There are people who say that the mark of a good movie is the impression it leaves on the viewer at the conclusion. Is this the case with "The Boy Who Could Fly?" I don't think so, as it was years since I misguidedly rented it and I was incapable of washing the bad taste from my mouth. This movie is a dud of massive proportions-sporting Godawful dialogue, ridiculous 80's 'special' effects, and painful sentimentality. I have not seen a film in a good long time that tried so hard to move me and failed so miserably.
The main character is Milly, short for Amelia, who has just moved into the new house with her tough guy little brother and grieving mom. Her dad is out of the picture, for reasons Milly averts her eyes explaining. Milly is the picture of 'ideal family character-' sensitive, tolerant, and gorgeous, with a bit of edge put in to add dimension. At night she meets a mysterious boy who won't, or can't, talk. He sits on the connected suburban roof between them, mimicking an airplane.
The boy, Eric, lives with his alcoholic uncle next to Milly. In a horrifically contrived scene, she describes Eric's apparent autism to her mom. "Since his mother and father died, he's never spoken a word to anyone." A compassionate teacher intends to keep Eric in his clueless uncle's inept care. She says he almost died last time he was put in a hospital, because, apparently, 'he just gave up.' She convinces Milly to look after Eric at school, and keep an eye on those social workers prowling the streets.
Eric is severely autistic and can't so much as catch a ball, but he has one thing Raymond Babbitt doesn't- despite the lack of any special skills, interests, or personal (not autistic) traits, he's a MAGIC special person. Why, you ask? Rumors run about of Eric's telepathic abilities (he stopped talking the moment his parents died in a plane crash) as well as his uncanny ability to gain access to surfaces that he couldn't logically climb to.
Milly meets Eric's eye with an open heart, despite his lurking and horror movie-style tendency to pop out on the roof while Milly looks into the mirror. Then they subject us to a series of cringe-inducing dialogue ("maybe all he needs is the kiss of a fair maiden to make him well again," Milly says of her silent crush Eric,) syrupy anti-climaxes, and ludicrous dream sequences (including the magical realism finale) that seem to have little to do with anything else.
On the up side, the acting is decent, with the possible exception of Fred Gwynne, playing a terribly one-note character (the drunk uncle) in such an overblown and grating way that I was unsure if he intended to be humorous or pitiful. Jay Underwood proves he has talent in the institution scenes, whereas he spends the rest of the film staring blankly into space (probably thinking about his paycheck.) They do their best, but are stuck with an inevitable train wreck of a script.
The ending was fairly idiotic, I think, but when I think about the deep (cough) implications, the more pointless and even disturbing it becomes. Special people cannot function in the real world, so the must fly away in a cheesy anti-climax. Autistic people can levitate. Drunks can cure their drunkenness in a matter of days. Pathetic movies like this one can actually gather good reviews.
In the end, the movie that is so desperate to be bittersweet and heart-warming comes out more like a cross between a schizophrenic artsy indie and an after school special. People may tell you this is a hidden gem. They are lying. This may be a pseudo-classic movie on a hot topic, but some things are better left buried. (Rated PG)
The main character is Milly, short for Amelia, who has just moved into the new house with her tough guy little brother and grieving mom. Her dad is out of the picture, for reasons Milly averts her eyes explaining. Milly is the picture of 'ideal family character-' sensitive, tolerant, and gorgeous, with a bit of edge put in to add dimension. At night she meets a mysterious boy who won't, or can't, talk. He sits on the connected suburban roof between them, mimicking an airplane.
The boy, Eric, lives with his alcoholic uncle next to Milly. In a horrifically contrived scene, she describes Eric's apparent autism to her mom. "Since his mother and father died, he's never spoken a word to anyone." A compassionate teacher intends to keep Eric in his clueless uncle's inept care. She says he almost died last time he was put in a hospital, because, apparently, 'he just gave up.' She convinces Milly to look after Eric at school, and keep an eye on those social workers prowling the streets.
Eric is severely autistic and can't so much as catch a ball, but he has one thing Raymond Babbitt doesn't- despite the lack of any special skills, interests, or personal (not autistic) traits, he's a MAGIC special person. Why, you ask? Rumors run about of Eric's telepathic abilities (he stopped talking the moment his parents died in a plane crash) as well as his uncanny ability to gain access to surfaces that he couldn't logically climb to.
Milly meets Eric's eye with an open heart, despite his lurking and horror movie-style tendency to pop out on the roof while Milly looks into the mirror. Then they subject us to a series of cringe-inducing dialogue ("maybe all he needs is the kiss of a fair maiden to make him well again," Milly says of her silent crush Eric,) syrupy anti-climaxes, and ludicrous dream sequences (including the magical realism finale) that seem to have little to do with anything else.
On the up side, the acting is decent, with the possible exception of Fred Gwynne, playing a terribly one-note character (the drunk uncle) in such an overblown and grating way that I was unsure if he intended to be humorous or pitiful. Jay Underwood proves he has talent in the institution scenes, whereas he spends the rest of the film staring blankly into space (probably thinking about his paycheck.) They do their best, but are stuck with an inevitable train wreck of a script.
The ending was fairly idiotic, I think, but when I think about the deep (cough) implications, the more pointless and even disturbing it becomes. Special people cannot function in the real world, so the must fly away in a cheesy anti-climax. Autistic people can levitate. Drunks can cure their drunkenness in a matter of days. Pathetic movies like this one can actually gather good reviews.
In the end, the movie that is so desperate to be bittersweet and heart-warming comes out more like a cross between a schizophrenic artsy indie and an after school special. People may tell you this is a hidden gem. They are lying. This may be a pseudo-classic movie on a hot topic, but some things are better left buried. (Rated PG)
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