‘Mighty’ a mighty fine family film
VIDEO VIPER for December 19, 2008
It was a little movie made a decade ago.
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You probably missed it.
But “The Mighty” is a mighty good family-oriented film that deals with crime, existing in junior high school, friendship and overcoming tremendous odds.
Kieran Culkin plays Kevin, a smart but sickly youngster who has a curved spine, a back brace and requires crutches to walk.
Elden Henson plays his neighbor, Max who is disabled too, but in an emotional way.
Max is a big, lumbering boy who is picked on because he has spent three years in the seventh grade and looks like he should be in high school (maybe that’s because he should be in high school.)
Kevin is picked on because he is weak and scrawny. Max is picked on because he is big and cumbersome. Neither feels he can fight back.
But something magical happens when they get together Kevin is tutoring Max in reading and emphasizes King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable.
Max puts Kevin on his shoulders and suddenly they become one powerful knight.
Now Kevin can participate in sports on Max’s shoulders. Max becomes more self-assured.
Max is an emotional cripple because as a youngster, he sees his father (a scary, pre-Tony Soprano James Gandolfini) strangle his mother.
Max lives with his grandparents, played by Harry Dean Stanton and Gena Rowlands. They are at a loss as to how to raise such a disturbed boy. To illustrate their relationship, Max refers to his grandfather as “Grim.”
Kevin’s mother is played by Sharon Stone, who looks better than any mother has a right to and is one of the more famous people to come from our area.
The film probably doesn’t break any ground but it is a wonderful, adventurous story that is family worthy.
And when Daddy is released from prison on parole, the suspense really builds.
The film has a realistic feel to it, even with such Hollywood types as Rowlands and Stone appearing in the film. Maybe that’s because it takes place in Cincinnati. We learn Kevin has something called Morquio’s syndrome. This means his bones stop growing, even though his organs still grow. As a doctor tells his mother, his heart eventually would get too big for his body. With King Arthur as their role model, the pair learn they can overcome adversities. When Max is kidnapped by his deranged father, Kevin learns he can do more with his frail body than he even thought possible. Some of the plot, especially toward the end, is a little too improbable. Watching this film should be a family event. It can also spark some discussion, since the problems these two outcasts endure are pretty common in junior and senior high school. Give “The Mighty” a try. It will tug at your heart strings. THE MIGHTY • Directed by Peter Chelsom • Written by Charles Leavitt, based on a novel by Rodman Philbrick • Running time: 100 minutes • Rated PG-13 for snippets of violence and peril • 3 1/2 stars out of 4
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