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this movie is called thunderpants. it is about someone who breaks wind a lot. and yet many people seem to only see a boy continually breaking wind.
the fact is, this movie has been misunderstood by most people. where they see a ridiculous and unrealistic story, I see a quirky, silly, and surprisingly un-fart-related tale of a boy trying to find his friend and them both fulfilling their ambitions. it does not show a story solely about flatulence; it uses flatulence as a basis for telling the story of the two best friends.
the acting is second rate, the plot is suitably silly, and I love the 'green theme' that is shown throughout. At some parts, it is actually very sad (but surprisingly, these seem to have been ignored by most people).
in my opinion, it tells the story really rather well. it doesn't take itself too seriously, it has some very big names in it, and it's really a shame that no-one seems to get it.
8/10

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I find it very hard to understand why this film is #89 on th IMDb bottom 100 movies. Although the initial premise of a boy with huge gas problems may not sound appealing, it's actually a good film. Quality acting from all involved (including Rupert Grint, and a tiny teensy role for Keira Knightley), and a sweet central storyline of the two boys friendship. It's obviously not taking itself too seriously, and the only reason I can think that people wouldn't like it is because they expect too much of it. Kids will love it. Adults will find it amusing. And I adored the colour scheme! The continued green theme gave the film an original edge that sets it apart from typical 'kid' films. A good one to watch on a rainy afternoon.

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I honestly don't understand the negative reviews of this film. The film is silly, the acting is over the top, the entire premise of the film is that a boy farts a lot - how can anyone expect that it should be seen as anything serious?
I think that the movie is funny - silly, yes, but still funny. It is also touching, and actually has a quite heartwarming story about friendship, about being special, and about turning your uniqueness from a weakness into a strength. It is also a critique of adults, and their tendency to lie, cheat and misrepresent everything for their own gain. There is a small scene set in a courtroom, where a metallurgist is pressed to express opinions beyond his professional knowledge, and to me it conveys how everything in the adult world is about politics and power, rather than about friendship and respect as in the children's' world.
I also find it interesting that just as the main character describes every experience as either 'the worst day of my life, ever' or 'the best day of my life, ever' - the reviewers seem to think that this is the worst piece of film, ever - or the best ever.
It may not be the best film ever, but it is great fun, nice for an afternoon's laugh, and just so plain silly that you can't but smile at every single scene or character.
Enjoy!

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I really enjoyed this movie, and so did my 14 year old daughter. What a laugh.
With a title like 'Thunderpants' we know what sort of humour we are in for, and it lived up to that tittle perfectly.
The basic story revolves around a child with two stomachs, and his flatulence problems that come with that.I would call this movie a comedy adventure, as Patrick does travel around the world and finally into space,With flatulence being the theme from miss-adventure to miss-adventure.
This is a kind hearted movie, and I feel a little harshly reviewed here by some of our members.
There are many laugh out Laud moments and lots of light chuckles too.
Give this one a chance.

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If a motion picture 'comedy' about a boy with two stomachs whose flatulence only matches his immense weight sounds appealing to you, then by all means you will adore 'Thunderpants.' Yes, 'Thunderpants' is about an English child who has constant flatulence. The all-star sounded promising to me and that's the only reason I saw this in the first place -- Ned Beatty and Paul Giamatti even have small roles in the film! -- but unfortunately their talents are pushed aside for corny, crude fart jokes.
'Thunderpants' makes 'Austin Powers' fart jokes look sophisticated. This movie beats the dead horse over and over - there are only so many times we can (attempt to) laugh because, hey, that kid leaves gas a lot! ' Oh my, that's so funny! It's genius! Farts are hilarious!' I want to know who greenlit this project so I can carry a copy of 'Thunderpants' to his or her house, strap them to a chair and force them to watch it 100 consecutive times, and see how much they enjoy the 'humor' after that.
An odd rarity in the children's film department, 'Thunderpants' is clearly targeted towards the kiddies, but its content is quite adult in nature. Children swear throughout the movie (our lead character uses profanity to describe portions of his anatomy) and the subject matter in general is lewd and crude and I had to wonder what sort of parent would even allow their child to view something like this in the first place.
It's a demeaning film with no laughs and a sick, twisted sense of humor that is both inappropriate for children and way too stupid for adults. One of the worst films in recent memory.

