Radio-Movie Review of Mental Disabled Individual
Movie Review
11-1-2012
“Radio”
The movie I picked to review was one I had not seen before, “Radio” starring Cuba Gooding Jr and Ed Harris. It is based on a true story of James Robert “Radio” Kennedy and tells the story of how a man who is mentally retarded becomes friends with the high school football coach. The coach befriends Radio after some of his players have bullied and hurt him.
The movie opens with Radio pushing his cart through the street and shows a woman moving her child away from him, a man staring at him, and another man who almost runs him over calling him a “moron.” I liked that they started this way to establish what he goes through on a daily basis. Radio is constantly looking down allowing the viewer to realize that he has some sort of disability. Other times throughout the movie members of the town can be seen starring and laughing at Radio. The coach ignores their behaviors and continues his friendship with Radio despite what others think.
The film never establishes the exact cause of his disability but when Coach asks his mother what was wrong with him, she says the doctor just says “he is a little slower than most.” As the coach got to know him, he learned that he loved radios, hence his nickname “Radio”. The coach tries to bring Radio into the team as an assistant. The school didn’t allow him to travel on the bus for the “safety” of the students. As the movie continues some of the townspeople begin to accept Radio while others are very irritated that he is a part of the football program. Coach always supports Radio and teaches him many things throughout their friendship. The coach’s family also comes to appreciate Radio and supports the friendship of the two men. The things that impacted me about the movie are the fact that it is based on a true-life story. The filmmakers did a good job of being realistic in the fact that not everyone is going to support a mentally challenged individual all of the sudden being a part of a
11-1-2012
“Radio”
The movie I picked to review was one I had not seen before, “Radio” starring Cuba Gooding Jr and Ed Harris. It is based on a true story of James Robert “Radio” Kennedy and tells the story of how a man who is mentally retarded becomes friends with the high school football coach. The coach befriends Radio after some of his players have bullied and hurt him.
The movie opens with Radio pushing his cart through the street and shows a woman moving her child away from him, a man staring at him, and another man who almost runs him over calling him a “moron.” I liked that they started this way to establish what he goes through on a daily basis. Radio is constantly looking down allowing the viewer to realize that he has some sort of disability. Other times throughout the movie members of the town can be seen starring and laughing at Radio. The coach ignores their behaviors and continues his friendship with Radio despite what others think.
The film never establishes the exact cause of his disability but when Coach asks his mother what was wrong with him, she says the doctor just says “he is a little slower than most.” As the coach got to know him, he learned that he loved radios, hence his nickname “Radio”. The coach tries to bring Radio into the team as an assistant. The school didn’t allow him to travel on the bus for the “safety” of the students. As the movie continues some of the townspeople begin to accept Radio while others are very irritated that he is a part of the football program. Coach always supports Radio and teaches him many things throughout their friendship. The coach’s family also comes to appreciate Radio and supports the friendship of the two men. The things that impacted me about the movie are the fact that it is based on a true-life story. The filmmakers did a good job of being realistic in the fact that not everyone is going to support a mentally challenged individual all of the sudden being a part of a