Radio Flyer (1992)

A father recounts a dark period of his childhood when he and his little brother lived in the suburbs.

Directors:

Richard Donner, David Mickey Evans (uncredited)

Writer:

David Mickey Evans (as David M. Evans)

Stars:

Lorraine Bracco, John Heard, Adam Baldwin

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lorraine Bracco	...	Mary
John Heard	...	Daugherty
Adam Baldwin	...	The King
Elijah Wood	...	Mike
Joseph Mazzello	...	Bobby
Ben Johnson	...	Geronimo Bill
Sean Baca	...	Fisher
Robert Munic	...	Older Fisher
Garette Ratliff Henson	...	Chad (as Garette Ratliff)
Thomas Ian Nicholas	...	Ferdie
Noah Verduzco	...	Victor Hernandez
Isaac Ocampo	...	Jorge Hernandez
Kaylan Romero	...	Jesus Hernandez
Abraham Verduzco	...	Carlos Hernandez
T.J. Evans	...	Big Raymond

Storyline

A father reminisces about his childhood when he and his younger brother moved to a new town with their mother, her new husband and their dog, Shane. When the younger brother is subjected to physical abuse at the hands of their brutal stepfather, Mike decides to convert their toy trolley, the "Radio Flyer", into a plane to fly him to safety.

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Plot Keywords:

radio flyer | physical abuse | stepfather stepson relationship | told in flashback | mother son relationship | 

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Taglines:

Somewhere inside every person...someplace inside every heart...is a power that turns fear into courage...and makes dreams take flight. ...Powered by imagination.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for theme (child abuse) and violence

Details

Official Sites:

The Joseph Mazzello Fan Page, Radio Flyer

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 February 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Força da Ilusão

Filming Locations:

Hamilton Air Base, Ignacio, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$4,651,977

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation,Stonebridge Entertainment,Donner/Shuler-Donner Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Elijah Wood and John Heard appeared with Macaulay Culkin in different films: Heard in Home Alone (1990), and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), and Wood in The Good Son (1993). Also, Thomas Ian Nicholas starred in Rookie of the Year (1993) with Daniel Stern, who played in the first two Home Alone movies as well.

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Goofs

When Mikey and Bobby are running through the sewer, both of them fall several times into the dirty sewage. However, there is no sign of grime or sewage on their clothes when they face the bullies.

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Quotes

[the King, completely drunk and furious, catches Mike and Bobby watching TV late at night]
The King: [furious] Hey! What are ya doin' up? Go to bed! Go to bed!
The King: [to Bobby] Not you!
Mike: Yeah, but...
The King: [cuts Mike off] Bobby, come here! Mikey, you go to bed. Bobby, you come here!
Mike: But I wanna stay...
The King: [cuts him off again] GO TO BED! Come here, Bobby. Come HERE! Come here.
[the King grabs and pulls Bobby towards him potentially to abuse him; Shane, the family dog, growls whilst Mikey cries]
The King: [yells] What did I tell ya? What ...
[...]

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Connections

Features Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)

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Soundtracks

The Name Game
Written by Lincoln Chase & Shirley Ellis

User Reviews

Seriously interesting slice of bittersweet magic realism

This bittersweet slice of magic realism had a checkered production history (director/writer replaced) and tanked at the box office, but it's a helluva film.

Elijah Wood and Joseph Mazzello are pre-teen brothers whose flaky mom (Lorraine Bracco) shacks up with a mean-spirited alcoholic (Adam Baldwin). During his drinking bouts, Baldwin physically abuses Mazzello and manipulates him into remaining silent about his situation. But when Wood cottons on to what's happening, the boys put their heads together and hatch a fantastique solution to Mazzello's devastating dilemma.

I love films that mix fantasy and dark reality. They are rarely successful financially ("Lawn Dogs" is a similar example), but they are usually original and intriguing.

The drunk Baldwin is shot from a low, child's perspective and his head is deliberately lopped off below the top of frame. This device allows us to judge him purely by his actions and as a totally physicalized beast. Both Wood and Mazzello are excellent, and they pull us effortlessly into their dark, frightening world.

The "radio flyer" of the title is a small red wagon kids transport their belongings in. Here it transports a dream.

Seriously interesting stuff.