Fly Away Home (1996)

Director:

Carroll Ballard

Writers (WGA):

Bill Lishman (autobiography)
Robert Rodat (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

13 September 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Family

Tagline:

A family of orphaned geese who lost their way. A 14 year old kid who will lead them home. To achieve the incredible, you have to attempt the impossible.

Plot:

A father and daughter decide to attempt to lead a flock of orphaned Canada Geese south by air.

Plot Keywords:

Geese | Canada | Death | New Zealand | Inventor

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 4 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Jeff Daniels	...	Thomas "Tom" Alden
Anna Paquin	...	Amy Alden
Dana Delany	...	Susan Barnes
Terry Kinney	...	David Alden
Holter Graham	...	Barry Stickland
Jeremy Ratchford	...	DNR Officer
Deborah Verginella	...	Amy's Mother
Michael J. Reynolds	...	General Hadfield
David Hemblen	...	Dr. Killian
Ken James	...	Developer
Nora Ballard	...	Jackie
Sarena Paton	...	Laura
Carmen Lishman	...	Older Girl
Christi Hill	...	Older Girl
Judith Orban	...	Teacher

Also Known As:

Father Goose
Flying Wild

MPAA:

Rated PG for an opening accident scene and some mild language.

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS (8 channels) | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG (certificate no. 34000) | Iceland:L | Australia:PG | South Korea:All | Philippines:G | Argentina:Atp | Belgium:KT | Canada:G | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Germany:o.Al. (bw) | Netherlands:AL | Portugal:M/6 | Singapore:G | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Auckland, New Zealand

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The song "10,000 Miles" is originally an 18th Century folk ballad. It was recorded by Mary Chapin Carpenter specifically for this movie, and was subsequently released on her CD "Party Doll and Other Favorites" (1999)

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: When Thomas Alden runs outside in his underwear, a defect in the window pane looks like some kind of fake coverup.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Thomas Alden: Amy? It's your dad.
Amy Alden: Dad?
Thomas Alden: I came down from Canada. I've come to take you home.
Amy Alden: Where's Mom?
Thomas Alden: Um...
Amy Alden: Mum died, didn't she?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Duck (2005)

Soundtrack:

Yakety Axe

If you don't like family films, watch this instead

People always seem to quote this movie as perfect family fair. I hate your typical Hollywood-produced family movie with ingratiatingly saccharine kids and perfect parents-with-a-message. Despite its plucked from the headlines (mostly) true story roots and workmanlike, rather than inspired scripting, this movie manages to transcend that due to a number of factors.

Beautiful cinematography of both the geese and southern Ontario. Decent supporting performances. But mostly due to the perfectly cast leads, Jeff Daniels and Anna Paquin, as the estranged father and daughter.

Everyone says Daniels is underrated, so I guess that means he isn't. He manages to make the father eccentric without ever falling into caricature.

Paquin creates a believable teen character, never straying from truth in favour of evoking our sympathy by being cute. Her naturalistic style of acting sometimes seems out of place with other more studied actors (e.g. the almost unwatchable Hurlyburly) but here she and Daniels and the minimal dialogue of the script work so well. Its about time someone gave her another decent lead role.

Finally, the opening credits sequence is a masterclass in storytelling economy, giving us the plot background without words, and setting up the whole downbeat tone of the movie with Mary Chapin Carpenter's haunting version of 10,000 Miles.