The Mighty (1998)

Two young boys, both social outcasts in their small town, form an unlikely friendship.

Director:

Peter Chelsom

Writers:

Rodman Philbrick (novel), Charles Leavitt (screenplay)

Stars:

Kieran Culkin, Elden Henson, Sharon Stone

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
Joe Perrino	...	Blade
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:

bully | school bully | gang | switchblade | baseball cap | 

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Taglines:

Courage comes in all sizes.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for elements of violence and peril

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ian Michael Smith was considered for the role of Kevin.

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Goofs

When Max runs out of his house, the ambulance is not moving.

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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

Featured in The 56th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1999)

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Soundtracks

Folkloric
Written by Alfred Kluten
Courtesy of Associated Production Music

User Reviews

Cute and heartwarming, yet deep

I read the book that this movie is based on in English class and we were required to watch the movie. Well, I missed a lot of class and ended up seeing only bits and pieces of the movie. Well, I just had to see the movie in full, because I liked the book so much, so I rented it.

What can I say? I LOVED IT! Kieran Culkin was outstanding, as was Elden Henson. Ah, heck, everybody in this film was outstanding. The only complaint I have is that I felt that the death scene wasn't dramatic enough. I cry a lot in movies, even when no one dies, and this was probably the only movie involving death in which I DIDN'T cry. All in all, though, this was just so great. See it. It's one of the best movies I've seen in my life and it takes a lot to impress me.

A true 9.5/10 film.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 October 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Freak the Mighty

Filming Locations:

Centreville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$87,705, 11 October 1998

Gross USA:

$2,652,246

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,652,246

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chaos Productions, Jane Startz Productions, Miramax

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1