Radio comes in loud & clear

Rating: Null/10 (2 November 2003)

Radio, inspired by a true story, delivers a powerful message and is undoubtedly correct. The problem of the matter is it continues to lecture the message throughout the entire movie. It becomes more tedious and tiresome faster than an overplayed new hit song, you guessed, on the radio. It's sounds so good the first few times, but after that you lunge to turn the station.
The story begins in South Carolina in the mid 1960's. A severely handicapped man (Cuba Gooding Jr.) spends his time routinely pushing a shopping cart around town, innocent as could be, listening to a radio. Also, he especially likes to watch the high school football team practice, the T.L. Hanna Yellow Jackets. Football is life to Coach Jones (Ed Harris), as he prepares his boys for the upcoming season. His passion for the game is so eminent that he practically has no time for his wife (Debra Winger) and daughter (Sarah Drew). His days are spent at the practice field and nights reviewing film or developing strategies. The coach gradually notices this man watching their practices, and is intrigued to say the least, but has no rhyme or reason to become acquainted with him.
Ironically, that is until 9 of the high school boys play a dastardly cruel joke on this handicapped man. The so-called leader, Johnny (Riley Smith) must seem to think he is superior in every way to this man as he relentlessly plays gags and pranks on him throughout the movie. Coach Jones hands out proper punishment to his team, and begins to form a friendship with this man, who barely speaks. He dubs him `Radio' and later we learn his name to be James Robert Kennedy. We know that he is handicapped, but are not told exactly what. His mother (S. Epatha Merkerson) tells us that `he is the same as everybody else, just a little slower than most.'
Radio becomes the football handy man, doing whatever he can to help. This is unacceptable to a few which is a paradigm to time and place. Johnny's father (Chris Mulkey) is outraged by Radio and starts to cause controversy. He believes that Radio is a sideshow mascot and is distracting Coach Jones. Meanwhile, as the bond between Coach Jones and Radio increases, the more little instances start to arise and cause trouble. Radio would unintentionally shout out the plays the Yellow Jackets were running during a game, or be victimized into going in the girl's locker room. The principal (Alfre Woodard) and Coach Jones have frequent visits with the School Board, who are trying to consider what is best for the student body. We learn that Coach Jones is going to fight to the end for Radio, and as the ending is genuinely uplifting, at the same token it is easily foreseen. The only real curiosity of the movie is why Coach Jones wants to help Radio so much.

No doubt I have a tremendous amount of guilt amongst myself because this is a remarkably heartwarming story. Heartwarming stories simply don't translate into great movies (see Windtalkers, 2002). Don't get me wrong, it has its moments and can be an emotional rollercoaster. We are saddened to see what is done to this man and we are overjoyed when he recites the daily lunch menu over the intercom, or to see the satisfaction on his face from simply eating a whopper.
Cuba Gooding Jr. and Ed Harris make the movie more enjoyable than it should be. They are both extremely likeable, but nothing too severe ever threatens their friendship. They always, and too easily, escape anything that befalls on them. The movie doesn't flow well, and is twenty minutes longer than it needs to be. As an audience, we are never given a reason to believe that things will not be alright for Radio. As aforementioned, the message is reinforced continuously and it permits us from enjoying the movie like we should. Maybe I'm naïve though, because I would like to think that society knows to treat each individual equally. That relentlessness keeps `Radio' from being in the upper echelon it should be. It is a nice family movie to watch, and should attract viewers on all air waves. I did find it very appealing that Radio isn't exactly the person that needed help and guidance. Help can be found in odd places, it seems.
I appreciate the fact that this movie was made, because it is based on actual events, and means well. James Robert Kennedy is still at T.L Hannah High School today, doing exactly what he did thirty years ago. Radio is pleasant and does no harm, but it relinquishes midway through the movie, and the broadcast seems to repeat over and over again.