Ep. 6 - Radio Flyer (1992)

[00:00:00] Alright then, keep your secrets. Get that frog out of your pants. I'm the guy. The real guy. Where do all these movies come from anyway? Just fucking ding-a-ling. I will take the ring to Mordor. Though, I do not know the way.

[00:00:24] Hello and welcome to Episode 6 of The Complete Works Season 5. A deep dive into the career and films of actor Elijah Wood. My name is Mike Smith and joining me on this journey there and back again is my friend, co-host and fellow good son. Mike Trecio. How you doing today Mike? I'm doing good. I think Good Son fits. I think I like it. I know this is Episode 3 of us doing that intro and I think that's the one that's gonna stick.

[00:00:50] I think third time's the charm. Yeah, we've done that one three times in a row so now it's locked in. Good Son is the intro thing that I say now. It's gonna feel really repetitive in a couple of weeks when we talk about the movie The Good Son, but otherwise it'll be great. Yeah, otherwise great. Unless the listeners have ideas for future intros as well. Correct. We'll find out. But Elijah Wood's first film Mike was a movie we talked about already Back to the Future Part 2.

[00:01:19] If you can remember all the way that far back on the podcast. Barely. I have to go back to the future to remember the past. I think I nailed it. I think you nailed it. That was great. So Back to the Future Part 2 is of course the sequel to Back to the Future, a movie with a now legendary production history in which it started filming with Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly.

[00:01:42] And then after a few weeks shut down, the filmmakers and producers realized it wasn't working and the movie was recast with Michael J. Fox in the role instead of Eric Stoltz. So that kind of thing is extremely rare. But actually, today's movie has kind of a similar backstory. Really? Yeah, it does. So today's film actually began as a script by David Mickey Evans, which ended up being a very hot property in the late 80s. A lot of studios wanted this script and a bidding war started between Warner Brothers and Columbia.

[00:02:11] This happened in 1989. Now Warner Brothers wanted to give it to filmmaker Richard Donner, the director of movies like The Omen, Superman, The Goonies and Lethal Weapon. Columbia was acting on behalf of Stonebridge Entertainment, the production company that is owned by Michael Douglas. OK. Now, if you'll notice, Mike, both of their names are in the credits of this movie. Richard Donner and Michael Douglas. We're going to get into why that is. It is. Let me steeple my fingers and lean forward. Tell me. Yes, exactly.

[00:02:40] So Columbia ended up winning out. Michael Douglas's production company took on the movie and they paid David Mickey Evans one point two five million dollars for the script, which was one of the highest sums that any screenwriter had ever been paid at the time for this script, Mike, for Radio Flyer. This movie we watched. Exactly. So, yeah, one of the highest sums ever. I think at the time, Shane Black actually had the record because he got one point seven five million for the last Boy Scout, which was, I think, a year before this.

[00:03:10] And not only that, but Michael Douglas actually gave David Mickey Evans the chance to direct this film himself, which he accepted. OK. So that's not the person that directed the movie. Exactly. So I'm sensing where this is going. So filming began with David Mickey Evans, a first time director and a cast that included Rosanna Arquette as the mom, Thomas Arana as the stepdad and Luke Edwards and James Badge Dale as the two kids. So entirely different cast than the final product for the movie.

[00:03:38] After 10 days of filming, the studio found the dailies to be disappointing. And Michael Douglas personally shut down production. Wow. At a loss of five million dollars. You know, this was a huge like that. There's a reason why this doesn't happen very often because it's very expensive to do that kind of thing. So it was decided that David Mickey Evans did not have what it took to direct the film. So Michael Douglas recruited the man who Warner Brothers wanted to make in the first place. Richard Donner. Wow.

[00:04:08] That's crazy. So Evans actually remained as executive producer and Donner actually had him do extensive rewrites on the script. So it seems like there were no hard feelings. He was still working on it. And David Mickey Evans would actually make his directorial debut just one year later. Do you want to take a guess at what that movie was, Mike? Just based solely on that person I've never heard of. It's a big early 90s classic. Like his directorial debut is a big movie. It's the Sandlot. The Sandlot. Yes. David Mickey Evans directed the Sandlot.

[00:04:38] So, yeah, it all worked out for everyone involved. I think. Yeah. So because of the production shutdown, the major players all had to be recast and the film essentially started from scratch. And that's how Elijah Wood came on board. Okay. And since he's in it, we've got to talk about Radio Flyer. Mom. Mom. Room's clean. Closer washed and folded. Fed Samson and Shane. Take the poop up. And grass is watered. Okay. Guys. Yes, mom. Yes, mom.

[00:05:08] Nothing. Oh, mom. Remember when you couldn't drive, but you could fly. When life was full of wonders, nature was full of mysteries. And the world was full of monsters. Rudy? But for two brothers, one monster was real. Hey!

[00:05:38] What are you doing up? And living in their home. Everything's gonna be okay. I promise. You were chasing me and I couldn't get away. Bobby! Hey! Oh, their only hope is to fight back. The big idea. That's what I'm calling it. Cause it's so huge. And dangerous. With the most powerful weapon they have. Their imagination. Radio Flyer.

[00:06:07] The struts have to be stronger. Those are his tools, Mike. Damn it! To go tonight.

[00:06:37] And fear becomes courage. Dreams take flight. Radio Flyer. Powered by imagination. Alright, so Elijah Wood appears in Radio Flyer as Mike. One of two brothers living with their mom, their dog, and their abusive stepdad. The character of Mike also narrates the film and appears as an adult in the beginning and the end kind of book ending segments. In those moments, Mike is played by Tom Hanks, which was crazy. I had no idea he was gonna be in this movie.

[00:07:06] Yeah, and he's got like a crazy intro, like sitting on the porch in the sun and like looks up at the camera and you're like, Tom Hanks? Yes! And I believe he's uncredited for this role too. It's kind of a, you know, it's sort of a cameo. I mean, he only appears physically in the movie for the opening and the ending, but he is narrating the whole thing. You're hearing Tom Hanks' voice throughout. There's a lot of narration. Yeah, and it's very much like a stand by me-esque kind of narration that I kind of felt like.

[00:07:33] But this was also like a weird time in the career of Tom Hanks because he's about to go on a crazy tear. Throughout the 90s, and I believe this went through like 2004, I think the Lady Killers is the movie that broke the streak. Like every movie that Tom Hanks starred in made $100 million or more. Wow. It was crazy. And so this is the year A League of Their Own came out. And like right after this, it's Philadelphia. Right after that is Forrest Gump. Right after that is Apollo 13. Like just like every year, there's a huge big Tom Hanks movie throughout the 90s.

