but eventually finds strength in his disorder, ultimately gaining revenge on the school bully Damon (Joshua Herdman) by passing gas in his face, leaving him scarred for life.
Patrick's only friend is child prodigy Alan A. Allen (Rupert Grint), who has anosmia, and, therefore, lacks the ability to smell. Alan and Patrick team up to make Thunderpants, reinforced short trousers strong enough to contain Patrick's emissions. Eventually, Patrick learns that Alan went to the USA to assist astronauts who are trapped in outer space, and Patrick finds that his condition may be of use to the spacemen in peril.
- Bruce Cook as Patrick Smash
- Rupert Grint as Alan A. Allen
- Simon Callow as Sir John Osgood
- Adam Godley as Placido P. Placeedo
- Stephen Fry as Sir Anthony Silk
- Celia Imrie as Miss Rapier
- Paul Giamatti as Johnson J. Johnson
- Ned Beatty as Gen. Ed Sheppard
- Bronagh Gallagher as Mrs Smash
- Victor McGuire as Mr Smash
- Anna Popplewell as Denise Smash
- Josh Herdman as Damon
- Leslie Phillips as Judge
- Robert Hardy as Doctor
- Devon Anderson as Dan
- Keira Knightley as Music School Student (uncredited in the cast list but appears in the "Special Thanks" list)
- Jonah Trenouth as Alan A. Allen (aged 5)
Critical response
The film has received a rating of 60% at the film review website Rotten Tomatoes, based upon 5 reviews.
Empire magazine wrote in their review that Thunderpants is "a well-made, quirky oddity for adults, but a laugh riot for kids and Beano nostalgists... underneath all the expelled air it's really just a simple tale of a boy finding his talent and making the most of it". The hosts of the RedLetterMedia web series Best of the Worst shared similar sentiments when reviewing the film with the consensus being that the movie was too charming and well-made to be considered a "bad" film.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, Paul Giamatti referred to this film as one of the high points in his career.
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