Watch it at Amazon
11 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :- Seriously interesting slice of bittersweet magic realism, 2 February 2006 Author: fertilecelluloid from Mountains of Madness
This bittersweet slice of magic realism had a checkered production history (director/writer replaced) and tanked at the box office, but it's a helluva film.Elijah Wood and Joseph Mazzello are pre-teen brothers whose flaky mom (Lorraine Bracco) shacks up with a mean-spirited alcoholic (Adam Baldwin). During his drinking bouts, Baldwin physically abuses Mazzello and manipulates him into remaining silent about his situation. But when Wood cottons on to what's happening, the boys put their heads together and hatch a fantastique solution to Mazzello's devastating dilemma.I love films that mix fantasy and dark reality. They are rarely successful financially ("Lawn Dogs" is a similar example), but they are usually original and intriguing.The drunk Baldwin is shot from a low, child's perspective and his head is deliberately lopped off below the top of frame. This device allows us to judge him purely by his actions and as a totally physicalized beast. Both Wood and Mazzello are excellent, and they pull us effortlessly into their dark, frightening world.The "radio flyer" of the title is a small red wagon kids transport their belongings in. Here it transports a dream.Seriously interesting stuff.
12 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :- A Fantastic Ending, 21 December 1999 Author: Killgore. from United States
Most people dislike this movie because of the ending. That is because of their own limited imaginations, a point I think Richard Donner was trying to make throughout the movie. They try to criticize the film on their own miotic interpretation. Americans aren't used to the subtle, especially from the Lethal Donner. I think those people need to watch it again, and especially pay attention to the narration. Truth is in the mind of the beholder. The movie is about the innocence of childhood- the grandness of being naive and imaginative-being ripped apart by an abusive adult. Just as they never REALLY seen the boogie man, Bobby never REALLY flew away. Mike deceived himself into believing that his brother flew away to hide from the fact that his brother died. Listen to his words, and watch his mother. It is very subtle, and I have had this argument 100 times before (see, I have only had it probably 5 times but I have deceived myself into thinking it is many more). Don't feel bad. I have found that only 1 out of 10 people that have seen the movie
10 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :- classic, 26 March 2005 Author: (zootsuit98@hotmail.com) from United States
In reply to "State of Confusion" The dogs injuries do seem to disappear rather abruptly, but that may have only been an error in continuity. But, as for the kids trying to build a plane out of junk, it's just a simple matter of imagination. These are two very young kids who have extremely active imaginations and they must rely on those imaginations to keep themselves from being exposed to the reality of the level of abuse that goes on in their home from their stepfather. As for the stepfather, it's very interesting that the director chose to no show his face. That makes him seem more monstrous. If you show his face, then that character becomes a person and not just this "monster" who is terrorizing the childhood of these two innocent children. By showing only the concequences of his abuse and not focusing scenes on the abuse itself, the children then become the main focus of the movie. This film has no loose ends, but runs just as a father's tale to his children would. It has embelleshments. This is a fine American classic.
5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :- Imagination is the Key, 25 May 2001 Author: danldhatu from the Pacific Northwest
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
WARNING-SPOILERS! Having looked over the other user comments, I find myself puzzled as to why nobody seems to have come up with a most obvious interpretation of this movie's ending. There are, after all, some clues that so much of this story is only in Mike's imagination. And yet people go on about how the ending is "unrealistic." Well, DUH-UH! (Major Spoiler and my own take on it.) Bobby DOESN'T REALLY EXIST! He never did! He is Mike's IMAGINARY PLAYMATE! It so happens that Mike must let his imaginary playmate go right at the same time that the King is arrested, and so the two events come together in Mike's mind. Well, that's my two cent's worth.
5 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :- A powerful, touching, misunderstood film, 10 December 2002 Author: bymarkclark.com from Columbus, Ohio
This film was directed by Richard Donner, of SUPERMAN and LETHAL WEAPON fame, but it couldn't be more different than those films. It's a quiet, poetic film about two young boys (Elijah Wood and Joseph Mazzallo), one of whom is being brutally abused by their stepfather (whose face is never seen). The film was a commercial flop, and it received terrible reviews on its initial release, but I think that was because most critics (and audiences) didn't understand the movie. It features an unreliable narrator (played by Tom Hanks) and several Fellini-like breaks from reality. Most critics harped on the film's finale as a weak point, but I think it actually works beautifully, if you approach it with the proper understanding.SPOILER WARNING!!!I don't think you can take the finale (wherein the younger brother flies away in his rickety homemade airplane) at face value. This seems to be another break from reality (like the sequences with the buffalo). Either this is a fantasy way for the Tom Hanks character to deal with his brother's death or, more likely, there really weren't two brothers at all. The older brother invented the younger brother, who is contstantly abused, as a coping mechanism for dealing with the fact that he HIMSELF was being abused by "The King." The older brother survives and the younger brother "dies" when the abuse finally stops. Or something. In any case, the ending cannot be taken literally. And it's not really that important that we fully understand exactly what happened. What matters is that we understand the emotional and developmental effect these events had on the Hanks character.END OF SPOILERS...Back in the day, I was one of the very few critics who gave this film a positive review, and I'm glad I did. I found it emotionally gripping and, at points, almost too realistic to watch comfortably. It captures the joy of boyhood and -- although I wouldn't know from personal experience, thank God -- seems to capture the terror of abuse just as accurately. A very powerful, rewarding film. Highly recommended.
12 out of 21 people found the following comment useful :- Elijah Wood and Joseph Mazzello,such bright young talents!, 12 April 2002 Author: menaka
Sure this movie is kind of unrealistic and sometimes boring but all in all it's a very sweet movie that evokes many wonderful childhood memories.Would I have watched Radio Flyer had it not starred Elijah Wood and Joseph Mazzello?Perhaps not.Wood and Mazzello are incredible in their roles as Mike and Bobby,considering they were only 9 and 7 at the time they started filming the movie.The rest of the cast is alright,no particularly impressive performances from any of them but like I said it's Wood and Mazzello who carry the show through.There was one big surprise though,Tom Hanks.As narrator,well,let's just say after he started off at the beginning of the movie I was this close to switching the T.V off and thus missing quite a good movie. I was disappointed to find out that Radio Flyer didn't exactly hit it off at the box office,I suppose juggling such themes as child abuse and building getaway planes for a 7 year old to fly can be a difficult task. However despite its faults ,I found myself shouting insults at The King when he hit Bobby and laughing at the antics of the boys and their dog Shane.Sure you need a good imagination to enjoy it but we can cough a little of that up can't we?!
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :- Oscar-worthy performance by both Wood & Mazzello, 30 August 2000 Author: TDP (tdp_@yahoo.com) from Sri Lanka
I'm not sure as to call this movie a children's drama or a fantasy film. When I first watched this I couldn't really make out the ending and that's the only part of movie that's seemed to lack depth and left me a bit depressed for awhile. Then I watched it a second time and realised how great the acting was and was clueless as to why it received the meager attention it did at the time.Unforgettable performances by the young Mazzello and Wood should have made this film a classic.Although the it was probably intended to be a fantasy/drama by the original writer/director (Evans), once Donner took over he presumably made it with a more dramatical outlook especially the ending, which left a lot to be desired as to what really happened to Bobby - Was he killed?, did he escape & really do all those fantastic journeys?, or was it just an imaginary story woven by Hanks to prove a point to the kids?But in all it didn't provide the closure of a happy ending that we are so used to in a children's film. Perhaps it's because it's not just that.To see what may have been a more classical ending check out the Official Elijah Wood Site where you'll find the First rough draft script of the conclusion of the movie(presumably by the original writer)Also a note of the music by Hans Zimmer which is one the best Soundtracks I've ever heard, a mixture of childish and dark sentiments throughout the movie. A great CD to get hold of if you can.
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :- What a touching flick!, 18 March 2000 Author: (pjkim) from Pennsylvania, USA
This movie was great. Elijah Wood and Joseph Mazzello were wonderful. I watched this movie with tears in my eyes, hugging my two small boys and wondering how someone could treat children the way The King treated those boys, especially Bobby.This film will make you laugh and cry, all within the span of about 10 minutes at the end.WARNING!!!!! The following paragraphs contain SPOILERS to the ending.I think many commenting on this film completely miss the point of the ending. To me, the ending seemed stupid until Tom Hanks explained to his kids that "History comes from the mind of the one telling the story. You understand that, right?" These were not his exact words but they are something to that effect.Bobby did not fly away. Bobby died trying to fly away. I think that both boys knew Bobby's fate before they went up the hill, but they both realised that this was his escape from the abuse he would continue to suffer otherwise. Michael learned to cope with Bobby's death by making himself believe that Bobby was still alive, flying around the country.
3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :- frustration---100% SPOILER, 6 June 2000 Author: TC film buff extraordinaire from NY
SPOILER NOTHING BUT SPOILERI have to add my name to the list of folks who feel that the other viewers just don't get it. But no one has even mentioned the "s" word so far as I have seen.While I agree that the kid died I think we can be more specific: he committed suicide. He races down the slope in an old wagon, shoots off the cliff and..."flies away". Maybe the whole account of the form of death is allegory or maybe he does commit suicide in a wagon as laid out. In either case, he "flies away" (c'mon, not that tough a metaphor).Maybe I just have a thing for Tom Hanks, but I was ok with the narration. Besides he is raising $ for the WW2 memorial and you gotta love him for that.Oh yeah, I loved the movie and found it incredibly moving.
3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :- A movie thats gets in your gut and makes your emotions pour out., 26 January 1999 Author: Andy (deadmn20@aol.com) from Medford, MA
When I first saw this movie, I first started to hate it because of the violence of abuse, but what got to me, was the music of the movie, and the acting that went with it. I, admit, a dream about a talking buffalo was a little weird, but what got to me was the music through the dream, and the VERY COOL performances of Elijah Wood, as the confused brother, torn between about what he knows, and what he can not say. Promises not to say as a special PACT with his younger brother, who tells him not to say anything to the mother.. A BRILLANT DEBUT of Joseph Mazzello, who moves you with the music, as he see his destiny, before it happens, of getting away from the King, the Abuser, by building a airplane, out of a toy wagon. Let me tell, nothing gets you like the end of the movie, and the younger brother is ready to take off the flyer, they built. One brother gives his favorite jacket, as sign of love to remember him by. Out of *****, I give this movie a *****.
Add another comment