[00:08:02] He was America's most bankable movie star for a very long time. And this is kind of like right before that, you know, like he was still like a popular presence. He'd already made like big and everything like that. But just like this is like right before that kind of crazy superstar run that he had in the 90s. Yeah. Yeah. And it's it's fascinating that he's uncredited or cameo, like basically a cameo. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. So Mike's brother Bobby is played by Joe Mazzello, who, of course, is one of the kids from Jurassic Park.

[00:08:29] And in fact, this is how he got cast in Jurassic Park because Steven Spielberg was buddies with Richard Donner. Steven Spielberg produced the Goonies. So Steven Spielberg visited the set one day. That's where he met Joe Mazzello. And I'm sure there was like some kind of audition process. But this was essentially his first time meeting Joe Mazzello and seeing his performance in this movie. And that kind of led him to casting him in Jurassic Park. Interesting. Yeah. So it's all coming together in past Complete Works episodes, Mike. Right, right. Great. We've of course talked about Jurassic Park many times.

[00:08:59] Their mother, Mary, is played by Lorraine Bracco, who was then best known for Goodfellas, who would also later play Dr. Melfi on The Sopranos. Their stepdad, Jack, a.k.a. The King, is played by Adam Baldwin from Firefly. And of course, the classic Roy Scheider film, Cohen and Tate. Who could forget? A movie that we love. And then police officer Jim Doherty is played by John Hurd, the dad from Home Alone and of course, from many other things as well. Ben Johnson from The Last Picture Show plays Geronimo Bill.

[00:09:27] And a couple of notable kids actually pop up in this movie, too, as kind of some of the kids that are bullying Elijah Wood and his brother. Garrett Ratliff, who appeared in all three Mighty Ducks movies as Guy Germain, plays Chad. And Thomas Ian Nicholas, who played Kevin in all of the main American Pie movies, plays Ferdy. Right. That's the kid I recognized. When you said Sandlot, I was like, is that one of the bullies? But no, I think it's this guy. OK, yeah, that makes sense.

[00:09:54] Like you can you're now picturing him like a few years later as a teenager and being like, OK, yeah, it's all coming together. It's all it's that guy. Yes. Correct. Plus, Elijah Wood's sister and Joe Mazzello's brother also appear as uncredited extras in the movie. The film was written by David Mickey Evans, who had previously written a couple of genre films like Open House and Terminal Entry. He would next write and direct The Sandlots and went on to direct movies like First Kid, Beethoven's Third and Beethoven's Fourth.

[00:10:22] And also Ace Ventura Jr., the made for TV Ace Ventura threequel. That's the third one, I guess, with without Jim Carrey in it. It's just a kid doing a Jim Carrey impression. But it was ultimately directed by Richard Donner three years after his previous film, which was Lethal Weapon 2 and the same year as his next film, which was Lethal Weapon 3. Interesting. Sandwiched in between Lethal Weapon movies.

[00:10:50] Richard Donner died in 2021, which makes his final film the 2006 action thriller 16 blocks, which star Bruce Willis and most deaf. I've never seen that, but I've heard that's like a secret good one. People. Okay, really? Okay. I've also never seen that. So I don't really have any context for that, but that's good to hear. Or am I thinking of what's the. The other one, the bridges one. Um, 21 bridges, the Chadwick Boseman movie. That's what I might be thinking of. Okay. I mean, is that a secret good one? I've never seen that either.

[00:11:18] I've also never seen that one either. Uh, I remember when that was coming out. I thought it kind of looks good from the trailers, but I never got around to seeing it. Uh, but understandable title confusion between 16 blocks and 21 bridges. Yeah. Uh, so radio flyer was released on February 21st, 1992, where it opened to number nine at the box office. Uh, this was not a box office hit, uh, but openings number two was a movie that Sylvester Stallone was tricked into starring in. Do you want to guess what movie that is, Mike? Oh, what the hell is the name of that movie?

[00:11:48] Stop or my mom will shoot or something like that. You got it. Yeah. That's the one. Uh, the one time I'm going to, I nailed the fucking, the, the box office game is because of a stupid trivia thing. Yeah. This is a very weird trivia thing, but of course, uh, that then Stallone and Schwarzenegger told the story, I think many times. Uh, but they of course had sort of a, a friendly rivalry, uh, throughout the eighties and nineties. This script came up on Schwarzenegger's desk and, uh, he thought it was a big piece of shit, but he made Stallone think that he was thinking about doing it.

[00:12:16] So that Stallone would be like, no, I want to get it on. Yeah. Yes. And it worked. Stop or my mom will shoot opens number two at the box office opening, uh, not opening this opened the previous week, but number one of the box office in its second week, major comedy movie, uh, big hit of the early nineties. Mike, do you want to guess at what number one was? Um, what year is it? 1992. 92 big comedy. 92 family comedy. Uh, I, it's a movie that I watched with my family, but I wouldn't call it a movie.

[00:12:46] It's called a family comedy. I get, if that makes sense. Yeah. Uh, based on a TV show sketch. It's like cone heads or something. You're, you're so close with the other, what are the other ones? I can't think of any other ones now. Uh, I mean, you're missing kind of the big one, which is what it is. I don't know. I can't think of anything from that era. That's like that. I'm thinking like, I've just got blizz brothers is all I'm thinking of, which obviously Wayne's world. Wayne's world was number one of the box office this weekend. Damn.

[00:13:16] Yeah. That one. The big one. Yes. The big one from that era. Of course, Wayne's world. Number one of the box office, a favorite of mine when I was in high school, haven't seen it in a long time, but I think I would still love it. It's pretty great. Uh, the rest of the top 10 consisted of fried green tomatoes, medicine, man, the hand that rocks the cradle, final analysis, uh, beauty and the beast. And it's 15th week of the box office, a re-release of the great mouse detective, uh, and bugsy, uh, or is the rest of your top 10. What a diverse top 10. Yeah. A lot of stuff.