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We watched this with our 6 and 3 year old boys who are the perfect age for this movie. As parents in our 40's we thoroughly had a great laugh and cannot see why many people reviewing this film do not just relax and have a good laugh as well. The boys wanted to watch the movie over and over again. They do call it the fart movie but it is more complex a movie than that. The acting by Rupert Grint (AKA Ron Weasley from Harry Potter) and Bruce Cook (Patrick Smash) is terrific. The movie is not about flatulence but about growing up and reaching for your dreams and goals and overcoming your fears and problems. The imagery & cinematography was terrific and the setting in London was very great.

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I think this movie is great and couldn't believe how low it scores. Don't be misled by the farting. My son who is autistic loved this and the message of 'look at your problems examine them might they not just be gifts.' was very apt for him. The style of late 60s suburbia captured my childhood exactly. My mum wore a coat like Patrick's and pushed the same pushchair. Plus the whole family now quote 'how................convenient'. All the cast were fantastic too! Also see if you can spot future members of the Harry Potter and Narnia casts. My favorite performances were Celia Imrie as the headmistress and Stephen Fry as the prosecution barrister, but top marks to Johnson J Johnson as portrayed by the brilliant Paul Giamatti(sp). 'You're a fruit son' 'a FRUIT sir?'

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I enjoyed it and would recommend to to anybody looking for a bit of escapism. Thunderpants, at it's core, is just a story of hope, wrapped up in a ridiculous storyline. For me, it's simplicity, was the best bit.
Even better, along the way, it finds time to mock José Carreras & Plácido Domingo and poke fun at everything from the British legal system to NASA to duplicitous individuals. And finally, one the movie's best touches is, it creates a world were kids are more than equal of their adult counterparts.
I can't help but feel that a lot of people who saw this film took it alittle too seriously :), it is after all supposed to be, well.... fun.

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'Tis a shame how this film got such a pathetic rating on IMDb and ended up on the bottom 100. This film proves that fart humour is still as strong as it ever was, with its rich characters, hilarious situations and original script. Of course, it isn't going to win any Oscars, but it makes for a hell of a laugh, and you really get to know and care about Patrick in a really short space of time - it took 10 minutes for me to get interested in the film. None of the special effects are bad either - not even the outer space scenes are badly done. I don't really care what anybody else thinks - I think Thunderpants is a great British kid's film, that will entertain anyone. Of course, it is as predictable as hell, but which film isn't these days? At least it is understandable and not insulting, and actually carries a very important message that you should ruminate on after the film finishes.
This is fart humour at its very best, and should really be a high 6 or a low 7. So I say this to every IMDb voter - get Thunderpants off the bottom 100! 9/10
P.S. To everybody who gave this a 1 - I'd like to see you make your own films and see how bad they truly are before you mouth off about other people's work.

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Oh god, I've seen some bad films in my time, butt no pun intended this is by far one of the smelliest.
The film focuses around an overweight child who constantly breaks wind, he eventually gets his dream to become an astronaut with the help of his goofy and annoying friend Rupert Grint. And thats it, the rest of this annoying film just focuses on toilet jokes. And I don't mean classy toilet jokes like Dumb and Dummer I mean stupid, unfunny, toilet jokes, like Thunderpants.
Every so often (literally every 6 seconds) the paragon of gluttony breaks wind. This is usually followed by a long pause; as if the cast are waiting for the audience to laugh, that laugh never comes. In fact after the first hellish 15 minutes of this tosh I could distinctly hear groaning coming from the back of the cinema, as the 219th fart in the film went off followed by the abnormally long pause for laughter. Some people would defend this film 'its just a kids movie' they would say, this may be but I don't think the 30 children shuffling in their seats and whining to their parents about how much longer the movie was on for were entertained. One child even started crying 'I'm bored, I'm bored' and burst into tears when the parents demanded him to stay and watch the rest of this sh*t. No, no he wasn't entertained. The only people who could enjoy this film and I mean REALLY enjoy are Harry Potter fanboys. They would only watch it for Rupert Grint though, marvelling at him and then make up some lie when the credits roll and say they liked it for the plot, the special effects or maybe even the music score. I truly believe if it was some other kid playing the part of the geeky kid and not Rupert nobody would like this film. Except the director, and maybe even he would be lying.
FEAR THIS FILM LIKE THE BUBONIC PLAGUE

