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| Much more than a victory story, Radio reminds us that behind every triumph is a tough choice -- a risky choice, a right choice, an often misunderstood choice -- that has the potential to effect extraordinary change. Review by Jenn Wright. |
(2003) Film Review by Jenn and Greg Wright |
| This page was created on October 20, 2003
This page was last updated on
October 31, 2003
—Review by Gregg and Jenn Wright
—Review by Mike Furches
—Trailers, Photos
—About this Film
—Spiritual Connections
—Forum
Dial up modems will take a few moments |
| CREDITS |
| Directed by Michael Tollin
Screenplay by Mike Rich
Magazine article by Gary Smith
Cast (in credits order)
Cuba Gooding Jr. .... James Robert 'Radio' Kennedy
Ed Harris .... Coach Harold Jones
Riley Smith .... Johnny Clay
Sarah Drew .... Mary Helen Jones
rest of cast listed alphabetically
James Barrett .... Barbershop/Townsfolk
James Barrett .... High School Student
Joseph E.G. Barrett .... Autograph Kid
Bert Beatson .... Player in Locker Room
Leslea Fisher .... Cheerleader
Craig S. Harper .... Westside High School Head Football Coach
Jim Keisler .... Barbershop/Townsfolk
Lynda Keisler .... Townsfolk
S. Epatha Merkerson .... Maggie
Chris Mulkey .... Frank Clay
Lindy Newton .... Cheerleader
Eynne Ray .... Hanna Fan
Bill Roberson .... Del
Riley Quinn Scott
Brent Sexton .... Honeycut
Nickie Thomas .... Hanna Fan
Debra Winger .... Linda Jones
Alfre Woodard .... Principal
Produced by
Herb Gains .... producer
Todd Garner .... executive producer
Jordan Leibert .... line producer
Brian Robbins .... producer
Caitlin Scanlon .... executive producer
Michael Tollin .... producer
Original Music by James Horner
Cinematography by Don Burgess
Film Editing by Chris Lebenzon
MPAA: Rated PG for mild language and thematic elements.
Runtime: 109 min
For rating reasons, go to FILMRATINGS.COM, and MPAA.ORG.
Parents, please refer to PARENTALGUIDE.ORG |
| TRAILERS AND CLIPS |
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| SYNOPSIS |
 From the writer of The Rookie comes a dramatic and moving story inspired by events in the life of "Radio," a man who made an enduring impact on the lives of all those around him.
Radio focuses on the mentoring relationship between a high school football coach (Ed Harris) and Radio (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), known as "the same as everybody else, just a little slower than most," and how their unique friendship ultimately transforms the conservative attitudes of a small South Carolina town
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 Review by
JENN WRIGHT
Contributing Editor
Jenn is a writer with degrees in literature and theology. She will be co-writing the Narnia coverage for Hollywood Jesus, which will be debuting the summer of 2004 in anticipation of the first movie's 2005 release. |
 It's never wrong to care about somebody. These words, though spoken only once in the course of the movie, are certainly indelibly imprinted on this film, a moving
fusion of integrity, art, and heart. Director Michael Tollin, with the unsurpassed performances of Ed Harris and Cuba Gooding, Jr., brings us gently into the worlds of two very different souls, and doesn't let us go until we understand them. Radio, a disabled man in a small South Carolina town, becomes the center of controversy for a number of reasons -- a position from which he is able to teach the townsfolk (and the audience) a lesson or two about living.
The theme of sacrifice couldn't be less subtle if it were painted in block letters across the movie screen. Not that all the sacrifices are noble or worthy or right, but the idea of sacrificing something in order to obtain something else courses through the movie, ultimately bringing our attention to the nature of sacrifice in its truest form.
 There are several sacrifices in the story. Coach Harold Jones sacrifices a bit of his dignity, a bit of his competitive spirit, to befriend Radio (and to try to atone for past mistakes). Jones' wife and daughter sacrifice to the High School Football god their intimacy with the sport-consumed coach. The football team sacrifices some ego, and no small amount of disciplinary sweat.  The
community sacrifices their all-important hopes for a state football championship.
But there is one sacrifice made in the movie that has nothing to do with gaining -- and everything to do with losing. After Radio is tricked into a monumental transgression, and faces any one of a number of disciplinary actions, he has the opportunity to absolve himself and bring the real trickster to justice. Instead, Radio (for the first time since he started talking!) shuts his mouth, and protects the guilty party -- willingly accepting punishment he does not deserve.