[00:13:43] And two Disney movies, uh, there with, uh, animated movies, beauty and the beast hanging out for 15 weeks, uh, which makes sense. That was a huge hit. And then also the great mouse detective just, yeah, we're putting that back out. Why not? Sure. Yeah. Uh, all right. The letterbox plot synopsis for radio flyer reads a father reminisces about his childhood when he and his younger brother moved to a new town with their mother, her new husband and their dog Shane. When the younger brother is subjected to physical abuse at the hands of their brutal stepfather,

[00:14:10] Mike decides to convert their toy trolley, the radio flyer into a plane to fly him to safety. Uh, just cause, uh, you know, I, I like Richard Donner as a filmmaker and I've seen like pretty much all of his big hits. You know, I have seen the omen and, uh, all, uh, I don't know. That's the first one I thought of, but Superman and that's the one. It's the omen. Yeah. All the lethal weapons. And, uh, he, he also did like scrooged back in the eighties. Uh, was a Richard Donner picture.

[00:14:37] Lady Hawk is a, is a Richard Donner movie, but, uh, I had never seen radio flyer. Uh, and recently, as you know, I'm like four years behind on this podcast, but I've been catching up on screen drafts, uh, which you're a big fan of. And, uh, they did, uh, an episode shortly after Richard Donner died. Uh, that was a Richard Donner draft. Uh, and this movie actually made the cut and that's when they talked about it. Uh, and I was like, Oh yeah, cool. This is like, this sounds pretty good. I think Billy Ray put it on the list and, uh, you know, was a huge fan of it and made me want to watch it.

[00:15:06] Uh, and so I was curious about it. Uh, I was curious if you had any context for this movie before going into it, Mike, and, uh, what are your overall thoughts on radio flyer? Yeah, I had definitely, I mean, I guess I had heard of it cause I, I've definitely listened to that episode of screen drafts, but no, it was released in 2022. So it's understandable if you forgot that part. Yeah. So definitely forgot about that part. Didn't really know anything about it. I feel like I looked at the poster, Richard Donner, it's kind of a nostalgia thing.

[00:15:35] Like, I don't know, maybe it's like October sky or something. I don't know. Like that's kind of the vibe I start. Like it's about kids building an airplane in their backyard sort of, or whatever. And I was like, okay, yeah, sure. And I, I, it's funny. I talked to one of my friends, uh, and he was like asking about, well, what movie are you doing for the podcast? And I said, radio flyer. And he's like, Oh, is that the one with like Jake Gyllenhaal and the rockets? I was like, that's crazy. That's crazy that we both thought it was the same different wrong movie. Yep. A movie that you made me watch for Mike makes Mike watch a while back. I like that movie. What a pleasant time that movie is.

[00:16:05] So anyway, I thought that's sort of the vibe I was getting where we're going to be getting with radio flyer and, um, no, this movie is really fucked up and dark, um, and crazy. I can't believe this is a movie that exists. Um, I am as far as like my Donner, you know, familiarity. I mean, I've seen the same big ones, like you said before. Um, but really it's the omen is like a big movie with my family. Like my parents, I think we probably, we did an omen thing or something once. Didn't we?

[00:16:34] Or we, uh, I don't think we did an omen thing, but we talked about the first omen a lot when that came out, um, which is probably what you're thinking of because then we talked about, and when I say we talked about the first omen, I mean, we talked about the new movie called the first omen and we didn't talk about the first omen, but we did talk about the first omen. It's all really clear. I don't know why anyone's confused. Yeah. I don't know why, why this is confusing at all. Um, but yeah, no, we did talk about the omen quite a bit, like in, in 2024 when, uh,

[00:17:04] cause the first omen, I think you called it your number one movie of that year. You were such a huge fan of it. Yeah. Big fan of the first omen, but not to be confused with the omen, which is the first movie in the omen franchise. Um, and I, so, but I do also love the original omen and we always, you know, my parents would always make jokes about, uh, you know, I was born with a full head of hair, so they needed to give me a haircut to look for the six, six, six, you know, the whole, it was a whole thing. We would always talk about the omen and all that. So, uh, that's really like my Donner movie, uh, which is insane, but, uh, considering all

[00:17:34] the other like literal kids movie, like the Goonies and super Ram, like, you know, um, yeah, a versatile career. Like he really did a lot of different things. It's, and you can like feel that in radio flyer. There's lots of like jump scares and stuff like that, but it's all within the context, the point of view of Mike and Bobby, the two characters, the two, the two kids, Elijah Wood and Joe Bozzello, who I don't remember if they say their ages, but they're like 10 and eight or something. Yeah. Something. Maybe even younger than that. Yeah. Yeah. So very young.

[00:18:02] So like when freaky stuff happens, it's like from their point of view, they, they pull the shade up and it's the, it's Bigfoot. They're like, ah, and it's all that. And then like, they turn around and look again and it's their dog and you're like, oh, okay. You know, stuff like that happens. And I feel like you could, that's the like horror movie guy. That's the Richard Donner horror movie jumping out every, every now and then in this movie, which is pretty fun. But back to this movie. Yeah. I think this movie is just an impossible task. Who thought this was a good idea? Basically.

[00:18:29] Apparently a lot of people, cause again, this, uh, launched a bidding war among the studios to make this movie, you know, psychos, all of them. Uh, yeah, this movie is at times a sort of like a kind of flights of fantasy, sort of summer vacation, coming of age, moving to a new town, whatever, all the being bullied by the kids and run-ins with the cops and all this stuff. Um, who's actually very supportive, which is nice. Also just the most horrific depictions of domestic abuse that have ever been put to

[00:18:56] film basically for a movie for kids question mark. I don't really understand what this, who is the audience for this. And I think I saw one of the review, something about, maybe it was Roger Ebert. I don't remember that. Like the, the movie, uh, like the two ways the movie ends possibly is like either these kids die, which can't happen in a movie or they fly away to the moon, which is the worst possible, like undermines the entire rest of the movie.

[00:19:24] And I feel like that's really what happens for me. Um, a way to spoil the letterbox review section of this. Is that where I read that? Maybe I don't remember. That's going to be, yeah, that's somebody quotes Roger Ebert's review. Uh, and that's, yeah. So you nailed it. That's exactly right. That's what he says. Yeah. And, and it's like, I think almost two hours or like two feet or an hour 55 or something like that. It just kind of feels like sort of interminable at a certain point. Um, for me also, I mean, the performances are great. The everything else around that is great.

