Radio Flyer (1992)

[Rattrap007 52]

Ok here is one that is kinda iffy. Radio Flyer.

 

A young Elijah Wood and Joseph Mazello (boy from Jurassic Park) as two brothers in the 1960s whose mom marries a man who abuses the younger one. To escape the abuse the boys build a flying machine out of a Radio Flyer wagon and the younger boy flies off to safety.

 

 

Yeah in a realistic depiction of abuse the kid flies off in a magical wagon... or does he?

 

There is a lot of alternate fan theories about that ending:

 

- There was no real little brother but was the older boys imagination and he was abused. When the step dad is finally arrested the little brother 'escapes' and is no longer needed.

 

- The little brother died of abuse and this was a fantasy created by the brother to deal with the loss.

 

- The little brother died trying to fly the machine. The mom helped convince the remaining son he was safe by sending fake post cards and such. Boy grows up believing the fantasy.

 

 

 

Yeah the abuse and such could make this one difficult because it does happen to such a small kid (6-7ish) but the ending is what makes this one a huge "How did this get made?" target.

[Ofcoursemyhorse 1043]

This entire movie is fucking nuts. Lorraine Bracco is so wrapped up in herself she doesnt realize that the man she married is both an alcoholic, and beating her youngest child on a frequent basis.

[sillstaw 414]

The weird thing about how this got made is that the script was seriously hot in Hollywood. The writer was reportedly paid $1.25 million for the script, a figure writers mostly achieve after years of success. (This was his first screenplay.) He was also going to direct, but apparently the studio decided that taking a risk on a first-time screenwriter also directing for the first time was too much, so they fired him and hired Richard Donner.

 

And somehow, at no point did they realize that it was a bad idea to spend all this money on a screenplay where a kid escapes child abuse on a flying fucking wagon.

[seanotron 2307]

I'd love to know the reasoning behind Radio Flyer agreeing to this awkward bit of product placement. Did the film executives somehow convince them that the Radio Flyer wagon was the hero of the movie because it saves the kid in the end?

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

I'd love to know the reasoning behind Radio Flyer agreeing to this awkward bit of product placement. Did the film executives somehow convince them that the Radio Flyer wagon was the hero of the movie because it saves the kid in the end?

I wonder if, following the success of E.T., they saw that Huffy (or whoever) sales were through the roof or something after being featured prominently while fucking FLYING, and went "Yes. We want a piece of THAT."

[Ofcoursemyhorse 1043]

Oh god I can just imagine the executives from the company that makes radio flyers greenlighting their participation in the movie after hearing Richard Donner and Tom Hanks were attached.

 

And then watching the movie in horror at the premiere as they ask themselves "Did they just use one of our wagons to kill a six year old boy?"

[Ofcoursemyhorse 1043]

Cause there is no way that kid isnt fucking dead right?

[seanotron 2307]

Cause there is no way that kid isnt fucking dead right?

 

If he is dead, that means Tom Hanks has been sending himself all those postcards he claims are from his brother. His wife should really grab the kids and get the hell out of there because he could crack at any minute.

[seanotron 2307]

Ok, after doing a bit of Google research I found this fascinating interview with the writer (and original director) David M Evans.

 

http://davidmickeyevansblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/what-happened-to-bobby.html

 

On the ending:

The most glaring change was the end of the film, the original script ended with a reunion of sorts between Mike and Bobby, grown up, in the Smithsonian National Aerospace Museum where the Radio Flyer is on display next the The Wright Flyer -- with the exception that is has no visable means of support (no wires, nothing... just hovering in mid air proudly). I wrote it because I intended it to mean that the Radio Flyer had actually worked -- whatever the machinations of how Bobby survived notwithstanding. Mr. Donner's opinion was that the ending should be a "Rorschach Test" for the audience. I believe that is entirely wrong

 

Also, he apparently intended the abuse to be way more brutal and explicit but the studio/Donner wouldn't go for it. Oh, and the dog could talk. NO REALLY.

[sillstaw 414]

The fascinating thing is that David M. Evans has a career made up mostly of kiddie schlock. I mean, his most recent credit that has a Wikipedia page is "Ace Ventura Jr." (Because those movies made it totally believable that Ace Ventura could get laid.)

[seanotron 2307]

Another fascinating thing is apparently there was some kind of bidding war over this script. Uhhh whaaaaa?

 

EDIT: Missed your earlier comment about this sillstaw

[Ofcoursemyhorse 1043]

Yea its pretty crazy that people were jumping over themselves to give this guy money, in his interview he sounds like a bit of a shithead.

 

And his movie is downright irresponsible to get all old man on it for a bit. I mean a movie that imparts the advice that if you're being abused by a parent, the best thing to do isnt to tell a police officer or another adult, its to craft an insanely janky and dangerous looking vehicle so you can fly away by yourself to be homeless at age six.

[Jillybean 104]

Magical realism. Please do this movie.

[Ofcoursemyhorse 1043]

Yea they really need to cover Radio Flyer I watched it again recently and it really is just fucking crazy.

[Ofcoursemyhorse 1043]

I really think they should do this movie. Because I had fond memories from watching it when I was younger. It was only recent viewings that made me realize how nuts this movie is.

 

Re-reading that quote where the writer wanted the ending to include the Radio Flyer magically hovering in a museum only further enrages me.

[AshleyBoomstick 0]

I walked in when my mom was watching the end of this, when the kid flew away. I thought for sure it was meant to represent his death by abuse. My mom was very upset by that interpretation. I guess she passed the Rorschach Test.

 

Magical realism, man

[Ofcoursemyhorse 1043]

Ebert nailed it when he said that theres no interpretation of the ending of this movie that can ever be seen as anything positive. Either it actually happened and the kid zoomed off to Egypt among other numerous locales on rickety death trap, in which case the movie is advocating that children should take up aviation if they're ever in a situation with an abusive family member.

 

Or its the unreliable narrator situation, in which case Tom Hanks is either insane in the movie or is telling his children a horrible story with a moral thats almost equally horrible. Which as stated above, if ever in danger don't tell a teacher or policeman. Just build some cobbled together mini airplane and shove your younger brother down an insanely steep hill.

 

Not only that, the only communication he has with his brother is fucking postcards. Why wouldnt they have had some kind of reunion when they were both adults? And is his younger brother still just cruising around in the Radio Flyer?

[Ofcoursemyhorse 1043]