Jim Cummings’ Thunder Road can fill that David Brent hole in your heart
JIM Cummings’ debut film is a solid black comedy, but Thunder Road doesn’t quite hit the mark.
If the cringe-comedy of The Office is right up your street then it could fill that David Brent hole in your heart.
Cummings writes, directs and stars as Jim Arnaud, a small-town police officer on the brink of a nervous breakdown.
His mother has died and at the funeral he delivers an awkward speech – and even more uncomfortable dance routine to the Bruce Springsteen track of the title – embarrassing himself and his daughter Crystal (Kendall Farr).
Dealing with grief, a messy divorce and a bitter custody battle over Crystal, Jim begins to crack.
This dramedy does well to balance the melancholy of a man falling apart with moments of comedic genius and that is down to Cummings’ performance.
His character’s humour works best when playing off others, especially Crystal, her teacher (Macon Blair) and ex-wife Rosalind (Jocelyn DeBoer). But at times his monologuing can be overly long, making you wish he’d spend as much time developing the supporting characters as his own.
Still, Thunder Road is a raw and refreshing comedy.