[00:19:51] I was like mostly engaged with it and like, oh wow, I'm actually kind of like charmed into this kind of thing. Sort of like we talked about last week with paradise a little bit. Um, but then it's just like hard pivot where this dog is dead. Or not. It turns out it's not dead, but the dog survives. The dog's okay. The dog's okay. Maybe we'd ever see it again. Um, that's true. Actually, no, he doesn't show up at the end. Um, yeah, he attacks Adam Baldwin, which is, uh, the best scene in the movie, which is nice. Um, but yeah, it's just crazy. Like, I don't know.

[00:20:19] This movie is just, it's just whiplash all over the place, I guess is what I'm getting at. Uh, and it's just like, yeah, sure. Whatever. I guess. Yeah. That's where you fly. Okay. So I, I think I liked this more than you, Mike, but at the same time, I do agree that like, there's two very different tones that this movie has. Yeah. Uh, and they very much clash, uh, throughout the entire movie. Uh, because yeah, one part of it is like this sort of stand by me as kind of like rumination on childhood nostalgia. It takes place in the late sixties. Right. And it's about like voiceover.

[00:20:48] Like, yeah, the, the Tom Hanks narration really feels like Richard drives his narration and stand by me. Like it feels like directly lifted from that almost. Uh, and so it really feels influenced by that. Uh, and it feels like it's kind of trying to, you know, like so much of the movie is like sort of what you see in Avalon as well. We talked about where it's just kind of like describing things like that kids are observing in the sixties and it's like, Oh, yo. And back then you could go to the store and get milk for five cents or whatever, like that kind of thing. They'd let you watch a movie 12 times in a row. And yeah, okay, sure. Yes, exactly. Yeah.

[00:21:18] We could hang out the movie theater and watch a shitty, shitty bang, bang. And like, you know, all that stuff. Right. And so I, I found all that to be very charming. I think that stuff really works in this movie. Uh, and I think part of that is because Elijah Wood and Joe Mazzello are both really great in it. Yeah. Um, like they're, they're giving really terrific job performances. Uh, and I also think Lorraine Brocko's greatest. They were kind of like harried mom. I like seeing her in stuff. That's not good fellows in the Sopranos cause it's always fun to see her pop up, uh, in stuff. Uh, and then Adam Baldwin, I think the, like, I think the movie uses Adam Baldwin very well.

[00:21:47] Adam Baldwin is an insane person. And I think between this and Cohen and Tate, you're like, okay, good casting for, for Adam Baldwin. Uh, and I liked the way the movie, like it very rarely shows you Adam Baldwin's face. Uh, he's kind of this ominous figure throughout the movie. Uh, and so it, when it does show you its face, it's kind of more towards the end of the movie. Uh, but it is like, you know, he's sort of this ominous presence, uh, in their lives where he's abusing Joe Mazzello's character, not Elijah Wood's character.

[00:22:14] Uh, and I think that's an interesting kind of, you know, dynamic that like the two brothers have to share with Adam Baldwin, uh, because it's like the, you know, why is this not the case? And it's somebody explains it as like, oh, well they, he knows Elijah Wood will fight back or like can fight back. Yeah. Uh, and Joe Mazzello won't, uh, because Elijah Woods, I guess a little bit older. Uh, do you remember what character or how they learned that info? Well, not learn that information, but where that comes from, where does that come from? Um, it's the mystical Buffalo that visits Elijah Wood in his dreams.

[00:22:46] You are correct. Cause he asks him, why is it not happening to me? And he's like, well, Mike, it's because Bobby can't fight back. You're like, what the fuck is happening? It's, you are right. And so, so it's a weird movie. It's a weird movie. It's fair to say. Yeah. Uh, you know, but I, I think, uh, despite the kind of tonal clashing, I think the, the depiction of the abuse is like fairly realistic for the most part. Yeah.

[00:23:16] You know, it kind of indulges in like escapist fantasy to, uh, get rid of that or like, you know, to, for them to try to escape it. Uh, and then the ending is, I think confusing to say the least. Uh, it's a, it's a weird ending. Um, you know, cause it is, uh, you know, the ending of this movie does involve, you know, they have built this sort of like rocket machine out of a radio flyer wagon and they are sending Joe Mazzello down the, the wishing hill, uh, to, with the dog and the turtle to go fly away

[00:23:45] and be free and like escape the family. Then it's just kind of like, okay, he does it. He escapes, he flies away, but like, does he, or did he just die? Like, what's the thing? Yeah. Is this movie about like the correctness of suicide? Like, what is this movie saying? Like, I don't understand what's going on. And Tom Hanks is narrating it and he's kind of like, you know, he's narrating it and he's not saying that his brother died and he's describing it as like, oh, and a few weeks later we got the postcard and like proving that he was out there, you know, and all that stuff.

[00:24:15] And every time I think about him or like, I start to lose hope, I get another postcard and all, all that stuff. Uh, but he also says something to the effect of like, now do you see what I mean boys about truth being in the eyes of the teller or something or something like that. And it really feels like it's just like making up a bunch of weird shit that he accidentally killed his brother or to explain to his children whether they don't have an uncle. Like, yeah, that said, like in the moment I was kind of swept up in it.

[00:24:43] I felt like I was kind of like swept up in the sort of escapism of it all. Uh, you know, in terms of like, if you're, if you remove your, if you divorce yourself from like the actual real world implications of the domestic abuse in the movie, which is very difficult to do because it is very graphic, uh, throughout, uh, it's, it's depicted very frankly, you know, if you can divorce yourself from that and kind of indulge more in the escapist fantasy elements of it, uh, you know, it feels like a children's adventure film at times.

