Radio isn’t one of those Oscar-powered contenders that are opening in theaters this fall. But the story is a compassionate one and Cuba Gooding Jr.’s performance is Oscar-worthy.
The film, based on the actual events of James Robert Kennedy, a.k.a. Radio, played by Gooding, definitely isn’t Jerry Maguire, but it also isn’t Disney’s Remember the Titans.
Radio tells the story of a successful high school football coach (Ed Harris) who befriends a mentally challenged black man (Gooding) in racially charged 1960s South Carolina.
When Radio is taken out of his segregated lifestyle, suburban society displays mixed feelings of both ambiguity and compassion. But most of all, Radio becomes recognized as a person for the very first time.
This is a football movie that goes beyond sports. This story is about family, the choices we make in life and learning to appreciate the many things we take for granted everyday.
Gooding is touching, humorous and is sure to put a smile on your face. This role brings us back to the actor we all knew before his days in such flops as Boat Trip and Snow Dogs.
Gooding has a way of playing a character so full of life; we are unable to understand a world without Radio.
After viewing Radio, you are sure to leave the theater with something more than when you walked in.
Kevin Nolty can be reached at knolt81@aol.com
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