Radio

There is no cynicism in Radio, no angle or edge. It's about what it's about, with an open, warm and fond nature. Every once in a while human nature expresses itself in a way we can feel good about, and this is one of those times.

A gentle film yet develops increasing dramatic tension beneath its easygoing, fair-minded surface.

A tall glass of hogwash that's terrified to declare itself the racial-healing melodrama it is.

Sweet, slushy mush of a family film.

The cast, which includes Alfre Woodard and Debra Winger, manages to give thoughtful performances that salvage the film's integrity.

Beyond mawkish, Radio would be harmless twaddle were it not for the offensive depiction of its hero, the real-life James Robert Kennedy.

Based-on-a-true-story kitschfest.

Radio has one of those true stories that, on paper, seem made to move you: a high school football coach who reaches out to a marginalized young man, a community that learns to see him differently, and a human bond that should carry the whole film. The problem is that cinema does not work only because it has good intentions. It also needs perspective, restraint and an honest way of telling the **** film wants to move you from the very beginning, but its intentions are too visible. It goes for the easy tear, and that does not always work, even when you have very good actors. Ed Harris brings seriousness, Cuba Gooding Jr. gives himself fully to the role, and the cast tries to bring humanity to a story that, in other hands, could have felt much cleaner and truer. But the film insists so much on underlining what is noble, beautiful and exemplary that it ends up weakening what it is trying to **** biggest problem is the tone. Radio seems afraid of any uncomfortable area. It deals with integration, difference, prejudice, disability, racism and class, but often does so from a surface that is far too gentle. Instead of truly entering what hurts, it prefers to turn everything into a warm fable, with emotional music, kind gestures and moments designed to make the viewer feel good.That does not mean it has no effective scenes. Some work because the story itself has strength and because Ed Harris can convey decency without needing big speeches. There are also moments when the relationship between the characters shows a certain sincerity. But every time the film could become more complex, more uncomfortable or more adult, it chooses the easy path.That is where it falls short. A film based on true events should not use that label as an emotional shield. Reality can be inspiring, yes, but it can also be contradictory, harsh and full of grey areas. Radio prefers to arrange everything so it fits into a nice lesson, and that is why it ends up feeling less like life and more like a product designed to pull at the **** is not an unbearable film. It is watchable, it has good actors, and it may move viewers who accept its approach without much resistance. But its tenderness feels too calculated, too clean and too comfortable. It wants to speak about the best side of human nature, but it does so in such a sentimental way that it ends up weakening its own story.

The Worst about Radio that it has the same old elements of a sports drama. It gets very boring and melodramatic from this. A BIG DISAPOINMENT FROM THIS MOVIE.