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The Boy Who Could Fly (1986)

 -  Drama | Fantasy  -  15 August 1986 (USA)
6.2
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Ratings: 6.2/10 from 3,340 users  
Reviews: 31 user | 15 critic

An autistic boy who dreams of flying touches everyone he meets, including a new family who has moved in after their father dies.

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Title: The Boy Who Could Fly (1986)

The Boy Who Could Fly (1986) on IMDb 6.2/10

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3 wins & 5 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
Milly
...
Eric
...
...
Louis
...
Mrs. Sherman
...
Uncle Hugo
...
Geneva
Janet MacLachlan ...
Mrs. D'Gregario
Jennifer Michas ...
Mona
Michelle Bardeaux ...
Erin
Aura Pithart ...
Colette
...
Joe (as Cam Bancroft)
...
Gary (as Jason Priestly)
Chris Arnold ...
Sonny
Sean Kelso ...
Bad Boy
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Storyline

Charlene Michaelson, her two children - teen-aged Amelia 'Milly' Michaelson and precocious adolescent Louis Michaelson - and their dog Max move into a new house in a new neighborhood after the passing of Charlene's husband/the kids' father, Donald Michaelson. Beyond life without Donald, they are all nervous about starting a new life, which, for Charlene, means getting back into the workforce after thirteen years. Milly quickly settles into the neighborhood if only because she becomes fascinated with their next door neighbor, teen-aged Eric Gibb, who authorities believe is autistic. Orphaned Eric has never spoken a word, and without having been told about the incident, began to think he could fly at the exact moment his parents died in a plane crash. Many believe Eric's belief is because he felt he could thus save his parents. Eric's guardian is his dipsomaniac Uncle Hugo Gibb. Milly's high school teacher, Mrs. Carolyn Sherman, who used to be a special needs teacher, looks after Eric ... Written by Huggo

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Wish hard enough... love long enough... and anything's possible. See more »

Genres:

Drama | Fantasy

Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

15 August 1986 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Chlopiec który umial latac  »

Box Office

Gross:

$7,177,431 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Director 'Nick Castle' played Michael Myers (The Shape) in John Carpenter's 1978 horror, _Halloween (1978_). See more »

Goofs

Cables holding Eric can visibly be seen as he and Millie are falling off the roof of the school before they crash into Millie's mom. See more »

Quotes

Milly: I found out about the boy next door. His name's Eric Gibb. They think he's autistic.
Louis Michaelson: He's got some marbles loose, or what?
Milly: Well, they don't exactly know, but he's never spoken a word in his life and he doesn't like being around people. There's some institute that wants to come and take him away, but Mrs. Sherman says he's better off with his uncle. He's in my class at school. Mrs. Sherman, she used to teach those kinds of kids. She thinks that maybe being around normal people will help him, or ...
[...]
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Psych: Juliet Takes a Luvvah (2013) See more »

Soundtracks

"BACK OF THE BUS"
Music by Bruce Broughton
Lyrics and vocals by Nick Castle
See more »

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User Reviews

 
Lovely movie and there could be an interesting sequel
2 February 2009 | by (United Kingdom) – See all my reviews

Like other commentators before me I watched this film as a young man and it touched me. In fact it moved me to tears. Now I am older I am still touched by the simplicity of this film and yet it is complex in showing us that from adults to children we all have things to deal with. The reason why Eric Gibb could fly is the most touching of all and in case there are people who do not believe that it is possible for one to sense tragedy in one close to you, believe me it's real.

As I pen this comment I have just watched it again and cannot help but feel that even twenty years plus since this movie came out there is the scope for a sequel 'The Man who could fly' I am not talking about a TV series but a one off movie showing our stars meeting again in adult hood. Something to think about. I liked this movie and I would like to own it on DVD should it be released for the European audience.


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