[00:25:09] And, uh, you know, I think if you can get on board with that, if you believe hard enough that Joe Bozillo actually made it out and flew off the hill and traveled to a bunch of different countries over the years. And for some reason never came back, even though, uh, you know, he, he could theoretically like Adam Baldwin's not in the picture anymore. Yeah. Presumably the King dies at some point and you could return, but right. Uh, but also like I almost immediately after like he flies away, like the cop arrests Adam

[00:25:37] Baldwin and presumably he's out of their lives now. Like, you know, when the, when they show Elijah Wood running to his mom, like a couple weeks later, like he's not there. Uh, so yeah, he could come back if you were alive theoretically. But it said he's a flyer now or whatever they say at the end, I think. Yes. Uh, and weirdly the, the movie, the original ending of the movie was actually even more confusing. So there was an alternate ending that was shot. Okay. Uh, uh, and the original ending of the movie has Tom Hanks and his kids, uh, and they are

[00:26:07] at the, uh, Wright brothers museum. Uh, they're in North Carolina at the Wright brothers museum and they see the, uh, you know, the original plane of the Wright brothers took off in and then hanging right next to it is the radio. Like they invented flight is what we're talking about. I think the, uh, the implication might be that they were the Wright brothers, uh, or that just like, or their invention was so significant that it stands up to the original plane of

[00:26:34] the Wright brothers, you know, it's, it's a, a milestone in aviation history that they created this radio flyer, uh, that kind of thing. So it could be any of that stuff. I don't know. The, the original, they, they cut the original ending after test audiences were like, what test audiences were confused. And you know, a lot of times with test audiences, you know, you, you should take it with a grain of salt, but I think in this case they were probably right. This seems very weird. I think so. Maybe it's like one of those, like, like multiverse, like there's always a right brothers

[00:27:03] and like they were the next, uh, reincarnation of the Wright brothers. Yes. I think it's exactly what happened. I think that's what it is. Yeah. And I also, it's, it's funny when Adam Baldwin first shows up, uh, you know, he like the movie kind of opens and it's like Bobby and Mike and their mom, Lorraine Bracco, and they're on this road trip across the country. Like the, the setup initially is that their dad left, I think. Right. It's just like that he, they, he left. And like after a while their mom was like, okay, we're packing up and we're leaving and

[00:27:31] we're going to my aunt's house in California while we figured this out. Uh, and then while they're there, they meet Adam Baldwin and you know, he's like, and mom said he was the answer to all her prayers, whatever. And then there's like an ominous shot of Adam Baldwin drinking a beer and it's like, oh boy. Now on a certain level, at a certain point, you know, ignoring all the stuff the King does. Yeah. Like coming home from work and sitting in the garage in your recliner drinking beers, listening to your country records. I mean, that's pretty cool.

[00:28:02] Sounds pretty sick. I think I'd be pretty okay with that part. Yes. And then it's all these dang punches he's got to do. Yeah. No, if, if, if it weren't for the abuse, he'd be all right. Seems like he'd be an okay guy. Yeah. Maybe he drinks a little too much, but like, you know. I think especially by the time he gets to the halfway point and he's like just pounding like a ton of beers in the garage. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It does get worse. You're right. It gets worse. The movie goes on.

[00:28:31] But Elijah Wood is in this movie playing Mike. He is essentially the lead of the movie. Like it's him and Bobby. Like it's, it's kind of a two-hander between him and Joe Mazzello, but the movie's kind of told through Elijah Wood's perspective, obviously, cause Tom Hanks is narrating it. Right. Yes. Uh, so what did you think of Elijah Wood in Radio Flyer, Mike? Um, I think he's really great. Um, I could see all the, uh, the, why he's was a big child actor. Like he's, I think he's really incredible. I think Joe Mazzello for sure.

[00:28:58] Also, who's really only two touchstones for me are Jurassic Park and Undrafted. Good movie. I like Undrafted. Good movie. Yeah. Pretty good. Yes. He's also in, uh, Bohemian Rhapsody, but he's, he's one of the members of Queen. Well, I don't think I knew that. Yeah. I've never seen that movie. It's not very good, but, uh, but, uh, but, uh, he's great in this, but yeah, Elijah Wood, I think is really great. He's, uh, it's, you know, they have a lot to do. It's very like serious, like we keep talking about very serious, dramatic, intense stuff

[00:29:28] that they have to go through and do, but also the other parts, the coming of age summer vacation stuff is really fun. And I think they're like a fun duo and Shane, the dog that's always with them. Like they're a great little team. Uh, and it's like engaging and charming to watch them go on their adventures. And, uh, when they like bust the door open to the shed and it's like, ah, big monster. And then they fall down and it's like, oh, it's just their turn, like a tortoise or a turtle. Uh, I guess that, like that keeps happening throughout the movie and that's fun.

[00:29:56] And they find that little loose floorboard with the, the lock box. And they think he promised to never tell anybody about what they put in there and stuff. It's like, I don't know. I was just like charmed by them. And I think, um, Elijah Wood in particular is very good. Yeah, no, I think he's great in this. Uh, like it really like shows you how quickly, like, you know, this is like the third or fourth, like lead Elijah Wood role that we've had. Yeah. Um, which is surprising just considering, you know, how difficult it is to kind of break into Hollywood, you know, all that stuff.

[00:30:22] Often how we're talking about people who are in several things, like in bit parts before we kind of start talking about any kind of major supporting roles or lead stuff. But, uh, yeah, the last few movies like Avalon major role and in, uh, paradise, major role child of the night, major role. Uh, and in all of them, you know, I think he's been very good, but I think this is probably my favorite performance that he's given so far. Um, just in terms of like, I don't know, he has a lot to do in this movie. I think he has to a lot to play with, with his brother. He gets to do the kind of childlike adventure escape of stuff.

[00:30:51] Um, but also it gets a lot of very serious, like dark material to deal with. Yeah. Uh, and all of that I think is really good. It is interesting. And I think we talked about this maybe in the paradise episode, how like a lot of these Elijah Wood movies are like this dark undertones to, uh, to all of it. What's going on with this guy? You know, it seems like his family life was very well adjusted. Like what's happening, which maybe that's what made him better at, uh, dealing with this kind of thing. I don't know.

[00:31:17] Um, but, uh, yeah, no, there is, uh, you know, I think there is something to the fact that like every Elijah Wood movie we talked about so far involves like murder or, or at least like a violent attack, uh, or death, child death in paradise. Yeah. No. So like somebody's always dying in, in some way or another. Uh, and Elijah Wood's like always at the center of it. Uh, even as a kid. Uh, and I think there's something to the fact that like, that's the kind of material he

[00:31:47] was given when he was a kid, uh, that kind of led him to a lot of like genre stuff, uh, as he was kind of growing into an adult, you know? Yeah. Yeah. And I think it's interesting. Like the, the, we kind of pointed out a little bit. Um, I think there was a high potential for this to be this era of his career to be like six or seven back to the future twos. Like, or, or like maybe he's one of the kids bullying the other actors, like, you know, just like one of those townie kids or something like, you know, just one of an ensemble, but

[00:32:15] like, no, by, by episode three or whatever, like he's the main kid in child of the child of the night. He's the kid, you know? So yeah, I think it's interesting that he right away kind of, uh, stands out to these act, uh, you know, to, to Hollywood and stuff. And he's worked with Barry Levinson, Richard Donner. Like they're pretty major directors, pretty major filmmakers, uh, which is pretty cool. And we have more coming, uh, like that. So it's, it's neat. It's exciting that early on we're getting substantial roles for him to, for us to watch and discuss and stuff.

