The Boy Who Could Fly (1986)

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

Director:

Nick Castle

Writer:

Nick Castle

Stars:

Lucy Deakins, Jay Underwood, Bonnie Bedelia

3 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lucy Deakins	...	Milly
Jay Underwood	...	Eric
Bonnie Bedelia	...	Charlene
Fred Savage	...	Louis
Colleen Dewhurst	...	Mrs. Sherman
Fred Gwynne	...	Uncle Hugo
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

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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

autism | punishment | gender in title | nightmare | school | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Theatrical film debut of Jason Priestley.

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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.

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Quotes

Milly: What do you know about Eric? Have you ever seen him do anything weird?
Geneva: That;s all I've ever seen him do.
Milly: No, I mean really weird.
Geneva: Dinky Patterson told me something weird about him once.
Milly: Who's Dinky Patterson?
Geneva: Dinky lived here before you; had your room. Anyway, Dinky used to get really annoyed with Eric climbing around outside his window. So, one day, he took his BB gun, stuffed the barrel with wet Kleenex and started shooting at Eric.
Milly: That's real sweet.
Geneva: He said he kept it up for about an hour, but ...
[...]

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Alternate Versions

The Disney Channel version of this film that aired in the late 1980's 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.

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Connections

References Dumbo (1941)

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Soundtracks

Walkin' On Air
Written and Performed by Stephen Bishop

User Reviews

Uplifting tale of friendship

There are few films the go beyond the realms of reality, yet hit so close to home. Such is the case with this film. I could immediately identify with Milly. She is a down to earth girl who was alone and wanted to believe in a boy who was as lonely (if not more) as she was. But little did she suspect that his story would be one that would go beyond all of her wildest dreams. This movie is very rare in today's movie market, a wholesome and innocent film that is a pleasure to watch again and again. One of the most beautiful scenes to me is when she reaches for a rare white rose with one pink petal and as she climbes the railing (the only thing gaurding her from a deep gorge) Eric immediatly grabs her arm, concerned for her safety. The love is really there in his eyes. Wonderful film that illustrates the forbidden lines between reality and the incredible.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 August 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Boy Who Could Fly

Filming Locations:

Bloedel Floral Conservatory, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$204,461, 17 August 1986

Gross USA:

$7,177,431

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$7,177,431

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lorimar Productions, Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1