Radio Flyer

There's been a buzz on Radio Flyer for a long time. Donner's (Lethal Weapon) tale of youthful fantasies and the horrors of child abuse has had its release date set back so many times that many had begun to wonder if the film would ever see the light of day. Columbia has finally seen fit to pull it off the shelf, though after seeing it I have to admit it might have been better off just gathering dust. Donner's tale -- reportedly the dream project on which he's been pinning his already-bloated reputation -- presents us with two young brothers, one of whom suddenly finds himself the victim of some very nasty physical abuse courtesy of their new stepfather (this mysterious parent is never mentioned by name, but is instead referred to as “The King,” because “that's what he liked to be called”). Terrifed of the consequences and fearful for his mother's happiness, the young boy seeks escape in the inner world of his imagination. His older brother does his best to keep them both out of harm's way, but it's not enough, and before you can say Evil Stepdad, things go from bad to worse, and then to hellish. Director Donner has never been known as one who directs with a light touch, and Radio Flyer suffers from the same sense of weightiness that has bogged down so many of his other pictures. It's doubly disappointing then, when the script's fantasy elements come into play. As the crux of the kids' salvation and their only means of escape, the last quarter of the film -- which ought to be carried along on a bouyant sense of childlike wonder, as intended -- is instead a muddled and confusing mish-mash. Is this really happening, or what? I didn't know, and most likely you won't either. Too bad, because there are elements in this film that really click, chief among them Wood and Mazello as the two young boys. They're not enough to carry the film, though, and Radio Flyer ends up becoming -- sadly -- little more than just another Richard Donner film.