The Mighty (1998)

This tells the story of a strong friendship between a young boy with Morquio's syndrome and an older boy who is always bullied because of his size. Adapted from the novel, Freak the Mighty,... See full summary »

Director:

Peter Chelsom

Writers:

Rodman Philbrick (novel), Charles Leavitt (screenplay)

Stars:

Harry Dean Stanton, Elden Henson, Kieran Culkin

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Grim
Gena Rowlands	...	Gram
Elden Henson	...	Maxwell Kane
Douglas Bisset	...	Homeless Man
Joseph Perrino	...	Blade (as Joe Perrino)
Dov Tiefenbach	...	Doghouse Boy #1
Michael Colton	...	Doghouse Boy #2
Daniel Lee	...	Doghouse Boy #3
Eve Crawford	...	Mrs. Donelli
Kieran Culkin	...	Kevin Dillon
Sharon Stone	...	Gwen Dillon
John Bourgeois	...	Mr. Sacker
Bruce Tubbe	...	Officer
Rudy Webb	...	Mr. Hampton
Ron Nigrini	...	Man in Diner

Storyline

This tells the story of a strong friendship between a young boy with Morquio's syndrome and an older boy who is always bullied because of his size. Adapted from the novel, Freak the Mighty, the film explores a building of trust and friendship. Kevin, an intelligent guy helps out Maxwell to improve his reading skills. In return, Kevin wants Maxwell to take him out places since he is not allowed out unauthorized. Being the social outcasts of the town, Kevin and Maxwell come to realize that they are similar to each other and accept that they are "freaks" and nothing will stop them.

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Plot Keywords:

friendship | tutor | knight | quest | books | 

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Taglines:

The quest for friendship is the noblest cause of all.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for elements of violence and peril

Details

Official Sites:

Bac Films [France] (French) Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 October 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Freak the Mighty

Filming Locations:

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£14,104 (UK) (25 December 1998)

Gross:

£14,104 (UK) (25 December 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chaos Productions, Jane Startz Productions, Miramax Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The trailer features two scenes not used in the final film: Max playing with one of Kevin's toys and Kevin getting a computer on Christmas.

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Goofs

Geoff Alexander is credited as conductor twice.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Maxwell Kane: [narrating] It was Freak who told me about King Arthur. How he got this round table, and how he got the bravest knights, and the whole world to sit at that table. You will be brothers, said King Arthur. And you will fight for all those who ask for help. You will be gentle to the weak, but terrible to the wicked. It was Freak who told me about King Arthur. It was Freak who told me everything.

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Connections

References Star Trek (1966)

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Soundtracks

"Strip Bar Style"
Written and Performed by Peter Haycock
Courtesy of Ark 21 Records

User Reviews

Loved every minute

This movie was great and I'd encourage anyone to see it. Both of the young actors are fantastic, especially Eldon Henson, and the adults in the movie are pretty good, too. Gillian Anderson and Henson have a really beautiful moment at a bus stop near the end. I also cried at one point quite a lot. It really was an amazing movie and deserves some praise.