Nothing But Static

Rating: Null/10 (31 October 2003)

Playing a character with mental retardation must be difficult. Many
have tried, few have succeeded. It's a tightrope walk with
convincing portrayal on one side and ridicule on the other. That
being said, this year's Juliet Lewis Award goes to Cuba Gooding,
Jr. Take a dash of Gary Busey's teeth, and a pinch of Beetlejuice
from "The Howard Stern Show" and you have Gooding's Radio.
The movie has no clear direction, and no clear conflict. I guess the
major conflict is that some of the characters believe that Radio's
presence at a local high school's events are inappropriate, and a
"distraction." And guess what...they're right. He is a distraction, he
does get in the way, and we are just supposed to accept it as
"That's Radio!" The movie's only positive note is Ed Harris as the
coach who tries to help Radio. Harris is likable and performs an
elegant southern brogue. The true story behind this movie is a
cute little story. But it probably would have been more appropriate
as a story on Oprah or even a segment on "60 Minutes." Two
hours of this sweetness was enough to send me running to the
concession stand for some insulin.