Susan Granger's review of "THE MIGHTY" (Miramax Films)
It's amazing how things come in pairs. Early this summer, there was "Deep Impact" and "Armageddon," both about meteors headed for earth. There's "Antz" with "A Bug's Life" to come. And now, after "Simon Birch," there's yet another movie about a disabled youngster and his friendship with a neighbor. Based on the novel "Freak the Mighty" by Rodman Philbrick, the story unfolds through the eyes of mopey Max (Elden Henson), a hulking kid who lives with his grandparents ("Gram"Gena Rowlands & "Grim" Harry Dean Stanton). After the trauma of his father murdering his mother, he has retreated into his own private world. He rarely speaks, fails his seventh grade classes repeatedly, and is bullied by tiny punks. Then, next door, a single mother (Sharon Stone) and Kevin, her bright, inventive son (Kieran Culkin, Macaulay's younger brother), move in. Kevin's legs are in braces and his back is bent because he has Morquio's syndrome, a degenerative condition that retards bone growth. "My father was a magician," he explains. "He heard the words birth defect and he disappeared." Together, these two "misfits" battle local bullies and their own inner demons by uniting to form "The Mighty," a towering, heroic figure based on King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. Director Peter Chelsom ("Funny Bones") has fashioned a moving drama with strong acting performances. My reservations about this film revolve around its target audience. The bullies are terrifyingly aggressive but it's the actions of an unrepentant ex-con that give the film more dark menace than I'd recommend for the under-10 crowd, despite the boys' symbiotic relationship. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "The Mighty" is a lively, imaginative 8. For older children, this is an excellent family film.
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