Radio (2003)

Radio - Trailer

4 P.C. stars out of 5

I'll say this up front and be clear. This movie with your standard "decent" actor gets a 2 out of 5. This movie with one of the better actors of our day gets a 3 out of 5. Cuba Gooding Jr. pushes this movie to a 4 of 5.

This movie is loosely based on a true story, so I won't joke too much or start going on my typical ripping rampage. There is a small handful of rips I have ready, but will save that until the end.

The concept behind this movie is a pretty decent one. James Kennedy, a severely mentally handicapped kid (or so we are forced to assume he's a kid, but it doesn't matter) roams around town aimlessly (for what we are led to believe is for years) until a high school football coach and athletic director takes an interest in him.

When the Coach begins showing interest in the kid, I say to myself...Ok, this movie will have that typical worst to first, against all odds, david and goliath, type of plot. I was expecting "Rudy" except Rudy isn't small and undersized this time, he is a mentally handicapped kid from the neighborhood, whatever. Really predictable stuff. I was wrong! The kid actually never played football with the team, which I was pleased to see. I admire that the writers resisted temptation and didn't cave in and make him become a football player and score a state championship winning touchdown....that would have been lame.

Regardless, Radio was basically an assistant coach with the football team, then the basketball team, then did the morning announcements before school, etc etc. Although the acting by Cuba Gooding Jr. was stellar, and even Ed Harris came in with a great performance, what was actually happening in the movie was a bit boring. In between football and basketball seasons, radio found time to give announcements over the school pa system, get arrested, have christmas, have his mom die, go into the girls room by mistake. I guess that's the one down side to a "based on a true story" movie.

On a more random note:
The Basketball Coach looked like Kevin James, that was a bit distracting at times. I was rolling my eyes at the "villian" of the story, which was the dad of the start football and basketball star for some reason had it out for Radio. Seemed like a very forced story line to me. Maybe it happened in real life, maybe it didn't, but regardless, it was really dumb, and kind of annoying. Lastly, in what I saw a lame attempt to periodically bring any dumb audience members up to speed, Ed Harris would every so often enter a barber shop, and get questioned by the patrons, effectively making it nauseatingly obvious what the "town folk" were thinking and what Ed Harris was thinking. The barber shop scenes would also kind of give away what would happen next.

Good job Cuba Gooding Jr. You are a legend.

-Gerard