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As Good As It Gets

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

"Radio" may be based on a truthful, inspiring story but that only goes so far. It just doesn't seem to me like this was the kind of story that ultimately lends itself to a movie; or if it does this was not the way to do it. It's the story of James Robert "Radio" Kennedy (played by Cuba Gooding Jr.), a mentally disable young man who is fascinated by radios and football and is taken under the wing of the local football team's coach (Ed Harris as Coach Jones).What I really disliked about this movie was that the people here don't feel like people. Now I know that this film is based on true events and all, but it's like the details have been fudged left and right in order to make the film universally appealing. In trying to make it so soft and cuddly, it appeals to no one but the most undiscriminating audience that loves anything football-related. The titular character feels like a Hollywood stereotype of a mentally challenged man: he can do no wrong, is always sweet, is loved by everyone (well, except for the one dimensional villain) and has no personality whatsoever. When he is included in the behind-the-scenes of the school football team he feels more like a pet or a mascot than a real person and the film never really focuses on him, following Ed Harris' character Coach Jones instead of going about the more challenging task of showing us what this town really saw in James Robert Kennedy and giving him a real personality with flaws and all. There is also something off-putting about the fact that the people in the town very rarely call him by his actual name, instead calling him by his given nickname of "Radio" and that we never see any portrayal of the man's brother in the film, almost as if he refused to be included.Overall it does pull at your heartstrings and will likely get some sensitive audiences emotionally involved but the plot is the same one you have seen before: the misunderstood misfit shows the rest of the world that it's important to be more caring and understanding. Oh, if we could just set aside our differences and see those poor outcasts for what they really are: beautiful people that just seem weird on the outside…. well then we could all learn a bit from them and become more beautiful and caring human beings ourselves. This recycled plot combined with the stock villain and the forced, emotionally manipulative story (manipulative to the point where some characters turn into cartoonish villains or saints whenever convenient) that there isn't much to recommend here except for some good performances. (On DVD, November 1, 2012)

The movie Radio inspired by true events takes place in 1976 show the love and compassion a local high school football team and eventually the entire town shows to a young handicapped man that was once tormented by the players of the Anderson High School football team. Coach Harold Jones is played by Ed Harris. While James Robert Kennedy is played by Cuba Gooding Jr. The setting for this movie is Anderson, South Carolina. In the beginning of the movie you see "Radio" pushing his cart through out town marching to the beat of his on drum. Through out this time the movie jumps to the football practice that is taken place during the opening credits. The movie takes no time jumping into the hard and emotional scene of seeing Radio tied up in the equipment shed as the football team tortures him. There is no clear cut reason for the team torturing Radio but you do see an interaction between Radio and a player in the beginning of the movie that could hint to the reason why the players decided to torment him. Coach Jones realizes that his team is up to no good to only find Radio tied up in the shed. Coach Jones then takes Radio home to his mother where he finds out about Radio's past and that he is intellectually disabled. Coach Jones and Radio begin spending more time together, which eventually leads to Radio helping out with the football team and joining high school for the first time in his life. Radio receives his nickname from Coach Jones essentially for the simple fact that he is often seen listening to the radio, as well as collecting radios and fixing them.Radio is accepted as a part of the football team and is loved by the town. This is a very warming experience since the town was not very accepting of Radio being a part of the football in the beginning. Cuba Gooding Jr. does an amazing job encompassing the role as Radio. His acting abilities were truly put to the test with this movie and he passed with flying colors. During the closing credits there is actual video of James Robert Kennedy (Radio) and the viewer could hardly tell the difference between the two. Ed Harris also does an amazing job of playing a compassionate yet hardnosed coach that is essential to completing this movie. This movie is very moving and emotional. There is a lot of highs and lows through out but at the end it will leave the viewer feeling good and uplifted.

So here's the deal: Radio is a great movie. The true story of Radio illustrates how a mentally handicapped man transforms from being an outcast to the inspiration of the cities football team. Now most people won't take my word for it since the only thing you know about me is my internet name on IMDb. Now Shakespeare might disagree, but I understand, I wouldn't trust anyone on just their name, because "what's in a name?" So give me a chance and I will prove to you why Radio is a great movie.There are several aspects of the movie that obviously stand out to any audience and one of those is acting. Some people might not know that Cuba Gooding Jr. does not have autism, without outside knowledge it would be impossible to tell. In fact he is a perfectly normal, playing other roles in movies like Pearl Harbor and Red Tails. It is important that this be made clear to truly grasp the acting abilities of Cuba Gooding Jr. Mainly due to his incredible acting, Radio's true story was perfectly conveyed. Ed Harris, who played Coach Jones, also gave a spectacular performance, adapting to Radio's changing character. Throughout the progression of the movie, both of these characters relate and portray a building relationship, making it an extremely realistic cinema. One of the next features that make this movie great is the directing skills Michael Tolin brought to the table. Now you probably haven't heard of him mostly because this movie was one his only big hits. But let's overlook that for now and focus on what it takes to make a great director. I believe in the case of a true story, a great director's job is to be like a chef. He is to combine an adequate mixture of true events and sprinkle in parts that are simply for the audience's entertainment. Since the story has already happened the director cannot change that part of the recipe, leaving the entertainment for him to create. Now this is not necessarily an easy job, take the simple, super-short plot of Radio as an example: The story of how a mentally retarded man journey's from complete isolation to being the main focus of an entire town. My goal for this statement is not to offend anyone but to simply establish that without the 'splash of entertainment' this plot would not make for a good movie. Therefore, I say all of this to ascertain that Michael Tolin came through, pulling a delicious pastry from the oven. He created a blend of touching emotions and 'manly' football, great for all types of audiences. Now some might say that this movie is predictable or not even realistic. Well unless you have a glass ball and consider yourself a psychic then there is no way to predict the movie. I will agree that at a first glance Radio may seem cliché, and I can see how you would think that since it is based on football (and most football movies are almost all the same). But Radio is different, it includes a great story and plot that takes place off the football field and therefore as a whole the movie is extremely original. To the people that might claim that Radio is not realistic, the last scene of the movie explained clearly it was a true story. So I don't know how much more realistic a movie can be than a true story. I give this movie ten stars and I hope that you agree with my thoughts that Radio is in fact a great movie, and who knows, maybe Shakespeare was wrong all along.

Radio was a movie I had heard mixed things about, but because I'm such a huge fan of Cuba Gooding, I of course checked it out. I adore Ed Harris so watching him and Cuba act alongside each other was a treat to watch. Radio I suppose is a predictable piece of sentimentality, but the way it's done is wonderful. I have worked with people who are mentally challenged and ever since then, I have grown to understand and deal with them with patience, so while I was watching the story unfold, I couldn't help but feel emotion for Radio. I really don't understand how Cuba Gooding earned a razzy for his performance here, I felt it was Oscar worthy!. I really feel Radio is a nice feel-good story of a kid that's mentally challenged being accepted by the society that he is living in, and becoming a legend in his own right. Maybe people won't love it as much as I did, but if you've worked with these kinds of kids perhaps you'd understand why I got into this as much as I did.Performances. Cuba Gooding gives yet again a fantastic performance. This should have revived his career, but instead he's doing many crappy DTV movies now, which is very sad with a man of his caliber of talent. He feels mentally challenged, looks mentally challenged, it really was a phenomenal performance. Ed Harris is just as good. His character isn't as hard to play, but he has a lot of heart and his character was just as important.Bottom line. Radio is a great piece of sentimentality, and it's bound to jerk a few tears or two, see it.9/10