 Remind you of Anyone?
"God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Cor. 5:21, NIV)
Much more than a victory story, Radio reminds us that behind every triumph is a tough choice -- a risky choice, a right choice, an often misunderstood choice -- that has the potential to effect extraordinary change.
Turn up the volume on this Radio!
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| A TALK WITH MICHAEL TOLLIN -- by Greg Wright |
Dig, dig, dig. Sitting down at round-table interviews with Hollywood stars and directors is an odd thing -- particularly when the interviewers are members of the religious press. A different line of questioning is clearly enjoyable for those being interviewed; but at times, it must also be perplexing.
 During a recent Radio press junket in New York City, one line of questioning for Cuba Gooding, Jr., Sarah Drew (Mary Helen Jones) and director Michael Tollin, had to do with the film's deleted scenes. Syndicated columnist Terry Mattingly wanted to know if, like The Rookie, Radio spawned myriad discussions among the production team about how to portray the personal
beliefs of the principal real-life characters upon whom the story is based. In the case of The Rookie, the Christian faith of Jimmy Morris was deliberately downplayed. Was the same true in the case of Radio? It was a reasonable question, as both movies are "based on actual events" -- and both were written by Mike Rich.
 As it turned out, the process of bringing Radio to the screen seems to be a different story. Sarah Drew, making her screen debut as the daughter of Coach Jones (Ed Harris), is new to Hollywood and press junkets, and was completely guileless and transparent in interviews. While she was not aware of efforts to downplay Radio's faith, she did spill the beans that one of her favorite
cut scenes took place in Radio's home church.
 Director Tollin explained that this was but one of "several great scenes" cut from the movie. "Every scene is a child, in a funny kind of way," he said. "When you get into the cutting room and the movie's twice what it has to end up being, you start 'killing off your children,'" as it were. "It's brutal," he continued. "And you don't necessarily make the judgment based on the merits
of the individual scenes." Instead, he said, decisions are made based on what's best for the story - what's best for the audience, based on what the movie is really about.
Moviegoers will have noticed that race doesn't play much of a role in Radio's story - despite the fact that Radio is black, and Coach Jones is white; despite the fact that the story takes place in small-town South Carolina; and despite the fact the it is set in 1976. The reason? To focus on Radio's race in a meaningful manner would detract from the real story of Radio, which is disability, not race. Similarly, the movie isn't specifically about Radio's faith.
Nonetheless, Radio is black, and he's a Christian -- so those influences are felt in the movie, though they are not in the fore. "That's all based on reality," asserted Tollin, who "went to church with [Radio] several times." So it was natural to incorporate scenes with Radio in and around his church. At the same time, Radio is no documentary, like other of Tollin's films. It's a fictional film based on real people, which means "doing things on a different level" while "having
a chance to reach more people. But I still bring that ethic of being respectful and responsible," Tollin emphasized. "And if you're going to tap into reality, you really have to kind of pay attention" -- not only "to the details," said Tollin, but the big picture. And the church scene just didn't play well in the big picture.
 Besides, Tollin indicated that there were other ways to make spiritual themes resonate in the production. For the song which plays over the closing credits, for instance, Tollin recruited the talents of singer India.Arie. "I asked for her," Tollin grinned during the interview, "and she chose us. She was at the top of our list." Her collaboration with James Horner pleased Tollin immensely.
"Not only do I love her voice and her music but I love the spirit and the content" of her songs. "I had input into the choice of her, and then after she watched the movie, she and I spent quite a bit of time" discussing the themes. "What's the movie about? What's the message? What's the spirit of it? I surely didn't write the lyrics with her," Tollin concluded, but it was easy to see that the lyrics grew directly out of Radio's story and faith.
 Arie debuted the song while touring this summer, singing it as part of a thoughtful acoustic set which included a version of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song." The Seattle Post-Intelligencer described the new song for Radio as "a paean to brotherhood that said love starts with the heart, not the eyes, and therefore one should learn to see with the 'Eyes of the Heart.'"
Is this true to the beliefs of the real Radio? The only way to tell for sure would be to ask him. If the film is any indicator of Radio's real spirit, I can only guess that his most likely response would be a huge grin and a hug.
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