# Standing on the Shoulders of Kitties

Standing on the Shoulders of Kitties: The Bubbles and the Shitrockers Story is a 2024 Canadian musical comedy film, directed by Charlie Lightening, and is based on the Canadian television series Trailer Park Boys. It is the fourth film in the Trailer Park Boys franchise, and is the first film not to be directed by series creator Mike Clattenburg. The film follows the series' breakout character Bubbles (portrayed by Mike Smith) and the formation of his country band, the Shitrockers. Smith, in addition to playing Bubbles and serving as co-producer, also wrote the script for this film. The film features guest appearances from Billy Bob Thornton, Ronnie Wood, and Eric Burdon.

## Premise

At Sunnyvale Trailer Park, Bubbles happily informs Ricky and Julian about his new country band, the Shitrockers. Sometime later, the group is offered a European tour, alongside Billy Bob Thornton's rock band the Boxmasters. Randy, the weekend trailer park supervisor, is invited to be a roadie during the tour, which he accepts. Though the tour is initially off to a great start, Bubbles, Randy, and the Shitrockers eventually get kicked out due to some shenanigans. Stuck in London, the group has to figure out a way back home to Sunnyvale.

## Cast

* Mike Smith as Bubbles
* Robb Wells as Ricky
* John Paul Tremblay as Julian
* Patrick Roach as Randy
* Billy Bob Thornton as himself
* Ronnie Wood as himself
* Eric Burdon as himself
* Martin Freeman as himself
* Robert Sheehan as himself

## Production

This is the first Trailer Park Boys film without original series creator Mike Clattenburg's involvement.
This is also the first without actor John Dunsworth's involvement, following his death in 2017. Dunsworth played often-drunk Sunnyvale Trailer Park supervisor Jim Lahey in the original show, and the first three films.
Filming locations in Europe include London, England; Glasgow, Scotland; Prague, Czech Republic; and Liverpool, England. Filming also took place in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

## Release

The film was released nationwide in Canada on December 6, 2024, with a limited theatrical release in the United States beginning the same day. The film premiered in the UK and Ireland on January 10, 2025, according to Swearnet.com.
To coincide with the release of this film, the Shitrockers released an album entitled Longhauler on CD, vinyl, and for digital download, on November 1, 2024, featuring vocals from Smith, Thornton, and Wood.

## Reception

Derek Chen of Spectrum Culture called the film "a late contender for the worst movie of the year."
Leslie Felperin of The Guardian gave the film two out of five stars and wrote, "[T]he comic timing and bonhomie of the ensemble is sort of infectious, and (what do you know) some of the songs are pretty darn catchy. That doesn't quite make up for the fact that the film drags on far longer than it needs to, but the algorithm won't mind in the slightest."
Michael Talbot-Haynes of Film Threat gave the film a score of 9.5 out of 10, writing, "We finally have a movie set in the Trailer Park Boys universe that is so good it rises above being a companion piece to the show and is a great motion picture in its own right."