Never Been Thawed is an independent film released in 2005 to a modest amount of media attention. It takes its name from the best condition a frozen entree

TV dinner

A TV dinner is a prepackaged frozen or chilled meal that usually comes as an individual portion...

 can be in according to the film's fictional Mesa Frozen Entree Enthusiast's Club. Never Been Thawed was filmed entirely in the Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

 metropolitan area by director Sean Anders on a budget of approximately $35,000. Various reviewers referred to the comedy as a mockumentary

Mockumentary

A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...

 in the tradition of This is Spinal Tap

This Is Spinal Tap

This Is Spinal Tap is an American 1984 rock musical mockumentary directed by Rob Reiner about the fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap...

 and Best in Show

Best in Show (film)

Best in Show is a 2000 independent film that follows five entrants in a prestigious dog show. The film focuses on the slightly surreal interactions among the various owners and handlers as they travel to the show and compete. Much of the dialogue was improvised.Christopher Guest directed; he also...

.

Plot

The film revolves around the personal life of main character Shawn Anderson (played by writer/director Anders) and his two life pursuits, the Mesa Frozen Entree Enthusiast's Club and his band The Christers. The Club is an eclectic group of people who collect frozen entrees. The film follows the group planning their first Frozen Entree Enthusiasts Convention and the power struggles between Shawn and wealthy group member Vince, who is also a corporate trainer who models his training seminars after Viet Cong

National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam

The Vietcong , or National Liberation Front , was a political organization and army in South Vietnam and Cambodia that fought the United States and South Vietnamese governments during the Vietnam War . It had both guerrilla and regular army units, as well as a network of cadres who organized...

 prison camps

Prisoner-of-war camp

A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. A prisoner of war is generally a soldier, sailor, or airman who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or...

. The Christers are Shawn's rock band. Formerly named The Reach Arounds, they have turned from hardcore punk rock to Christian rock believing it will be easier to sign a record deal.

The story documents the interplay among Anderson and supporting characters. Shelly Toue is an "Intercourse Prevention Hotline" councilor who is obsessed with Shawn, but who has attracted the affection of Christers member Al McTavish who works at a hair salon for children named Klown Kutz that requires him to dress up as a clown

Clown

Clowns are comic performers stereotypically characterized by the grotesque image of the circus clown's colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, and red nose, which evolved to project their actions to large audiences. Other less grotesque styles have also...

 and go by the title "Smilist". The Christers are managed by Milo Bender (played by Phoenix realtor

Real estate broker

A real estate broker, real estate agent or realtor is a party who acts as an intermediary between sellers and buyers of real estate/real property and attempts to find sellers who wish to sell and buyers who wish to buy...

 John Angelo) who also manages an pro-life cafe named the No Choice Cafe that he opened next door to an abortion clinic

Abortion clinic

An abortion clinic is a medical facility that primarily performs or specializes in abortions. Such clinics may be public medical centers or private medical practices.-Canada:*There were 197 abortion providers in Canada in 2001....

. Milo also organizes a music festival called Christapalooza where Shawn's band is supposed to play.

Other eclectic characters play minor roles in the plot. An effeminate fire fighter named Scott has been "converted" to heterosexuality

Heterosexuality

Heterosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, physical or romantic attractions to persons of the opposite sex";...

 by a church ministry. He scavenges commemorative plates from house fires and displays them in his home. Shawn's deaf brother Chris hangs around in his underwear and routinely requests beer and cigarettes from Shawn via TDD

Telecommunications device for the deaf

A telecommunications device for the deaf is a teleprinter, an electronic device for text communication over a telephone line, that is designed for use by persons with hearing or speech difficulties...

 telephone calls.

Gags

Never Been Thawed contains a number of gags intended to bolster its comedy. The principal gag is the absurd array of frozen entrees collected by members of the fictional club, including a "Gene Simmons

Gene Simmons

Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...

 Beef Tongue" meal. The members also store and display their entrees in improbable ways such as cramming a number of huge chest freezers into a tiny apartment. Another gag seen throughout the film is the music of Shawn's band The Christers. A former punk band, they replace the word "fuck" in all of their lyrics with the word "pray" to make the transition to Christian rock. Matt participates in a competitive "Alphabet Game" league that involves driving around and locating the letters of the alphabet on road signs and billboard

Billboard (advertising)

A billboard is a large outdoor advertising structure , typically found in high traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertisements to passing pedestrians and drivers...

s.

There are also many visual gags that make brief appearances, such as the character Shelly working at the "William Jefferson Clinton Abstinence Center" and the character Matt wearing a portable bladder

Urinary bladder

The urinary bladder is the organ that collects urine excreted by the kidneys before disposal by urination. A hollow muscular, and distensible organ, the bladder sits on the pelvic floor...

 so he doesn't have to get up to urinate. Director Anders displays his skill as a graphic designer

Graphic designer

A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...

 by placing posters, gag magazines such as The Christian Profiteer, Apathy Monthly, and Roadside Memorial, and other visuals throughout the film.

