The Boy with a Thorn in His Side is a 2005

2005 in film

- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...

 comedy film

Comedy film

Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...

, produced and directed by Mark Jeavonsa as his feature film debut, and starring Alec Sedgley as Billy Heinlickburger. Its title is almost the same as a song

The Boy with the Thorn in His Side (song)

The original 12" has "Rubber Ring" and "Asleep" segued into a continuous piece with the voice sample at the end of the former looped and faded into the wind noise preceding the latter...

 by The Smiths

The Smiths

The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...

.

Background

Boy With A Thorn was shot in Birmingham and Wolverhampton

Wolverhampton

Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...

 in West Midlands, England over a period of 17 days, because that was the length of time director Mark Jeavonsa was allowed to use the equipment. The director relates that he devoted most of 2004 in preparing to make the film, spending the first half of the year seeking funding for a feature before learning about the governemt funded 'Media Vault' program that would allow West Midlands filmmakers access to filming equpment, but for only 17 days. The first draft of the film had been written in 2001. After arranging for the use of the equipment for a period three months later, he re-rote the draft to create it as a project that could be shot within his time constraints and began his pre-production and casting.

The film premiered May 18, 2009 at the Cannes Film Festival

Cannes Film Festival

The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...

, and later screened at independent cinema

Independent Cinema in the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has a well-established history of independent cinema exhibition dating back to the 1930s and the Film Society Movement, which still exists as the British Federation of Film Societies. Since the 1980s independent exhibition has thrived in a series of regional film theatres set up...

s in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

Synopsis

Billy Heinlickburger (Alec Sedgley) is 18, has no job, and no friends. He daydreams about a becoming rock star or artist or best-selling author, but fails to follow through with any of his aspirations due to his not wanting to work. He wishes to get back together with his slightly older ex-girlfriend, Susan (Morgan Lees). She has moved forward with her life, but agrees to a few for a few dates anyway. Billy's German parents, Jurgen Heinlickburger (Graham Pollard) and Gertrude Heinlickburger (Sue Kimberley), are both eccentric. Jurgen has for 30 years maintained a monotonous diet of Spam sandwiches and raw carrots. Gertrude is simply and totally paranoid about everything. But they both pressure Billy continuely to leave home and get a job. This constant friction forces Billy to decide once and for all if he will change his ways.

Cast

• Alec Sedgley as Billy Heinlickburger
• Graham Pollard as Jurgen Heinlickburger
• Sue Kimberley as Gertrude Heinlickburger
• Morgan Lees as Susan
• Neil Harris as Felix
• Emily Dormer as Emma
• Michael Haynes as Farmer
• Rob Leetham as Job Interviewer
• Martin Nigel Davey as TV Reporter
• Victoria Broom as Office worker
• Gary Stevens as Security Guard

Reception

Microfilmmaker Magazine wrote that this was an interesting story, in that it could apply to many different person's lives. They offered that "Alec Sedgley did a good job at portraying the rather lazy and childish Billy", due to his seeming to personally undrstand the problems and frustrations faced by a younf adult. They also offerd that actress Morgan Lees did a good job as Susan in her "portraying the sympathetic and down-to-earth ex-girlfriend, who is trying to be encouraging." They also approved of Neil Harris' portrayol of Susan's roommate Felix who, even though verbally referred to in context as a boyfriend to her, dresses and acts in a flamboyant manner leading viewers to assume Felix was more interested in men than in women. Itwa stressed though that the best acting in the film was done by Graham Pollard and Sue Kimberley in their portrayol of Billy's very odd German parents.