Radio is the antidote to the poison of Penn State

Rating: 9/10 (28 July 2012)

As the film opens, we see Radio coasting down a hill in a shopping cart (or buggy, as they are called in the South), having a great time. And you can't help thinking: that looks like fun; why didn't I ever try that? It is also the way the Sports Illustrated story on Radio, which is the foundation for this movie, opens.
Yes, there really was a Radio, and still is. And there really is a town called Anderson that did something wonderful, and that makes me proud to be an American. But they didn't do it out of any sense of political correctness; this all started in 1964, when it still took courage in some places for whites to extend a hand to blacks.
Why did they do this? It is not quite clear from the 1996 SI article, which talks about some of the cruel childish pranks played on Radio, though not by school athletes; but otherwise there is no sense of the conflict found in the film. The film condenses a story lasting nearly 50 years now into one year, the first year.
Presumably, there was some conflict due to race and disability in those early years, but from what information is available that all soon disappeared. The school and the community took to Radio rather smoothly and quickly -- not the right stuff for a dramatic screenplay, or a believable one! But what caused a Southern town to do the right thing? It all started with Coach Harold Jones reaching out to Radio.
When one person who is respected in the community takes a fearless stand for what is right, it is easier for others to follow, and harder for the racists to get any traction. This was nothing new for Coach Jones, contrary to the movie account: as a youth he defended a disabled neighbor from bullies with his fists.
Now is a good time to revisit Radio, after the sickening perversion of school sports by a poisonous mix of pedophilia and money at Penn State's football program. Radio is a reminder that this is not what school sports is about. If you watch carefully, you will see that the movie is not just about Radio. It gives you a sense of what goes into making a successful team, football or basketball, the training, the discipline, the teamwork, the tactics. You see how the school and the community are involved in identity and emotions. And you see that coaches Jones and Honeycutt are trying build adults of good character out of their players.
No, they are not making a mascot out of him. You can see that a genuine sense of compassion, of seeing Radio as a human being despite the obscuring cloud of his disabilities, develops in those who get to know him, and in the whole community. And this is not just the film; you can see in the end footage, that this is real, and you can read about it.
Far from a mascot, Radio became a teacher, teaching the community to help those with disabilities, and to look beyond race. His lesson spread beyond Anderson, as he traveled with the teams and his reputation preceded him. Radio was only left off the team bus once, because they ran out of seats. Hannah lost that day. Radio was the first on the bus from then on. And they won that season, contrary to the film.
Radio is a moving film that provides a moral lesson for us all that continues to resonate today. Be kind to others, not because of what others might think, but because it is the right thing to do, even if it is unpopular. If you do it, others will follow.
This lesson is not just about disabilities or race. Think about that disturbed young man who allegedly opened fire in a movie theater. The way we treat people, especially when they are children, is important. If other children or teachers had reached out when he was a child, perhaps things would have been different.
Think back to when you were a child; was there some schoolmate you picked on, perhaps because others were doing the same? Do you wish you could turn back the clock and stand up against the other bullies to defend him, or make friends with him? That's what Radio is about: students (and adults) learning to extend a hand of friendship to someone who is different, who is being picked on cruelly.
Radio, the movie, obviously has a moral lesson to impart. It is not heavy handed, and it is not blatantly manipulative. It builds a certain dramatic tension without indulging in the exaggeration that might make it a move powerful movie. But it retains its credibility. Even if the writers have built a fictionalized account based on real incidents and variations of events, they have created a natural and believable story and dialog that seems consistent with the truth.
I have seen Radio several times now, and it holds up well. What might not strike the viewer at first is how strong are the performances of Sarah Drew and Riley Smith. Drew's emotional response to the death of Radio's mother is remarkable. Smith's acting is fine, but that he delivers some excellent football and basketball action, too, is impressive.
I watched Radio shortly after watching Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, made in 1967. It is worth noting that Radio shows Coach Jones watching All in the Family, a comedy that ridiculed racism. In America, films and TV helped shift public values on topics such as race. But Coach Jones took his stand in 1964, before all that. Ultimately, it all starts with individual action.
I would like to say thank you to Coach Jones, Coach Honeycutt, the people of Anderson, and most of all, to James Robert Kennedy, for reminding us what America really stands for.