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Thunderpants is a 2002 family film absurdist comedy film about a boy whose incredible capacity for flatulence gets him a job as an astronaut. The film was directed by Pete Hewitt, with the script was written by Phil Hughes, based on a story by Pete Hewitt about a boy who dreams of being a spaceman, despite his chronic flatulence.
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.
One day, on the way to visit Alan, Patrick sees Alan being taken away in a mysterious black car; Alan's father informs Patrick that Alan will not be returning home soon. Patrick gets recruited by an opera singer (Simon Callow) to help him with his world tour; Patrick uses this as an opportunity to search for Alan. Eventually, Patrick learns that Alan went to the US to help retrieve a group of astronauts who are trapped in outer space, and Patrick finds that his condition may be of use to the spacemen in peril.
Empire magazine wrote in their review that Thunderpants is "a well-made, quirky oddity for adults, but a laugh riot for kids and The 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.(24 January 2010). Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. In 2023, whilst promoting The Holdovers, Giamatti referred to Thunderpants as "brilliant" and "one of the most remarkable movies he's been in".
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