[00:32:45] Yeah, absolutely. Uh, you know, it means less discoveries like, uh, special delivery perhaps. Uh, right. Uh, but it could be more discoveries like, uh, another early Goldblum lead role that I'm blanking on, you know, uh, vibes or something. I don't know. Yeah. Tall man or whatever. You know, that's not that really early. Yeah. Yeah. That's more like, uh, it's post the fly, but, uh, yeah, the tall guy rules. Tall guy is so good. Uh, how do you think this fits into the Elijah Wood roles that we've seen so far, Mike? What was the movie?

[00:33:15] I'm going to back to Goldblum for a second. That was, um, is it tall guy with, I can't remember his name from Roger Rabbit, uh, and longer Friday. Oh, uh, Bob Hoskins, Bob Hoskins, right. Where, where he's like the audio, he's doing like the audio loops for porn movies where he's just like, uh, that movie was called the favor of the watch and the very big fish. And I'm impressed with myself. And I remember that off the dome. Um, incredible Goldblum plays like a guy who thinks he's Jesus, right?

[00:33:45] Yeah. I think Bob Hoskins is like a guy who, uh, likes this girl and this girl has an ex boyfriend and that boy ex boyfriend is Jeff Goldblum who has been released from jail. Yeah. Uh, and when he gets released from jail, he like things he performs like a miracle. Like he heals somebody's blindness or something. Something like that. He thinks that he's like the reincarnation of Jesus and Bob Hoskins, like the videographer who's like, he's working with to kind of tell his story. Yeah. All that stuff. It's a, it's a madcap movie that is actually, I think a lot of fun.

[00:34:15] I remember liking that movie quite a bit. And yeah, Bob Hoskins is like the sound guy on a porn set or something, right? It's like him and the girl, he meets the woman he has a crush on. They're both recording the audio, like the moans for a porn film. Right. But like not the actual porn. They're just doing like the audio. She's like sitting in a chair moaning, right? Yeah. Yeah. They're like in an audio booth, just moaning next to each other. Oh yeah. Good movie. Favorite of the watch and the very big fish. People should check it out. Check that out. Um, so yeah, that reminds me a lot of Elijah Wood. No.

[00:34:45] Um, but I think, uh, as far as Radio Flyer goes, it's another, like we've kind of been tracking so far and interesting drama, family relationship, fucked up dynamic movie, which is crazy. I mean, I guess Avalon isn't necessarily that fucked up. Uh, that's more of like scenes from a life and sometimes crazy things happen in a life. Um, yeah, that's more like a generational passing of the torch sort of movie kind of thing. Yeah. Yeah. But in other, that also has elements in Avalon, but more closely Radio Flyer and Paradise

[00:35:13] have this like long summer vacation thing going on coming of age story. Uh, that's part of Avalon, uh, Avalon also the coming of age aspect of it. Uh, we see a future older character version of his character, of Elijah Wood's character in both movies. Uh, so yeah. But I mean, you know, it's that kind of thing and I am excited going forward to see how much more that fee. I mean, I know we have like Flipper and eventually like Huckleberry Finn and then Thumbelina and like all that stuff. And they're like, Oh, it's good. I mean, I know that's a voice role, but like, it'll be interesting to see him sort of have,

[00:35:43] have started as a very young child in the serious dramas. And then like, maybe as a like middle teenager pivot into family movies. Um, I feel like that more, that might just be like, well, this is the thing a child actor is supposed to do kind of deal. Right. Uh, and I think that's sort of an attempt by the studios. And I think Disney was the one who produced Huck Finn and maybe even Flipper, uh, to be like, Oh, we like Elijah Wood's been doing great work for a couple of years. He might be the next Macaulay Culkin or whatever. Uh, right.

[00:36:10] And I feel like, I feel like I've mentioned Macaulay Culkin a lot in these early episodes, but like he was the child actor of the nineties, right? He was like the major kid star. So like it, like everybody's kind of chasing that. Yeah. So it is like, I think it's a little interesting. Oh, I didn't mean to cut you off your thought there, but I think it's interesting that like Elijah Wood sort of like not mirror, I don't want to say mirrors, uh, Macaulay Culkin or whatever, but like he's worked with Thor Birch, who's another like big nineties child actor. This is Joe Mazzello, a big nineties child actor.

[00:36:37] He will eventually work with Macaulay Culkin, a big, like, it's so funny that he's sort of like the supporting player to all these other major child actors at this. Or like paired up with them in some way and that kind of thing. Yeah. Which I was thinking about that too, watching this movie. Like, Oh yeah, it's cool that he and Joe Mazzello are in the same movie. And I'm sure there's going to be a couple more that are going to pop up in the next few weeks that we'll talk about. Uh, I also think the, uh, the child fantasy elements of this movie did really remind me of child in the night as well, which, uh, you know, child in the night has these, uh,

[00:37:06] extended sequences where Elijah Wood is kind of remembering his father's murder, but through the lens of Peter Pan and captain hook and captain hook sleeping with his wife and captain hooks his, uh, grandpa and all that stuff. And there's, there's a whole lot of messy stuff happening there. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, but, uh, yeah, the, the fantasy sequences in this movie, like you mentioned before, the, uh, you know, giant Buffalo spirit that tells Elijah Wood about the domestic abuse is, uh, you know, is an element of that. And, you know, in the final moments, like if you want to believe that, uh, they actually

[00:37:35] did build the flyer, I think you can. Um, but if you want to say it's a fantasy sequence and that kid died, then the movie is open to that interpretation too. Sort of. Yeah, I guess. Cause his mom's relieved when they get the postcard. Like if that stuff's real. Yeah. But again, I think, I think it's a case of unreliable narrator, right? Because Tom Hanks is the one narrating the movie. And so it's, it's sort of like, you know, he's giving them the ending that like he maybe wishes had happened or whatever. I don't know. It's a, yeah, yeah. It does make sense.

