Such a frustrating disappointment

Just perfect...

Beautiful, moving film.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Truly, one of the most tenderhearted movies I've seen. If you like to feel pure goodness and deep friendship, this movie is for you. It contains the hardships and achievements of two young teenage boys, one, a big, lonely slow student, and the other, a little handicapped genius, who, despite their barriers, show to us and themselves the possibilities of positive fantasy role playing.At first, they are neighbors who don't really know one another. Soon, they become inseparable, joined by a deep brotherly love.Through a series of events away from home, their attachment and dependence deepens. Unavoidably, there are realities that come into play for both of them, the last of which will cause tears to run down your face. Your feelings will surface, so keep the Kleenex close by.Sharon Stone, in 1998, was without question easy on the eyes, and although this movie doesn't set out to display that unquestionable fact, the camera is completely unable to free us from the truth. As a caring, loving mother, she shows an understanding and sensitivity both to her son and his condition, inventiveness and intellect, responding with loving words, even while she takes risks.

The Mighty (1998): Dir: Peter Chelsom / Cast: Kieran Culkin, Elden Hensen, Sharon Stone, Harry Dean Stanton, Gena Rowlands: Filled with enchanting images and a theme regarding the strength of two whom are limited without each other. Elden Henson failed seventh grade twice making him the target of mockery. Kieran Culkin is new to the neighborhood and lives with his mother. He is also a hunchback who uses braces to walk. They are fascinated about the story of King Arthur and several sequences feature knights and horses in relation to the two friends who imagine themselves in such a way when Culkin mounts Hensen's shoulders as one strength. Director Peter Chelsom goes inside the imaginations of these boys. Culkin and Hensen make a remarkable pairing but the ending is depressing. The images of their adventures are enchanting and add both fun and tension. Sharon Stone plays Culkin's mother in a somewhat standard role but believable nonetheless. Harry Dean Stanton and Gena Rowlands are also featured as relatives who knows of Hensen's father's past and seek to prevent it from ever crossing them again. Viewers may be divided since the imagination material is aimed at children while the suspense is aimed at adults but it might make for a discussion if viewed together. Theme of friendship gives the film meaning and a sense of might. Score: 8 / 10

The Mighty is a relatively simple film. It involves the strong friendship between a small boy with Morquio syndrome and a large boy who had a killer for a father. Together the two grow in friendship and empathy for one another. I could go on and on for the specifics of the plot but I don't really need to. The plot is simple but complex. Here that is a good thing. It's about two misfits that go through good and bad times. This film is truly marvelous. It's a rare film that can touch your heart in a way that most cannot. Really The Mighty is just about life and what you make it. The Mighty is based off one of my favorite books: "Freak the Mighty" by Rodman Philbrick which got an adequate sequel, Max the Mighty. I honestly think the movie is superior to the book. The film has a fantastic script and an amazing cast. What really surprised me was Sharon Stone's performance. She really can act and it's a shame that she isn't in more films like this. Anyway, just find a copy of this film and check it out. It's a truly great movie. Every time I see it I laugh, I cry and I learn what it means to live. I think that this and 2004's Man on Fire are two of the most underrated movies of all time. This film is truly great and one of my favorite movies. Just find it and watch it.

In the mid 1990s, a streak of coming-of-age flicks were released, each trying to emulate the tone and style of Rob Reiner's "Stand by me" (1986). And so "Stand by Me" led to the TV series "The Wonder Years" (1988), which led to Woody Allen's "Radio Days", "Brighton Beach Memoirs", "Radio Flyer" (1992), "Man in the Moon" (1991), "Jack the Bear" (1993), "This Boys Life" (1993), "King of the Hill", "Now and Then" (1995), "Unsung Heroes" (1995), "The Mighty" (1998), "Simon Birch" (1998) etc etc.These films all employed a rich and romantic visual style which recalled the paintings of Norman Rockwell. They featured older and wiser narrators who reminisced about their childhood days, revolved around small groups of young boys, largely took place in the 60s and early 70s, and oozed a sense of nostalgia.Significantly, all these films also yearned for escape. These kids (or rather their future adult selves) are all searching for a romanticised version of Americana. A forgotten, or perhaps nonexistent, age of white picket fences, carefree wandering, pop sodas and family dinners. Behind all this comfortable nostalgia, though, is a sense of menace. Abuse, suicide, murder, the lingering effects of the Vietnam war and drunken fathers, all linger in the background.Covertly, these films are also implicitly about how early circumstances influence a person's later identity. They're all told from the point of view of an adult, looking back at his past life.This trend started in the 80, by artists who were born post WW2 and became young men in the mid 60s. By the late 90s the "unseen enemy" of these films stopped being about war, poverty, absent fathers, abuse and alcoholism, and started to be about disease and genetic disorders. The idealised Norman Rockwell version of Americana was still there, but now Generation X seemed to obsess over diseases and genetics. For Generation X, misery seemed to be all about ailments and genetic predisposition, like the kids with Morquio's syndrome in "The Mighty" and "Simon Birch" or AIDS in "The Cure". "Stand by Me"- 8/10, "The Mighty"- 7.9/10, "Simon Birch"- 7/10, "The Cure"- 5/10, "Radio Flyer"- 4/10, "Jack the Bear"- 7.5/10, "This boys life"- 8/10, "Now and then"- 3/10, "Man in the moon"- 7.5/10I think these films are interesting if you treat them as a single batch. Stuff like "Radio Flyer" and "Now and Then" have that whole kitschy Spielberg vibe. They're pretty worthless. The Tom Hanks cheesefest "Radio Flyer" and the Rosie O Donnell travesty "Now and Then" are pretty terrible. "The Mighty's" somewhere in the middle.