Well done

Rating: Null/10 (25 October 2003)

Radio is done in the style of other "feel good" sports films such as Rocky, Rudy, Cool Runnings and Seabiscuit. All use a specific formula we see very often, but than why do we love them so?
Well lets start off giving the brief summary of the film. Radio, well played by Cuba Gooding Jr. is our hero this time. He is mentally handicapped and each day passes the school in which Coach Jones(Ed Harris) teaches. He stops to watch the team practice and after a few events, Jones takes a liking to him as does the team and soon, the whole town.
Sound like a lot of other movies? It is. Im not one for films following a formula but Disney does it so often and dont we love their movies? Indeed we do. Because despite being formulaic, Radio still has a lot of heart to it. Maybe im a sucker for such sentiment. However, the film is paced well and performances by Cuba, Ed Harris and Debra Winger are top notch. And its always good to see Mrs. Winger making a movie every now and again.

Each character is likeable and we get some genuine feelings for them. Im not one for the usual hollywood sap fest but this is one that is admittedly well done. As said before, done in the form of Rocky and Seabiscuit how can you go wrong. Perhaps I should be being harder on it for following such a formula or perhaps because of its good acting and writing, it was able to rise above being just another film of that formula(and believe me, there have been films following that same formula that calling awful would be a compliment). Either way, Radio is well done and hopefully Cuba wont go un-noticed come Oscar time.