[00:38:03] Cause he, he does like directly say, he says it at the beginning and the end, like, and, and don't forget, wink, wink. The truth is in the hands of the teller or whatever he says. I forget. Yes. And the whole radio flyer thing happens in the last 20 minutes where it's like, and now we must escape. And you're like, whoa, okay. Is this real? Yeah. It is funny with the Tom Hanks stuff too, that like he's in the opening scenes in the ending scene and the, the movie kind of launches into like, it's him telling the story of like him and his brother kind of growing up.

[00:38:31] It starts off with like him and his two kids and the kids are like, oh, I want to play with this toy. No, you can't like, oh, but you promised. And Tom Hanks is like, oh, you know, the most important thing you can do is never break a promise or whatever. Did I ever tell you the story of me and your uncle Bobby? And then like launches into a two hour story. Yeah. Like, damn. It's like, that is a, that's a long day for those kids. That's a lot. That's a lot to be sitting on the ground, listening to your dad. Like, yeah.

[00:38:59] That very much feels like the opening of like how I met your mother or something where it's just like, yeah, yeah. Kids, this is a story. And it's like, oh, this took nine years to tell this story. Like what the hell? Yeah. Um, but yeah, any other scenes or moments in this movie that stand out to you, my game do you feel like we need to talk about? Well, I mean, I, I mean, there's the whole sort of like thrust of the, of the film, which feels very, uh, stand by me, Stephen King, that whole thing where it's like these like seven truths, you know, as a child that have like, once you hit 13, you forget.

[00:39:28] Uh, and I, so I don't remember all of them, but basically it's like, you know, your child like wonder and whimsy in the world, uh, it goes away once you know that the truth of things, which is sort of like positioned as like why the radio flyer works and why he's able to escape is because we hadn't forgotten those truths yet. And like, and I, I kind of, I like, like, I think that's interesting. I like that idea. You know, I, I think part of the problem with the tone with this movie is the two things. We see the flights of fantasy.

[00:39:53] We see the, the, the way like a child would inter, might interpret these horrific things, right? Cause like, they don't know the, what's really happening necessarily. Right. Don't have the words or whatever. Okay. Like, I think that's interesting. I think that's good to explore, but it's like that we also see the horrific thing and then the fantasy part of like, it's not just all fantasy or whatever. Like, I don't know how to describe it. I think that's what causes the friction for me is we have the, the POV childlike stuff,

[00:40:21] but then also like the cold adult reality of it. And you're like, Holy shit. Pick a lane. I think is what I'm getting at. Yeah. Yeah. All the stuff with like Fisher, who's like the kid in the cold open, who's who, who first made this jump in the past. And, and like, that's why they know about the wishing hill and all that stuff. Like, right. That's cool. And it's like, like, even though they don't know who, like they don't personally know Fisher, it's like that legend has spread across kids nationwide and everyone knows about Fisher, you know? Yeah, exactly. And that's neat.

[00:40:50] And he's another kid that wanted to fly and made this jump and it, but he was 13. So he forgot those truths and it didn't work. Uh, yes. And then they later meet Fisher at the gas station when they're getting ready for the flight. Uh, and now Fisher's like an adult and he sees them and he fills up their tank and, uh, he's like, Hey kid. And he gives them some advice on like how to like, yeah, you're going to want to pull up too early or something. I forget what he says. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. And then he limps away because his, uh, his leg broke or something when he was a kid when he did that. Yeah. Uh, and they're like, Whoa.

[00:41:20] And it's like, did that actually happen? I don't know. The entire like last 30 minutes of this movie are a big question mark. Exactly. Yeah. That was neat. I like John hurt, heard. He was cool as the, as the sheriff, the town sheriff. I kind of wish, I wonder if like the original version of the script had him involved more. He's only in a couple of scenes in the movie. And I feel like, like there's a version of this movie that probably exists that has him a little bit more involved in like maybe investigating like the abuse situation at their house kind of thing. Cause he shows up and he shows like genuine concern for the kids. He, he realizes something's off.

[00:41:50] Um, but can't quite, you know, doesn't have evidence or anything. Doesn't, can't like investigate or whatever. Um, and then finally arrests Adam Baldwin at the end and it's like, yeah, we did it, but we got him. Yeah. Yeah. Cause he shows up a couple of times. Uh, and then the final like moment or whatever, when he shows up, uh, Adam Baldwin has thrown all the stuff out on the lawn and all this shit. And the kids are like, they get beat up and all this stuff. And, uh, they're trying to, they say something like we have to clean up before he comes home. And he's like, yeah, you see John are like putting the pieces together.

[00:42:20] Like what's happening here. Yeah. Even when they first move into the house and, uh, they get to the house and like, you know, that's like, we're not for sale anymore. They're taking the sign down. And like the whole family is like standing like in front of the sign and John heard pulls up in his police car and he's like, Oh, Hey, welcome to the neighborhood. And Adam Baldwin goes like, and then like goes off into that, like walks away and goes to the garage, like spikes the for sale sign into the lawn. Like it runs away. And basically it's like, what the fuck is happening? Yeah.

[00:42:48] Um, so he's good, but, uh, yeah, I don't know. I did like the, the fantasy, like the kids summer stuff, like when they're frogging and like, I don't know, they're, they, they run into those other scary kids in the, in the woods. Like, I don't know. It's cool. And then Shane, the dog, uh, chases after the other kids, which is a great scene. Yeah. Shane, the dog rules, big fan, uh, of him. He's basically the third main character in this movie. And so, yeah, he's like kind of involved in like all the boys activities and stuff. Like that.

[00:43:15] Uh, and then when Adam Baldwin hurt Shane, uh, at the end, it's, it's a real, like, we got to kill this guy, man. This is, it's fucked up. It's, it's a real, like, uh, that Steven universe, like fan comic or whatever, where it's like, I think we got to kill this guy, Steven. Damn. It's like, we got to kill Adam Baldwin. There's nothing else we can do. Like we got to do it. What do you got to do? King's got to go, you know? Uh, and so, yeah, basically like he, uh, attacks Shane as like a warning to them to like stop messing around in the shed and using his tools to build whatever crazy contraption they're building.

[00:43:44] Uh, which is of course their flying machine. Uh, and it makes you think Shane died. Uh, and he didn't, but he seems very hurt. Uh, and it does seem like their priority should probably be take Shane to the vet. But I think, or like tell, tell mom, you know, like at that point, especially at that point, like he had already been kicked out for abusing like him. Yeah. Like she found out about it. He finally gives Bobby like a black eye, maybe even a concussion. He's in a hospital. Like he ends up hospitalized, uh, right.

