THE MIGHTY
A film review by Mark R. Leeper
Capsule: Two outcast boys, one learning-
impaired but physically imposing, the other
intelligent but physically handicapped, form a
close friendship in this moving family film. Max
and Kevin help each other through their personal
problems and together make one whole and formidable
person. While the plot is predictable, the film is
substantial and as entertaining for an adult as it
would be for a teen. Rating: 7 (0 to 10), +2 (-4
to +4)
Nobody expects very much of Max Cane (Eldon Henson) the son of a man in prison for murder. Max himself is learning impaired and is spending his third year in the seventh grade. Nature has not been kind to Max who is big, mean-looking, and rather ugly. Kids in school call him Killer Cane, (perhaps an allusion to the Buck Rogers character; there are other science fiction allusions). A local hoodlum gang, The Dog House Boys, are not sure if they want to pick on him or if they want him to join their ranks. Max's life is somewhat less than satisfying, living with his dour grandparents (Harry Dean Stanton and Gena Rowlands) and getting the knocks he does at school. Then a new boy moves in next door. This is Kevin Dillon (Kieron Culkin) with a sadly twisted body and a genuine intellect. Kevin lives with his mother Gwen (Sharon Stone) and does "kid-intellectual things" like reading and playing with scientific toys. A birth defect has left Kevin with a bent spine and an inability to walk without his crutches. Neither boy is much good at making friends, but Kevin immediately sees that Max is almost a perfect complement to himself. Where he is strongest, Max is weakest; where he is weakest, Max is strongest. But Max has no interest in being friends with his bookish neighbor and Kevin has to bribe him with money to act as his legs.
Max is a poor reader and is given Kevin for a reading tutor. Kevin has Max read Sir James Knowles's LEGENDS OF KING ARTHUR AND HIS KNIGHTS and uses it to inspire Max to read like no professional teacher has been able to. Max carries Kevin on his shoulders and together they become one person whom, after the style of King Arthur, they dub Freak the Mighty. Then time and again their frame their friendship in Arthurian terms, as if they are a knight in quest of adventure. Together each is able to face up to his personal problems and either overcome them or accept them. While the film travels a predictable course, it is a credible one.
This is director Peter Chelsom's third film and he seems to do something entirely different each time. His HEAR MY SONG was likable nostalgic comedy set in London and Ireland. His second film FUNNY BONES was a very dark and strange look into the world of the stand-up comic mostly taking place in bleak Liverpool. Now he tells the story about friendship set in South Cincinnati. Eldon Henson is a good choice for Max and is certainly not the appealing sort of young actor one generally sees in film. On the other hand Kieron Culkin is obviously a Culkin but one who is not so saccharine as his brother Macaulay. Sharon Stone is making the transition from glamorous actress to character player skillfully. One sees little of her previous sensationalist roles in her Gwen. Here she does a forty-ish mother with real strength. Max's grandparents are supposed to be as humorless as the people in "American Gothic," but they are played by Harry Dean Stanton and Gena Rowlands. The one problem in that casting is that Harry Dean Stanton has a hard time looking humorless. Even when he is trying to be serious there is always a twinkle in his eye.
THE MIGHTY is a Canadian production with a screenplay by Charles Leavitt, based on the novel FREAK THE MIGHTY by Rodman Philbrick. It is broken into chapters, like a book, and narrated by Max. The score is melodic with a strong Irish influence that seems a little out of place with non-Irish characters and the Ohio setting. John De Borman's camera seems to see Cincinnati as a city of hard steel bridges and concrete, just over the hill from the boys' homes.
This is really not simply a children's film but a family film and one that adults can enjoy. It had very good word of mouth at the Toronto International Film Festival (though it was not one of the films I saw there) and deservedly so. I rate it a 7 on the 0 to 10 scale and a +2 on the -4 to +4 scale.
Mark R. Leeper
mleeper@lucent.com
Copyright 1998 Mark R. Leeper
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews