Had "Radio" been made 10 years ago, I'm sure Michael Landon and Victor French would have been cast as the small-town football coaches.
Why?
Because this true story is like any episode of "Highway to Heaven," always trying to make you reach for that box of tissues.
Football coach Harold Jones' (Ed Harris) own reasoning for befriending Radio (Cuba Gooding Jr.) is so oddly placed and discussed in this movie, which is supposed to be a true story, that I wonder just how true it is.
In case you are unfamiliar with this flick, "Radio" is the story of a man who is mentally disabled. His father is dead and his mother must work long hours at the hospital, leaving Radio on his own. Jones becomes friends with him after some of his football players decide to scare him. The friendship changes Radio's shy nature and turns him into a popular member of the community.
The attempt to make you care about these characters is way over the top. So much is put on the relationship between Jones and Radio that you get tired of his constant rescues from predicaments. Even Jones' speech at the end of the film sounds like it was lifted from some made for television flick on the Lifetime Network.
There also are the stereotypical barbershop scenes. After every game, the men meet up at the barbershop, where they discuss the season and upcoming games, as if the town were Mayberry. There is no sense that this is a true story. Instead, the townspeople are one-dimensional characters who don't add anything to the story.
This is director Michael Tollin's first commercial hit after a career of directing in television. Outside of the sappy story, he does an excellent job of filming high-energy football scenes and then cutting to the more dramatic scenes.
Harris deserves credit for his performance, and Gooding does as well. The two actors worked well together despite the differences in the body of their work. Harris has made some great and popular films like "Pollock" and "Enemy at the Gates," but Gooding has yet to really capture the public's imagination since his role in the overrated "Jerry Maguire."
Gooding has yet to live up to the hype and the Oscar he received for best supporting catch phrase. It's obvious he can't carry a film by himself (can someone please explain "Boat Trip" to me?). His most successful films have been ensemble casts, like "As Good As It Gets."
But seeing actor Brent Sexton as Honeycutt was great. He has played mostly goons and security guards and did nothing out of the ordinary in his role. But if you have ever played high school sports, the large and imposing figure of the assistant football coach is burnt into your memory. Sexton embodies that with his magnificent girth and push-broom mustache.
The final scene of the film shows the real Jones and Radio. The scenes are intercut, showing Radio with the real high school team and hugging Jones. This was probably the most genuinely touching scene of the flick.
"Radio" is an okay family film. Sure, you might get sick on the sweet center, but it's better than standing in line for 20 minutes to see an overblown special effects movie you won't understand.
