The Boy Who Could Fly (1986)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Nick Castle

Writer:

Nick Castle (writer)

Release Date:

15 August 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Fantasy

Tagline:

Between a silent boy and a beautiful girl lies an amazing secret.

Plot:

Milly and Lewis, and their recently-widowed mom, Charlene, move to a new neighborhood. Once there, they all deal with a variety of personal problems...

Plot Keywords:

Boy | Flying | Rooftop | Neighbor | Alcoholic

Awards:

3 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Lucy Deakins	...	Milly Michaelson
Jay Underwood	...	Eric Gibb
Bonnie Bedelia	...	Charlene Michaelson
Fred Savage	...	Louis Michaelson
Colleen Dewhurst	...	Mrs. Sherman
Fred Gwynne	...	Uncle Hugo Gibb
Mindy Cohn	...	Geneva
Janet MacLachlan	...	Mrs. D'Gregario
Jennifer Michas	...	Mona
Michelle Bardeaux	...	Erin
Aura Pithart	...	Colette
Cameron Bancroft	...	Joe (as Cam Bancroft)
Jason Priestley	...	Gary (as Jason Priestly)
Chris Arnold	...	Sonny
Sean Kelso	...	Bad Boy

Runtime:

114 min | UK:107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Finland:K-10 | UK:PG | USA:PG (certificate #28073) | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Butchart Gardens, Brentwood Bay, Central Saanich, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Lorimar Productions

Trivia:

Nick Castle has cited the film 'Dumbo (1941)' as his primary inspiration for this film.

Movie Connections:

References St. Elmo's Fire (1985)

Soundtrack:

WALKIN' ON AIR

They don't make 'em like this anymore.

I'm so tired of modern family movies full of fart jokes or movies where teenagers make love to pastries and it's supposed to be funny and then they staple on some superficial message at the end in an attempt to be poignant and balance out all the trash that came before. Every other week we are tortured with some nonsense of this calibre and whenever I wish for a movie that stands out from the crowd I have to go back in time and consider some overlooked gem. The Boy Who Could Fly is exactly that.

The characters seem so real and their emotions genuine, it builds at a slow pace but it never gets boring and story development is consistent. This is not a ferociously loud summer crowd-pleaser or something bloated with pointless SFX. Very few movies have the power to make a whole story out of characters and situation alone without feeling the need for some ridiculous set piece or blaring thrash metal guitars.

In fact Bruce Broughton's score is the wonderful opposite of that. The performances, especially the two leads, are flawless and the direction is far more refined than the typical. Everything in this movie comes together perfectly to make a film so unique and charming. If you have lost your faith in the current dreck that graces our screens and if you want a family movie with some meaning and subtext then check this out. And keep an eye out for director John Carpenter as on of the Coupe De Villes.

The DVD is in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen and in Dolby 2.0. It has an introduction by Jay Underwood and director Nick (Michael Myers) Castle, they also feature in a commentary with Lucy Deakins and Fred Savage.