Thunderpants (2002) starring Simon Callow, Stephen Fry, Celia Imrie, Paul Giamatti, Ned Beatty, Bruce Cook, Rupert Grint, Bronagh Gallagher, Victor McGuire directed by Peter Hewitt Movie Review

Thunderpants (2002)   2/52/52/52/52/5


Rupert Grint and Bruce Cook in Thunderpants (2002)

A Unique Gift

When Patrick Smash (Bruce Cook) was born it was quickly discovered he had a rather curious talent, he could fart except it never stopped with his emissions being anything but silent whilst also very deadly. Patrick's ability to fart was down to the fact he was born with two stomachs and nothing they could do would contain the vile smell his body created and lead to him being picked on at school by Damon (Josh Herdman) the bully. Fortunately Patrick has a friend in Alan A. Allen (Rupert Grint) a child genius whose lack of ability to smell makes him Patrick's ideal friend and one who tries to invent a pair of thunderpants so that he can contain the noxious farts. When Alan heads to America to help the USA government with a problem of astronauts stuck in space Patrick believes his ability to fart may actually be the solution they are looking for.

First things first as a grown up "Thunderpants" is not good with its humour built around farting and a bunch of caricatures rather than characters. Honestly even as someone without kids I have to question whether a movie about farting is something you want your children to watch even though behind all the flatulence it tries to deliver a meaning. Yes I did say meaning as it tries to show the audience that something which might seem a problem can end up becoming a gift and a talent. But it still makes it an incredibly hard movie to enjoy as an adult especially as a grown up the acting is weak and sadly Bruce Cook as Patrick is quite dull.

Josh Herdman in Thunderpants (2002)

But secondly I am sure that very young children will enjoy "Thunderpants" with the plethora of fart based gags as Patrick's father's life is made a misery by his son's noxious emissions. I am pretty sure if I was 8 years old and saw a man get smacked in the face by a hose connected to Patrick's backside before being gassed. I am sure the imaginative creating of the actual thunderpants would have also amused me with its nod to "Ghostbusters" with the fart containment unit. And then there are the over the top caricatures with Rupert Grint going seriously over board as child genius Alan A. Allen which as a 6 year old would have been amusing.

But that leads me to one other reason why you might feel a need to watch "Thunderpants" as a grown up as not only does it star Rupert Grint but also Josh Herdman who was Goyle, Robert Hardy who was Cornelius Fudge and Leslie Phillips who was the voice of The Sorting Hat in the "Harry Potter" movies. Although if you do watch it because it stars Rupert Grint I reckon you will finish watching it with a sense of disappointment.

What this all boils down to is that "Thunderpants" is probably amusing for its intended young audience but as a grown up you might question whether or not you want to let a child watch a movie about a farting boy even if it tries to deliver a positive message at the same time. Oh and can anyone tell me why everyone in the movie wears green, doors are green, cars are green as it seems strange rather than anything else?


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