Cast and crew

Anders cast friends and amateur actors for the film, which helped keep the budget low. Many of the people who worked as crew members on the film did double-duty as actors including Anders himself who plays the lead role of Shawn Anderson. Los Angeles therapist and sometime actress Shelly Frasier plays Shelly Toue, Phoenix guitarist

Guitarist

A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...

 and teacher Allen Zwolle plays Al McTavish, producer Chuck LeVinus, who is also a Phoenix firefighter

Firefighter

Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...

, plays Al's brother Chuck, and co-writer and composer John Morris plays Shawn's deaf brother Chris. Arizona politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 Scott Isham agreed to play an ex-gay firefighter in the film believing that it would never be completed or screen anywhere.

Production and release

Never Been Thawed started as more of an experiment in film making than a serious production, with Anders and LeVinus planning it as a "learning experience" before embarking on a real production. However, positive reactions at initial film festival screenings led to a successful project that turned a profit. The idea for the film came from some fictional biographies Anders wrote for his band Stone Bogart. One of the biographies claimed that a member had collection of frozen entrees in freezers in his apartment. People frequently e-mailed Anders about the biography, leading him to create a five-minute short film that eventually inspired the story for Never Been Thawed.

Anders filmed Never Been Thawed in more than 50 Phoenix area locations including local cafes and wine bars, Squaw Peak

Piestewa Peak

Piestewa Peak , at 2608 feet is the second highest point in the Phoenix Mountains, after Camelback Mountain, and the third highest in the city of Phoenix, Arizona. It is located in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. Piestewa Peak is named in honor of Army Spc...

, Anders' Mesa, Arizona

Mesa, Arizona

According to the 2010 Census, the racial composition of Mesa was as follows:* White: 77.1% * Hispanic or Latino : 26.54%* Black or African American: 3.5%* Two or more races: 3.4%* Native American: 2.4%...

 home, and stretches of Interstate 10

Interstate 10

Interstate 10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90, I-80, and I-40. It is the southernmost east–west, coast-to-coast Interstate Highway, although I-4 and I-8 are further south. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica,...

 between Phoenix and Casa Grande

Casa Grande, Arizona

Casa Grande is a city in Pinal County, approximately halfway between Phoenix and Tucson in the U.S. state of Arizona. According to 2010 Census, the population of the city is 48,571...

. He used DV

DV

DV is a format for the digital recording and playing back of digital video. The DV codec was launched in 1995 with joint efforts of leading producers of video camcorders....

 camcorder

Camcorder

A camcorder is an electronic device that combines a video camera and a video recorder into one unit. Equipment manufacturers do not seem to have strict guidelines for the term usage...

s for shooting more than 100 hours of footage and cast friends in the major roles, accomplishing the production in 18 months on an extremely low budget of $

United States dollar

The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

25,000. One of the only experienced actors in the film is Shelly Frasier.

The production team initially had problems getting film festivals to accept Never Been Thawed due to the hundreds of other budget independent films vying for screenings. However, the Silver Lake Film Festival

Silver Lake Film Festival

Silver Lake Film Festival ran from 2000 to 2007. It was a 501 nonprofit organization established to provide a showcase for cutting-edge independent film, music, digital, and other arts in Los Angeles, California. The Festival was held annually at various venues throughout Los Angeles’ Eastside,...

 eventually accepted the film, where Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....

 reviewer Kevin Thomas saw it and subsequently gave it a good review. Thomas' review generated more festival interest, and the film screened at the Wisconsin Film Festival

Wisconsin Film Festival

The Wisconsin Film Festival is an annual film festival, founded in 1999. The five-day long festival is held every April in Madison, Wisconsin.The Festival presents a broad range of independent American and world cinema , restorations and revivals, and locally made pictures from Wisconsin filmmakers...

 and the Sedona Film Festival

Sedona Film Festival

The Sedona International Film Festival founded in 1994 is held in Sedona, Arizona, USA each year. A workshop also accompanies the event.The Sedona Film Festival is a five-day festival that features more than 125 films, including features, documentaries, foreign films, shorts, animation and student...

 in early April 2005. On April 15, 2005, Never Been Thawed premiered at Harkins Theatres

Harkins Theatres

Harkins Theatres is a movie theater chain with locations throughout the Southwestern United States. Harkins Theatres is privately owned and operated by its parent company, Harkins Enterprises, LLC...

 Valley Art theater in Tempe, Arizona. The film ran for a total of eight weeks in Arizona and spread to screens in most other major markets including New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. On the film's Web site, Anders has indicated surprise at its success and durability.

Reception

Never Been Thawed received praise for its independent approach to making a successful comedy and its use of "astute, straight-faced" acting to achieve comedic effect. Some reviewers criticized Anders' use of the film to make fun of various aspects of American culture such as Christian rock

Christian rock

Christian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...

, abstinence

Abstinence

Abstinence is a voluntary restraint from indulging in bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. Most frequently, the term refers to sexual abstinence, or abstention from alcohol or food. The practice can arise from religious prohibitions or practical...

 education, and Pro-life advocacy, and his heavy use of gags.

Awards

• Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature, Wisconsin Film Festival
• Breakout Filmmaker award, Sedona Film Festival