Radio Flyer
Cast
Elijah Wood as Mike
Joseph Mazzello as Bobby
Lorraine Bracco as Mary
Adam Baldwin as The King
John Heard as Daugherty
Initially, when I sat down to watch Radio Flyer, I thought I was in for a sweet and sappy flick, but what I had not expected out of the viewing was the mixed feelings I had coming away from it. The movie begins with a younger Tom Hanks playing Elijah's character, Mike, as a grown-up who is telling his two sons a story of when he was a young boy living with his younger brother, Bobby. He begins the story by telling them about how when they were young, their father left his mother and never came back. His mom, played by Lorraine Bracco, decides to move to California, so she packs up the kids, the dog and all they owned to start a new life out West. Once in California, the mom quickly meets a guy and gets married, quite unaware that he is an alcoholic with a bad temper and ill will towards the youngest son, Bobby which soon turns into abuse, and he expects the boys to address him as "the King".
Other than Tom Hank's narration, the two young leads, Elijah Wood and Joseph Mazzello, essentially carry the plot and the movie on their small shoulders, and quite adeptly at that. Elijah gives a rather good and moving performance of the older, caring brother who only wants to protect his younger brother from getting beaten up on by "The King".
Surprisingly, it is newcomer, Joseph Mazzello, as Bobby who really impresses with his portrayal of the quiet and timid young boy who has somehow been singled out by the step-dad as his scapegoat and punching bag. His heart wrenching performance had me tearing up a time or two. It's not just his convincing delivery of the lines that is so persuasive, but his eyes, which really convey true sadness and even despair at points. Bobby doesn't know why he is the only one who is suffering from all of his step father's anger, and Joseph portrays those feelings in such a haunting way. Yet he does not want his mom to know because he doesn't feel like he can mess up her life and happiness at that point.
Mike, Elijah's character, is forced to grow up quickly, at a young age because of the situation he and his brother are forced into. Even though he is not the one that "the King" prefers to beat up on, he feels responsible for Bobby's well being and he is forced to make grown-up decisions in order to protect his brother. Elijah did a great job conveying the silent anguish, anxiety, and hopelessness that Mike experiences. We can see how awful the situation is for Mike to cope with because he feels like he is the only one who can help Bobby now. Eventually, feeling there are no other options to help Bobby, Mike decides that together, they are going to transform Bobby's Radio Flyer wagon into an airplane for Bobby to escape on.
Mike had formed this idea from hearing about the local legend of the famous flight of a boy named Fisher off of a steep hill on his bike, and Mike believes that he can build a plane to make the flight from that very hill. This seems like the best idea to Mike seeing as his brother has a quiet fascination with the concept of flight.
It seems that Elijah and Joseph bonded during the filming of Radio Flyer, because it is evident through their credible performances that they are acting out the close bond of brotherhood so effortlessly it appears to be genuine.
It is apparent that they must have been as close as the two brothers seemed to be in the story, and we see this particularly in scenes where the two boys are off on adventures away from the adults.
One character of the movie that I particularly have affection for is "Shane", the boys' loyal German Shepherd. Shane is an integral part of the story and is surprisingly looked over in all of the reviews I have read about the film. To me, Shane represents what the mother should have been to the boys: protective and watchful. It is Shane who is aware of the boys' plight at all times and he is always the one to come to the rescue.
Every time we see a possible threat to the boys, it is Shane who comes forward and makes his presence known. When "the King" is beating up on Bobby, Shane is wildly trying help the boy by biting and growling at "the King". One of the most upsetting parts of the movie occurs when Mike and Bobby discover what appears to be the bloody and dead body of Shane. Shane ends up not being dead, but the fact that "the King" had tried to kill the dog, shows what a dangerous position that Bobby is in, especially when the next thing we know, Bobby is hospitalized later because of another one of "the King's" drunken beatings.
The mother, played by Lorraine Bracco, is a very warm and loving person, but when looked at more closely, she can be seen as the unintentional cause of all the trouble that befalls the boys. Not only does she marry this mysterious man that demands that the children address him as "the King", but she completely ignores his tendency to drink too much and disregards all of the warning signs that could have saved her son. As the review of the movie by the Los Angeles Times stated, Lorraine Bracco's character "falls very definitely in the ineffectual, if not criminally negligent, category", which sums up her character up very effectively. She is absent the whole day into the late hours at night working several jobs, which leaves the two young boys at home alone without any supervision, and when she is home, she completely ignores the silent, but obvious pleas for help from Bobby. During these daylight hours, the boys traipse around the surrounding hillsides exploring and playing away from the house in order to avoid any more unpleasant run-ins with "the King", which ends up being quite unavoidable.
Some of the problems I had with the film revolve around the script's decision to have the boys build an airplane out of their Radio Flyer wagon to escape the abuse of "the King". I believe that the message of the movie could very well be misconstrued. For instance, many critics have a problem with the fact that the boys are forced to figure out their own way to protect Bobby from the physical abuse instead of having the police officer or the mother act out for them. The fact alone that after Bobby is hospitalized because of "the King", the mother does not wise up and keep her kids safe and away from "the King", shows how helpless the boys are. Instead, she lets him ("the King") talk and weasel himself back into their home, claiming to be a changed person, which the boys know isn't the case.
The return of "the King" to the house and one last attempt to harm Bobby, leaves them with no other alternative but to take care of themselves. Although, the movie ends up portraying the Mom as careless and oblivious to the problems of her children, there is still one character who could have helped the boys if only they had confided in him: the local sheriff, played by John Heard.
He shows up several times in the story, obviously aware that "the King" is no good, and expresses concern for the boys. He clearly had an idea that not all was well with Mike and Bobby and he even tells them to come to him if they needed anything. To me, with this character at the boys' disposal, the need to build an aircraft should not have been entirely necessary. Another issue that had critics scoffing was the idea that the only way the boys could deal with the situation was through wish fulfillment and the escapism factor. The message seemed to be that escaping from your problems is the only way to be free of the situation. One has to take into account though that the ending of the movie, fantasy though it may be, is one that shows Bobby finally getting his wish to fly, fulfilled and he can somehow find happiness in life after such tragedy. The fact that Bobby flies away and never comes back is slightly unsatisfactory. In an odd sort of way, it sort of seems that Bobby has died, even though it is clear that he sends postcards home to mom and Mike after each stop. It still leaves an unsettling feeling in one's stomach which can't completely be explained.
Obviously this was a film that had good intentions of raising awareness for child abuse cases, (during the credits a hot line number for abuse cases was flashed on the screen) but some important parts of the script that were supposed to make it a "movie with a message" fell flat because of some of the script writer's decisions. I felt the script was strongest with the plight of the two boys and I was taking it quite seriously until the plan to build a plane was introduced. After that, it took on an air of unreality which spoiled the serious mood that had been established during the first half of the movie. Even with the issues complexities the film brought up, I still enjoyed seeing Elijah's wonderful performance, and also pleasantly surprised by the very excellent Joseph Mazello. One should watch this movie, if for nothing else, to see Elijah and Joseph's screen interaction, which is particularly heart warming!
