5/5 Challenging and Enlightening
  by Betty L. Burgess (Abilene, TX)
This movie presents the struggles of those who are limited in the sophisticated world we live in. It also shows the prejudice and narrowmindedness of how we fear what we do not understand. As well, it shows the positive effects that a little patience, time, and trust will accomplish. Great performance of both Cuba Gooding Jr and Ed Harris, one of their best.

5/5 Warm and Touching
  by Warm in the NW (Vancouver, WA)
This movie explores the relationship between a high school football coach and a young man with a developmental disability. He reaches out to the young man and helps him to become the best he can be - and at the same time, teaches a community what it means to care about others. It is a true story, and you will see the real characters at the end of the movie. It is emotional and inspiring, and it will make you think very hard about your own feelings for others, especially the disabled. See this movie, but have a tissue handy too.

4/5 Almost Too Good To Be True
  by Craig Connell (Lockport, NY USA)
This was unusual: a modern-day film which was ultra-nice. In fact, it was so nice it bordered on being too hard to believe in parts. As I watching this based-on-a-real-life story, I was thinking, "nobody is this good, this tolerant."

Mainly, I was referring to Ed Harris' role as "Coach Jones." I think they went a little overboard on his character, but that's better than the reverse: showing him worse than what he was in real life. Anyway, I never complain about a nice, feel-good film, and it is nice to see a bunch of well-meaning, kind people.

Those folks direct their friendship, love and compassion to "James Kennedy," better known as "Radio," a mentally slow high school kid played by Cuba Gooding Jr. The story takes place in the mid 1970s in South Carolina. Gooding does a nice job with the role, too.

Note: It was interesting in one of the documentaries on this DVD to find out that, in real life, in took years for "Radio" to make his transformation, not months as shown in the film.

5/5 Radio
  by music appreciator
The DVD was shipped promptly and arrived in excellent condition as advertised. As for the movie itself, I use it in a Social Group I run with special needs students as part of a disability awareness program. Very appropriate and highly recommended.

5/5 Based on a true story--serious tissue warning
  by R. Kyle (USA)
"Radio" is based on a true story of a mentally challenged young Black man (played by Cuba Gooding) who is befriended by a South Carolina football coach (played by Ed Harris). The story takes us through a school year where initially a nonverbal Radio is taunted by drivers and the football team. When the Coach takes him in and starts turning him into a mascot, the young man goes through a pretty miraculous transformation.

This isn't a football film. It's a film about life and as the Coach says it, "What's really important."

I've enjoyed both Harris and Gooding in many of their roles. In my humble opinion, this is the one they'll go down in history for.

WARNING: Have a box of tissues close at hand. You're going to need them.

Rebecca Kyle, December 2008