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I cannot understand the bile heaped on this movie. Sure it's not the greatest film ever made - I don't suppose the people who made it would claim it was that - but there is no way that it deserves the bashing it gets here. I'm in my late 40s. My wife and I just watched it with my kids (aged six and four) and a couple of Swiss visitors and we all laughed ourselves silly. It's a funny movie.
It's a film for kids - about farting, for God's sake! Everyone farts. I fart. You fart. He, she, or it farts. Kigs, Queens, and Presidents fart. Everyone farts. Farting is THE universal common denominator, it's probably the one thing everyone in the world has in common: we all fart. And we all have dreams. And that's what this film is really about: finding your dream and realising it.
From the 'We've got a flier!' during the birth sequence at the start of the film, to the shot when Patrick opens the wardrobe in the plane and finds all the stripy T-shirts, to the wonderfully touching moment when Paul Giamatti's CIA man tells the pilot that Patrick is crying, the movie is chock full of wonderful little touches and lines.
Maybe that's the problem that people can't get round. Maybe it's too subtle for them; if all they can see is the farting then I can understand why they don't think much of it. Fart jokes, even wonderfully timed ones (and some of the timing in this movie is superb) can't sustain a whole movie. They don't. They're just the hook on which so much more is hung.
I'm giving this a big fat ten.

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I got a headache because I laughed so much at this wonderful - and stylish - little film. It's an absolute, pant-ripping, buttock-expoding, trouser-coughing, cheek bending, sphincter-stretching, blast from the ass... Forget Gone With The Wind and Go with the Farts. Bruce Cook as Patrick Smash is priceless... The art direction is fantastic. Grab a beer or three, a large tin of beans, and check this film out. BRrrrraaappp!!

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A fantastic film that uses toilet humour to spread the message that it is OK to be different.
Pebbledashed with fart references and farting, this film is a breath of cabbage filled air wafting through the rose fragranced industry.
The main film may be toilet based humour however the underlying message that being different to the crowd is OK is worth spreading in many ways.
Whilst not everyone will be amused by the fart jokes, many many people can identify with Patrick's struggle about being different.
I laughed out loud through the whole film, and liked it so much I bought the DVD.

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I really cannot understand the slating this film has had from some of the other commentators. This film is somehow in the bottom 100 IMDb films when it's a lot funnier and more enjoyable than most of the top 250, and for my money, that equates to 'better'.
It has few special effects, CGI or otherwise, but refreshingly has invention, wit and warmth instead, and some super acting at least from the younger cast members. I found Patrick Smash convincing enough to engender a great deal of sympathy, and he becomes a very British sort of a hero. Young genius Alan A Allan is a cross between Patrick Moore and Alan Turing, and would have won WWII single handedly.
Patrick's sister is very, very funny, and the episodes with the school bully and his entourage are well done, and bring back some scary memories.
The whole film is 'tongue-in-cheek', the car included: think of MIB, compare with the idea and budget of Thunderpants and you'll maybe see why the car looked the way it did. What do you want, another 'Gone with the Wind'?

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I thought it was touching and very funny. I like the way Peter Hewitt manages to capture a kind of genuine humility and sentimentality with out overdoing it.
The way he sends up the Americans, it's very funny. Ned Beatty & Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti do an excellent job. The two boys Bruce Cook & Rupert Grint from Harry Potter are good. All the cast give good performances. With Good Direction. I thought it was such great fun. I don't know if anybody remembers the Children's film Foundation UK in the mid 70's. It has a bit of that flavour to it. I really enjoyed it.

