Thunderpants

Thunderpants
UK DVD cover
Directed by	Peter Hewitt
Written by	Peter Hewitt Phil Hughes
Produced by	Graham Broadbent
Starring	Bruce Cook Simon Callow Stephen Fry Paul Giamatti Ned Beatty Rupert Grint
Cinematography	Andy Collins
Edited by	Michael Parker
Music by	Rupert Gregson-Williams
Distributed by	A-Film Distribution The Weinstein Company
Release dates	May 24, 2002 July 10, 2007
Running time	87 min.
Country
Language	English

Thunderpants is a 2002 family film about a boy whose incredible capacity for flatulence gets him a job as an astronaut. The film was directed by Peter 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.

Plot

Born with two stomachs, Patrick Smash (Bruce Cook) is uncontrollably and devastatingly flatulent. No more than thirty seconds after his birth, he first broke wind, horrifying his parents (Bronagh Gallagher and Victor McGuire) and doctor (Robert Hardy). As he grew up, his flatulence became so destructive that his father had to flee their home, as he was often injured by the power of his son's broken wind, a force so strong that it can blow people over and curtains open in one mere release. Patrick's unfortunate affliction left him prone to bullying. However, while he is physically weak, Patrick finds strength in his disorder and eventually seeks revenge on his main tormentor Damon (Joshua Herdman) by passing gas in his face, leaving the bully scarred for life. Patrick's only friend is child prodigy Alan A. Allen (Rupert Grint), who has anosmia and therefore, a resilience to Patrick's condition. Alan and Patrick team up, using Alan's intelligence and Patrick's lifelong dream of being an astronaut, to make Thunderpants, a space suit strong enough to contain Patrick's emissions. Suddenly, Patrick learns that Alan went to America with the government to assist astronauts who are trapped in outer space, and Patrick finds that his condition may be of use to the spacemen in peril.

Cast

• Bruce Cook as Patrick Smash. Bruce Cook's acting career was not a success, and he left the business within the year of the film's release.
• 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
• Keira Knightley as Music School Student (uncredited in the cast list but appears in the "Special Thanks" list)

Trivia

Rupert Grint, Stephen Fry and Robert Hardy all star together in this film, and coincidentally are all involved in the Harry Potter franchise, along with Joshua Herdman who plays Gregory Goyle, The Chronicles of Narnia star Anna Popplewell who plays Susan Pevensie, and a cameo by Pirates of the Caribbean films star Keira Knightley. Grint stars as the boy wizard's best friend, Ron Weasley, in the Potter films, while Fry is the voice behind the UK versions of the Potter audiobooks, and Hardy portrays Cornelius Fudge in the Potter films.