The basic premise of this movie: two boys build a magical flying machine out of an old Radio Flyer wagon so that the younger boy, who is abused by his stepfather, can escape the abuse. In the end, the machine works, and Bobby, the little boy, is able to get away, abandoning his mother, older brother, school, and life in the process.
Also, before he gets away, his evil stepfather (Adam Baldwin gets the "honor") finds out about their escape plan and tries to stop them. The family dog, who typically is able to spot a bad guy, stops him by biting him and the cops capture the stepfather. However, the little boy goes anyway, even though he is now really leaving just his mother and brother, both of whom he apparently loved. The point of that is what...?
Also, if he loved his brother and mother so much, why did he leave them in the first place? Couldn't they have built a flying machine large enough to fit all three of them, or something? If the stepfather wasn't hauled away, did it not occur to them that he might have taken out his aggression over the younger boy's disappearance on the older brother, or the mother for that matter?
This is one of those sickening, schmaltzy movies that produced and directed people with "big names" (Richard Donner, Lauren Schuller Donner, and Michael Douglas all worked behind the scenes. Tom Hanks also narrates the movie and appears as the older version of the big brother. Elijah Wood is the younger version. How much do Tom Hanks and Elijah Wood NOT look alike? It's ridiculous)trying to make some sort of point about child abuse, drinking and, um, the joys of being a kid... or something. Basically, whatever points they were trying to make, whatever messages, they fail... big time.
If I was a real victim of abuse, I'd practically find this movie OFFENSIVE. The only realistic shred of hope provided to actual victims is in the end, when a number for a hotline is given. As for the rest, well, if the only way out for this kids was to build an unrealistic flying machine, what kind of message of hope does THAT send? That there is no hope. And what's with all of the "you have to be a kid to understand" lines? What's that there for, to encourage children to--again--seek unrealistic escapes instead of talking out their problems with an adult?
I appreciate when issues like abuse are brought forth through some form of mass media when the issue is WELL PRESENTED. In this, "Radio Flyer" fails completely.
Along with that are brief gripes like manipulative scenes put in the film just to elicit a reaction (exp: when Shane the dog is found bloody, even though he revives himself seconds later. I think this was a device to get Shane in the flyer so he could bite the stepdad later), and some scenes are just plain dumb, such as one where Mike and Bobby, the boys, run home with stomach aches(this is done in slow motion as they are clutching their stomachs--a scene that is almost embarrassing to watch), this coinciding with their stepdad returning. Um, are they psychic? What happened to their stomach aches once they were home, anyway? The very end, where Bobby continues flying is also dumb. As if this is a realistic film to begin with, but still, like some unidentified aircraft would be allowed to fly. He'd probably get shot down. I also can't resist repeating WHY WAS TOM HANKS CAST AS AN OLDER ELIJAH WOOD? I don't care if he's Tom Hanks. Get actors who look alike. Along with all of that, the script is so syrupy and predictable in places that I was "beating" Tom Hanks to all of the cheesy metaphors about the Radio Flyer that I knew he would say--and did (the radio flyer stands for freedom and escape, OBVIOUSLY, but the way Hanks says it, you can tell the audience is supposed to ooh and ah at the cleverness.)
All in all, this is a film that I more or less hate, but will occasionally watch just for the sheer stupidity of it.
Also, before he gets away, his evil stepfather (Adam Baldwin gets the "honor") finds out about their escape plan and tries to stop them. The family dog, who typically is able to spot a bad guy, stops him by biting him and the cops capture the stepfather. However, the little boy goes anyway, even though he is now really leaving just his mother and brother, both of whom he apparently loved. The point of that is what...?
Also, if he loved his brother and mother so much, why did he leave them in the first place? Couldn't they have built a flying machine large enough to fit all three of them, or something? If the stepfather wasn't hauled away, did it not occur to them that he might have taken out his aggression over the younger boy's disappearance on the older brother, or the mother for that matter?
This is one of those sickening, schmaltzy movies that produced and directed people with "big names" (Richard Donner, Lauren Schuller Donner, and Michael Douglas all worked behind the scenes. Tom Hanks also narrates the movie and appears as the older version of the big brother. Elijah Wood is the younger version. How much do Tom Hanks and Elijah Wood NOT look alike? It's ridiculous)trying to make some sort of point about child abuse, drinking and, um, the joys of being a kid... or something. Basically, whatever points they were trying to make, whatever messages, they fail... big time.
If I was a real victim of abuse, I'd practically find this movie OFFENSIVE. The only realistic shred of hope provided to actual victims is in the end, when a number for a hotline is given. As for the rest, well, if the only way out for this kids was to build an unrealistic flying machine, what kind of message of hope does THAT send? That there is no hope. And what's with all of the "you have to be a kid to understand" lines? What's that there for, to encourage children to--again--seek unrealistic escapes instead of talking out their problems with an adult?
I appreciate when issues like abuse are brought forth through some form of mass media when the issue is WELL PRESENTED. In this, "Radio Flyer" fails completely.
Along with that are brief gripes like manipulative scenes put in the film just to elicit a reaction (exp: when Shane the dog is found bloody, even though he revives himself seconds later. I think this was a device to get Shane in the flyer so he could bite the stepdad later), and some scenes are just plain dumb, such as one where Mike and Bobby, the boys, run home with stomach aches(this is done in slow motion as they are clutching their stomachs--a scene that is almost embarrassing to watch), this coinciding with their stepdad returning. Um, are they psychic? What happened to their stomach aches once they were home, anyway? The very end, where Bobby continues flying is also dumb. As if this is a realistic film to begin with, but still, like some unidentified aircraft would be allowed to fly. He'd probably get shot down. I also can't resist repeating WHY WAS TOM HANKS CAST AS AN OLDER ELIJAH WOOD? I don't care if he's Tom Hanks. Get actors who look alike. Along with all of that, the script is so syrupy and predictable in places that I was "beating" Tom Hanks to all of the cheesy metaphors about the Radio Flyer that I knew he would say--and did (the radio flyer stands for freedom and escape, OBVIOUSLY, but the way Hanks says it, you can tell the audience is supposed to ooh and ah at the cleverness.)
All in all, this is a film that I more or less hate, but will occasionally watch just for the sheer stupidity of it.