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Born with two stomachs, Patrick Smash is a normal boy in that he constantly farts; however for Patrick it is different as he doesn't do it for laughs – he actually cannot stop. His father cannot cope and leaves, his mother turns to drink and his only friend at school is a ginger 'genius' boy whose nerdy ways make him equally a target for bullies. Patrick has one dream – to become an astronaut but he knows that to do this he must solve his problems and discover the gift that will make him a unique member of any team. With Alan's help he gets a pair of trousers which contain his gases and make him 'normal'. When Alan goes away in mysterious circumstances, Patrick thinks he will never get the other half of his goal – to discover his gift, but then a series of chance events sees him starting the most important journey of his life.
I don't really feel like I have any reason to complain because, at the end of the day, I sat down to watch a children's film called Thunderpants in full knowledge that the plot was pretty much about a young boy with uncontrollable flatulence. Regardless of this I sat to watch it and found a film that had some things going for it but was overwhelmed by a film that revels in the silliness of the affair in a rather childish manner. I suppose that this will draw giggles from an audience of young children but then this still leaves adults with nothing to do. At least in some kids films the product is good enough to at least distract adults but here they will struggle to get over the fact that, unless you like fart jokes then there won't be much else for you. That said I did actually laugh a few times and it did have at least one aspect that kept me engaged – the cast.
This is not to say that they were any good but more that I was constantly taken by surprise by how many big names seem to have thought this material fit of adding their weight to. Cook is fairly bland, although with such a poor character this is no real surprise; his flat and unfunny voice-over is an irritation though. Grint is pretty simplistic as well, with no real imagination in his 'genius' character. The film features a bewildering number of well-known faces in small roles and I really did wonder what made them feel that this film was worth supporting with their presence. Callow is pretty poor; Fry is amusing in his usual upperclass, rather clipped fashion; Beatty seems to be at least entering into the spirit of things but Giamatti just seems to be getting through the film rather than getting into it. However even he looks like he has made a good choice when compared to the presence of the great Leslie Phillips, who has nothing to do at all to do.
Overall this is a poor film but it is not as awful as some would have you believe. The fart jokes will amuse kids although it is likely that, at the age to find it funny, they will then get bored when the 'plot proper' kicks in. Adults will find it all too childish and silly but will perhaps get some laughs here and there and will at least be bemused (if not actually entertained) by the presence of so many famous faces for no discernible reason. The ultimate message of overcoming etc is a bit smug and obvious and you do have to wonder whether parents will really want their kids to watch a film that encourages farting as an admirable quality.

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I remember seeing this at the cinema when I was 10, and I didn't like it at all. Seeing it again recently made me completely understand why I hated it in the first place. While not the worst movie ever, to put it politely, as a movie it's a stinker! The movie is meant to be for kids, but there is the odd swear word, and kids will not understand the jokes. And what about the jokes? There were hardly any, just crude, childish and unfunny fart jokes, that are not actually appropriate for a kids movie and had a complete lack of sophistication. The subject matter was also lame and crude, and the pace was uneven, very slow in places. I was even unimpressed with the soundtrack, usually I love this sort of music in films, but the music was poorly placed, and just wasn't my cup of tea. The acting was fairly poor too, despite the undeniably talented cast. Stephen Fry, Paul Giamatti Celia Irmrie and Simon Callow quite visibly put some enthusiasm into their performances, but are given very little to work with, and came across as wasted. Same with Rupert Grint. And the direction was literally non-existent. Overall, a real stinker, that is too childish, crude and predictable for my tastes, and when we saw this at the cinema, my mum looked as though she wanted to go home less than 10 minutes into the movie. 1/10 for the talented cast. Bethany Cox

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Patrick Smash is born with a terrible tendency to break wind in the most outrageous fashion, bringing the poor lad all kinds of problems. But, as they say, it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good, and Patrick learns that there may be more this than he thought... An excellent kids' film - this will have them laughing. Bruce Cook, a newcomer to the screen, performs well, and is ably supported by a cast that includes Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley in Harry Potter), Stephen Fry, Simon Callow and Celia Imrie.

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No wonder the British film industry is in a terrible mess if The Film Council is financing rubbish like this. Its badly directed, poorly shot, the acting is hammy beyond belief and even the props (check out the American car) are cheap beyond belief. I took my kids to see it in a half empty cinema and apart from a couple of Moms behind me who found it hysterical most of the children were bored stiff after the initial noisy farts. As a film school final film it could be passable but as far as a British film being shown to the rest of the world.....its too embarrassing for words.

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This may have some pretty good humour as far as farting is concerned, but it repeats lines (especially 'that was the best/worst day of my life... ever'), the well known actors don't help, and it is too childish. Basically Mr. and Mrs. Smash have a baby, but they discover he has a serious problem where he can't stop farting. When he is school he is picked on for it, but Patrick Smash (introducing Bruce Cook) does have one friend, Alan A. Allen (Harry Potter's Rupert Grint, doing a Sir Patrick Moore impression). Anyway, Patrick wants to be an astronaut, and one day he has the opportunity to blast a rocket with the help of his farting. Also starring Simon Callow as Sir John Osgood, Stephen Fry as Sir Anthony Silk, Celia Imrie as Miss Rapier, Paul Giamatti as Johnson J. Johnson, Ned Beatty as Gen. Ed Sheppard, Leslie Phillips as Judge, Joshua Herdman as Damon and look out for Keira Knightley as a Music School Student. This is one of those family films that is probably best seeing just the once, and never again. Poor!

