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IMDbPro

The Boy Who Could Fly

  • 19861986
  • PGPG
  • 1h 54m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
6.1K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
8,331
432
Lucy Deakins in The Boy Who Could Fly (1986)
Official Trailer
Play trailer1:40
1 Video
40 Photos
DramaFantasyRomance
An autistic boy who dreams of flying touches everyone he meets, including a new family who has moved in after their father dies.An autistic boy who dreams of flying touches everyone he meets, including a new family who has moved in after their father dies.An autistic boy who dreams of flying touches everyone he meets, including a new family who has moved in after their father dies.
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
6.1K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
8,331
432
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Nick Castle
    • Writer
      • Nick Castle
    • Stars
      • Lucy Deakins
      • Jay Underwood
      • Bonnie Bedelia
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Nick Castle
    • Writer
      • Nick Castle
    • Stars
      • Lucy Deakins
      • Jay Underwood
      • Bonnie Bedelia
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 41User reviews
    • 15Critic reviews
    • 67Metascore
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 5 nominations

    Videos1

    The Boy Who Could Fly
    Trailer 1:40
    The Boy Who Could Fly

    Photos40

    The Boy Who Could Fly (1986)
    The Boy Who Could Fly (1986)
    The Boy Who Could Fly (1986)
    The Boy Who Could Fly (1986)
    Jay Underwood and Lucy Deakins in The Boy Who Could Fly (1986)
    Fred Savage in The Boy Who Could Fly (1986)
    Mindy Cohn and Lucy Deakins in The Boy Who Could Fly (1986)
    Jay Underwood in The Boy Who Could Fly (1986)
    Jay Underwood and Lucy Deakins in The Boy Who Could Fly (1986)
    Fred Savage, Bonnie Bedelia, Jay Underwood, and Lucy Deakins in The Boy Who Could Fly (1986)
    Jay Underwood and Lucy Deakins in The Boy Who Could Fly (1986)
    Louise Fletcher in The Boy Who Could Fly (1986)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Lucy Deakins
    Lucy Deakins
    • Milly
    Jay Underwood
    Jay Underwood
    • Eric
    Bonnie Bedelia
    Bonnie Bedelia
    • Charlene
    Fred Savage
    Fred Savage
    • Louis
    Colleen Dewhurst
    Colleen Dewhurst
    • Mrs. Sherman
    Fred Gwynne
    Fred Gwynne
    • Uncle Hugo
    Mindy Cohn
    Mindy Cohn
    • Geneva
    Janet MacLachlan
    Janet MacLachlan
    • Mrs. D'Gregario
    Jennifer Michas
    • Mona
    Michelle Bardeaux
    Michelle Bardeaux
    • Erin
    Aura Pithart
    • Colette
    Cameron Bancroft
    Cameron Bancroft
    • Joe
    • (as Cam Bancroft)
    Jason Priestley
    Jason Priestley
    • Gary
    • (as Jason Priestly)
    Chris Arnold
    • Sonny
    Sean Kelso
    • Bad Boy
    Meredith Bain Woodward
    Meredith Bain Woodward
    • Female Administrator
    • (as Meredith B. Woodward)
    Raimund Stamm
    • Attendant #1
    Dan Zale
    • Attendant #2
    • Director
      • Nick Castle
    • Writer
      • Nick Castle
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Fred Savage's film debut.
    • 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.
    • Quotes

      Bad Boy: So you thought you could make it around the block?

      [Louis pulls out a water pistol]

      Bad Boy: Oh, so now I'm supposed to be scared of a water pistol?

      Louis Michaelson: There ain't no water in this gun.

      Bad Boy: So what's in it?

      Louis Michaelson: Piss!

    • Alternate versions
      The Disney Channel version of this film that aired in 1987 had been edited. Some scenes had been edited down or taken out, and the bad language had been dubbed. Also at the end of the program the star Jay Underwood gave a special message to young viewers telling them not to try anything they saw him perform in the film. He explained that they had special wires attached to him to make it look as though he could fly.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Runaway Bride/The Iron Giant/Twin Falls Idaho/Deep Blue Sea/Genghis Blues (1999)
    • Soundtracks
      Walkin' On Air
      Written and Performed by Stephen Bishop

    User reviews41

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    A warm and poignant tale.
    In an atmosphere of fantasy, the movie explores several real human issues. The story centers on a mother (Bonnie Bedelia), her young teenage daughter (Lucy Deakins), and her pre-teen son (Fred Savage) as they struggle to cope after the beloved father's sudden passing. Their grief is intensified by the manner of his death and their almost immediately having to adjust to a new life, a new home, a new neighborhood, and for the kids, a new school and new friends. Into this mix enters Eric (Jay Underwood), the apparently autistic teenage boy next door, who is coping with demons of his own as a result of his parents' sudden death in an airplane crash. So grief is involved, and adjustment, and trying to fit in, and acceptance of human differences, and courage, and love - love within a family group and among people, as well as real boy/girl love. Writer-director Nick Castle deals with these issues with respectful sensitivity, as does the excellent ensemble cast of Lucy Deakins, Jay Underwood, Bonnie Bedelia, Fred Savage, Colleen Dewhurst, Fred Gwynne, and Mindy Cohn. That fantasy might be important to plot movement shouldn't be surprising, considering the movie's title. However, whether that fantasy is allegorical or real, or both, is in the eyes of the beholder. In any case, it's a warm and poignant tale, and it deserves a high place in the literature of motion pictures.
    helpful•21
    1
    • gkearns
    • May 16, 2000

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 15, 1986 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Der Knabe, der fliegen konnte
    • Filming locations
      • Bloedel Floral Conservatory, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    • Production companies
      • Lorimar Film Partners
      • Lorimar Motion Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $7,177,431
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $204,461
      • Aug 17, 1986
    • Gross worldwide
      • $7,177,431
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 54 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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