Thomas Lee Howell

Ripples: Based on a True Story. Thomas Lee Howell

RIPPLES: WGA# 13394 Medium budget drama Two brothers survive a stepfather's rage. Tom and Robert Bell live in a dysfunctional family unit. Their stepfather Louis Drum is a mean Cajun with a bad temper. The boys live in constant fear of his anger. Tom is befriended by R. J., a talented guitar player who is also a martial artist. Kicked out of his home at fourteen after an argument with his mother, his poor but loving grandparents take Tom and his brother in. Grandpa Bert is a Texas Storyteller who plays cowboy ballads on the French Harp. Tom and R. J., form a local rock band called The Odds and Ends with neighborhood guitarist Val Lucas. Motorcycles and music are a major influence on him during this time of his life. He must survive on the streets while balancing a career as a drummer. Years after his mother's divorce from Louis Drum, Tom discovers where he works and confronts him. Robert Bell convinces Tom that Louis has come to his own terrible end in life already. The brothers separate there, with Tom heading for Mexico on his Harley and Robert remaining behind. Tom struggles to keep the music career moving forward after becoming a father at age nineteen. His marriage is short lived with him returning to the road with a touring band.