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I've never quite seen a movie like Thunderpants. It was on the television at a friend's house, and just his description of the movie made me laugh, however we watched it anyway. I've honestly never laughed so hard in my entire life...I had to ask my friend to turn off the TV for a minute just so I could catch my breath. Everything from the stupid quotes about wanting to be a space man, to the Patrick's flat hair style, to the green theme as absolutely hilarious - but NOT in a good way. It was a pathetic excuse for a movie, but wow it really blew me away. This movie will break wind before it breaks any records. If you're ready to watch this wretched film, watch it with friends who will make you laugh.

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In the latest waste of the British taxpayer's lottery money, we have flatulent boy who finally finds his calling in life: To pilot a space mission using his wind-power alone. Yes, you did read that correctly. Along the way we get cameos from well-renowned British actors such as Simon Callow and Stephen Fry, who should now be driving round the country refunding every penny that the poor saps (like me) who watched this cinematic toilet spent on it. And that includes extra cash for counselling. As for Rupert Grint, hopefully he can hide behind the Harry Potter series and forget he ever took on this humiliating part. I don't think this rubbish is worth taking up any space on this fine website, do you?

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Everybody has a dream. It is sometimes quite fun to dream about things we are not able to achieve at all or will be in the future on an unknown date. Patrick Smash has a dream like everybody. He is the main character in the movie Thunderpants. His dream is to become an astronaut. Beside that he cant stop farting. This is the biggest problem ever for Patrick as he is always excluded because of his problem. His father leaves home, his sister hates him, he is a laughing stock and item of abuse by his schoolmates and teachers. His gift inspires his friend Alan A Allen to invent different stuff. Anyway, Alan leaves Patrick without a trace and that breaks Patrick's heart. Patrick is discovered by a tenor who uses his farting disability for his success and takes Patrick to a world tour which allows Patrick to find Allen. It turns out that Alan is also discovered by USA for inventions for space trips. In the end, Patrick and Allen meet, Patrick is offered the best offer he has ever had, to go to space and save the American astronauts stuck in the space. He has to start the ship with his farts though. In the end he becomes a national hero and his dream comes true. Thunderpants is not a very very bad movie. But for me its theme and characters are unbelievably bad. Look at Paul Giamatti(I think this must be the lowest degree in his career since he did Sideways and fighting for an Oscar with Cindrella Man). Rupert Grinn is so annoying as a kid who talks like a kid trapped in a 80 year old's body.Thunderpants might be a great fun but only for children around ten years old. For adults: Avoid Thunderpants. * out of *****

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I'm sorry not to read one other person - particularly a parent - complain about the last 20-30 minutes of this film. It went from a fairly inane-but-likable kids movie to a unbelievably stupid and profane film that I wouldn't show to any little kid. As soon as the 'action' switched to the space command headquarters the language went with a number of Lord's name in vain instances include a loudly pronounced 'GD' by the nerdy kid played by Rupert Gint. What kind of sleazy writers would put this stuff in? I thought Hollywood had no sense of decency but apparently Great Britain is just as bad, if not worse. American actor Ned Beatty led this verbal assault, which is no surprise, but all the religious cheap shots with his character was another typical thing we've seen in films for almost a half-century. When they start cropping up in 'kids films,' however, that's pretty low. The hero of this film - the kid with huge farting problem - says 'ass' about a dozen times, too.
I say all the above because I had watched a half of an hour of this when a friend called. I told him about the film and he asked if it was safe for his grandchildren to see and hear. At that point, I hadn't heard anything offensive. Well, I'll call him back and inform him.
It's too bad it was a funny film, a takeoff on a couple of past films like 'The Right Stuff,' and was so corny, so stupid that it was funny. And, what true male doesn't laugh at the sound of a good fart? So, males and kids would laugh at this movie just for the audio highlights! But to see this film disintegrate the last half hour with all the PG material - none of which were necessary - was sad.

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