 "Photo: Photo Courtesy of Columbia Pictures")
RADIO: A local high school football coach takes a withdrawn, mentally challenged man who goes by the name of Radio under his wing. In the process, Radio transforms into a jovial and very talkative young man, but more importantly, the entire town is changed by the presence of this miraculous person. Now playing at Circle Cinemas and AMC Fenway.t Circle Cinemas and AMC Fenway 13.
The previews for this film would lead the prospective viewer to believe that the focus is on football as well as the relationship between Coach Jones (Ed Harris) and Radio (Cuba Gooding Jr.). For those viewers who are passionate about the sport, be prepared that this is not the focus. The plot extends well beyond the football season. Based strictly on the previews, it can be assumed that the movie is about Radio helping a coach during the football season. The movie is exactly the opposite: It is the coach and the team who aid Radio in becoming an integral part of this small community.
In his role as Radio, Cuba Gooding Jr. pushes his versatility as an Academy Award-winning actor one step further. From the opening scene, Gooding shows that he has the discipline as an actor to undertake this very concentrated and challenging role. The challenge lies in disguising this focus and acting lovable and extremely naïve. Gooding immerses himself in his character. Even before Radio becomes a vocal personality, Gooding's physical actions reveal the persona of the character whom the audience gets to know and love. It is evident that Gooding studied the true-life counterpart and brought this real life human being into the film. Gooding's acting is enough to conceal the fallacies that appear in the movie.
These fallacies exist in dealing with the foremost issues in the film. In making a film that deals with a difficult topic such as mental retardation, the issue is somewhat candy-coated. If a viewer is interested in just the pleasure factor of a movie, it will prove to be euphoric. Looking critically at the film, some events seem somewhat Hollywooditized. The film, based on a true story, takes place in South Carolina in the 1970s. Although it is amazing that in this time period an entire town, entirely ignorant of mental retardation, completely embraces Radio in the span of months, which was the case in the Radio's story, the movie fails to address more of the hardships that were involved in the underlying story.
Another key factor overlooked is that Radio is an African-American man. It is phenomenal that an entire town in the south embraces not only a mentally challenged man, but a black man as well. The film is set during a time when racism was still prevalent in the south, but the issue of race is never addressed, although it was certainly a central issue in Radio's story.
The film demonstrates how life should be led. The sheer lack of racism and total acceptance makes the movie appealing to the modern audience, yet it is a bit sugarcoated. Jones, while an admirable character, is also portrayed fancifully. He befriends and becomes a paternal figure for the young man.
The audience can only hope to be as compassionate and charitable as Jones. However, Jones already has a child, a daughter who he has spent years neglecting. Somehow, his daughter, witnessing her father's relationship with Radio, forgives him for the years of inattention. Human relationships are not this simple.
The movie should bring a smile to each viewer's face. It is enjoyable and heartwarming, but when the viewer is left to reflect on the movie, it is evident that there are major faults. If the audience is willing to look beyond the imperfections, they will witness a truly phenomenal performance by Gooding and will find new respect for the actor.
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