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

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Mazzello, the younger brother of Joseph Mazzello, appears as a school boy extra and Hannah Wood, the younger sister of Elijah Wood, appears as a school girl extra.

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Goofs

When Bobby and Mikey's family first arrive at their new house in California, the king rips off the sign by the door that says "The Marshalls" (at around 50 mins). The sign reappears in the next shot and then disappears again when the king comes back out.

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Quotes

Older Mike: From that moment on, I realized Bobby was my responsibility.

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Connections

Features Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)

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Soundtracks

Cliffhanger II
(from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang)
Written by Richard M. Sherman (as Richard Sherman) & Robert B. Sherman (as Robert Sherman)

User Reviews

Elijah Wood and Joseph Mazzello,such bright young talents!

Sure this movie is kind of unrealistic and sometimes boring but all in all it's a very sweet movie that evokes many wonderful childhood memories.Would I have watched Radio Flyer had it not starred Elijah Wood and Joseph Mazzello?Perhaps not.Wood and Mazzello are incredible in their roles as Mike and Bobby,considering they were only 9 and 7 at the time they started filming the movie.The rest of the cast is alright,no particularly impressive performances from any of them but like I said it's Wood and Mazzello who carry the show through.There was one big surprise though,Tom Hanks.As narrator,well,let's just say after he started off at the beginning of the movie I was this close to switching the T.V off and thus missing quite a good movie. I was disappointed to find out that Radio Flyer didn't exactly hit it off at the box office,I suppose juggling such themes as child abuse and building getaway planes for a 7 year old to fly can be a difficult task. However despite its faults ,I found myself shouting insults at The King when he hit Bobby and laughing at the antics of the boys and their dog Shane.Sure you need a good imagination to enjoy it but we can cough a little of that up can't we?!

Details

Official Sites:

The Joseph Mazzello Fan Page, Radio Flyer

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 February 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

The King of Pacoima

Filming Locations:

Hamilton Air Base, Ignacio, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,932,595, 23 February 1992

Gross USA:

$4,651,977

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,651,977

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1