A real life drama which takes its upbeat subject too seriously, Radio could have become a dull and instantly forgettable film but for decent performances by Ed Harris and Cuba Gooding Jr. The critics who have been writing that Gooding has been playing too many glibly happy characters would have some surprise seeing him speak in spurts and move around in agony, bearing his anguished soul little by little.
The story of a mentally impaired young black man known to every one as Radio and the small white town in South Carolina that slowly learns to embrace him thanks to the efforts of a white football coach, the movie could turn out to be a mid-range
hit. Its biggest drawback is that either its characters are too good or too bigoted.
Awful dialogue and gushing music may lead some viewers to advise others to turn off this radio and watch instead more interesting films like
Remember the Titans, which despite their own inspirational agenda, offered more realistic drama.
The new film, set in a southern state where the confederate flag is still a hot issue, does not examine the racial roots of the conflict. It does not really tell us what is going inside the heart of the black principal of a white school. It doesn't try to examine why the black players do not want to support Radio. And it seems more preoccupied with the white coach than in Radio.
Radio revolves around James Robert Kennedy (Gooding Jr.) who is nicknamed Radio because of his passion for music and collection of radios. For more than four decades, this mentally disabled man has been a fixture at all high school football games in Anderson town. He has been helping out in practices and is considered a lucky mascot by the players.
Mike Rich, who wrote yet another sentimental and inspirational drama
Finding Forrester, explores the relationship between Radio and one of the coaches Jones (Harris) in a period of year. The story also examines, rather superficially, the tensions within the small community over the presence of a mentally challenged Radio in the school.
What makes the coach take such an extraordinary interest in Radio is not conveyed well in the movie. The Radio detractors include the town's leading light, a banker (Chris Mulkey), who is convinced that it is because of Radio that the town's team faces problems.
The school board soon puts pressure on the school's principal (Alfre Woodard) while the coach's wife (Debra Winger) rightly complains that her husband is so obsessed with Radio that he has no time for their daughter.
As a workaholic coach, who patiently works on Radio, bringing out the best in him, Harris gives one of the better performances of his career. Though men dominate the film, the sharp presence of Woodard and Winger gives the film a bigger personality.
CreditsCast: Cuba Gooding Jr, Ed Harris, S Epatha Merkerson, Riley Smith, Alfre Woodard, and Debra Winger
Director: Michael Tollin
Writer: Mike Rich
Running time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Rating: PG for mild language
Released by: Columbia Pictures