[00:44:14] And goes to jail, uh, but it's like released early or something. Uh, and she takes him back and like, uh, you know, that is true to life that happens, you know? Sure. Um, so we're already aware of all this stuff and yeah, then they find Shane like all bloody and beat up in the backyard. And they're just like, we have to go down to the flying machine instead of mom. Yes. But I mean, they're also kids. And so it's, you know, it's, it's, that's whatever, but it does feel like mom is aware now of the abuse situation.

[00:44:42] So like, if it happens again, like she probably would have kicked him out at this point. Lorraine Bracco seems pretty smart in the, in this movie, uh, despite everything. And so, yeah, right after that, that's when they go to the wishing Hill, they do the thing, but they leave a note for their mom, uh, essentially outlining like, Mike is saying like, I will be back, but Bobby won't be. Uh, so he says, he says, he's sorry, but he has to leave. Goodbye. He says goodbye forever. And he's taking Shane and he leaves the note for his mom, but Adam Baldwin gets to it first. And so he chases after them.

[00:45:09] Uh, and then Lorraine Bracco finds the note and she's like, what the hell does any of this mean? And she, she does the same thing. Uh, and so they're about to take off. Then Adam Baldwin shows up and he's like, you know, attacking them. And then Shane jumps out of the flying machine. He bites Adam Baldwin. He takes him down to the ground. It's very satisfying. I was cheering on my couch. Uh, when this happens, uh, I think this is part of like, I kind of got swept up in like the, uh, yeah, we escaped. We did it.

[00:45:35] Uh, the actual implications of what the ending entails, uh, hit me once the credits started rolling. Right. You know, once the movie ended, I was like, Hmm, I'm not sure how about that, but in the moment, I think it works. It does work. Yeah. You know, and, uh, Adam Baldwin gets his comeuppance. He gets attacked with a dog. He gets hit by the flying machine's wing as it's going down the, uh, thing. He's on the ground and John Hurd shows up and he arrests him and all, all is well there. Uh, and so, yeah, I liked all that stuff. Yeah. Shane's great. Big fan of Shane. Shane is great. What's the other one?

[00:46:04] I thought, I thought the, the kill the carrier sequence was pretty funny in like, uh, this doesn't make any sense kind of way where the neighborhood boys come by the house and it's Mike and Bobby hanging out and they're like, Mike, we need it. We can't play football. We need one more guy. Come with us. Yeah. Uh, and he's like, maybe they do want to be friends. It's like these guys who relentlessly bullied you all summer. Um, but then they go and they're like, you ever played kill the carrier and stuff the football in his arms and they just jump on him and beat him all, beat him up. And he like wins.

[00:46:31] He gets to like the safe zone, whatever they tell him, whatever they tell him. I forget. They make it back to the bikes. You're free or something. Right. Yeah. Um, and he does. And they're like the leader of the gang is like, no, you cheated. It's not, it's not real. And he kicks, uh, Elijah would kicks him in the nuts and all of his friends immediately are like, run Mike, you're free. Get out of here. What are we feeling? Like what's going on? We just immediately deposed this guy. It's like Mike did a coup. Um, yeah, it's like a hydra. You cut off the head. No, actually no, that's a bad analogy.

[00:47:01] Cause a hydra comes, then, then the head pops back up. Uh, it's more like killing, killing the snake. Like once you cut off the head and you, yeah, that kind of thing. Exactly. Yeah. As soon as the lead bully was wounded for a second, they're, they're all, the spell is broken and they're all free. Basically. Yes, exactly. And so you kill the mothership in independence day and then all the aliens die. Exactly. That's like that. Uh, the monster potion scene I wanted to mention, which I thought was really charming and fun. Um, but, uh, you know, it comes from a very dark place also, but like it comes from like

[00:47:30] they, they view the King as a monster, which makes sense. Uh, he is, but also they're viewing him as like, you know, a fantasy fictional monster also. Like they're thinking about him in the vein of like a big foot or whatever. Uh, and yeah. What? I was gonna say, I think, I think it's interesting the way that this movie uses old movies to like depict, like they're watching Frankenstein. They're watching, uh, bang bang, bang, bang, bang, uh, Jason and the Argonauts or something. I think so. Yeah. Or they're watching, they're watching Sinbad in the theater also. Yeah.

[00:48:00] Yeah. And those are like the two movies they watch like 12 times or something. Right. And then they're constantly like, you know, all these monster movies and it's big battles against a giant hydra thing or whatever's happening in Sinbad and like all that stuff. And it's like, Oh, hashtag symbolism, you know, the King is a big, scary monster. Yes. Uh, and like they're reading one of their comic books and there's an ad for a monster potion. That's like a repellent against monsters. If you drink it, the monsters can't get to you or something like that. Right.

[00:48:26] Uh, and so they, and they find this, I think, uh, or they, they find it and they order it and they're waiting for weeks in the mail. Uh, and I remember it's the moment when, uh, you know, all the stuff's in the lawn and there and John Hurd shows up and he's like, Hey, you kids going to be all right. And they see that the package has arrived and like, we'll be all right now, Mr. Thanks. And like, you know, they avoid his help because they think they had the solution right here. It's the monster potion. Uh, and so they get the monster potion and they see all the ingredients. Uh, and it's all stuff that's like, you know, I have newt or whatever.

[00:48:55] And they like, they see it and they're like marbles and they get their marbles and they put it in a big pot. Uh, and you know, they're like, and something, and they put like their dogs poop in there and they put like a bunch of, a bunch of different things, like just raw ground beef, uh, in this like giant pot. And they're building this like monster potion, uh, and they put it on the oven and they leave the oven unattended because they're kids. Uh, and they're like watching TV in the living room and they hear something and the pot like

[00:49:21] explodes and shit goes everywhere in the kitchen and they have to like clean it up very quickly Yeah. Yeah. Uh, yeah, that was fun. I liked that. I liked that. They're like, I think they, they, it's like bat guano or something is what it says. And they're like gueno, what is like gueno? What is that? And they're both like dictionary. And then it's like, it's like, it turns into like an Edgar Wright, but like, boom, dictionary hits the thing. Page is flipping. Uh, yeah, it's pretty funny.

[00:49:49] Uh, and yeah, they, they try to concoct this potion as best they can. And then of course, uh, it explodes and they have to do it and it's a whole big thing. Yeah. But it's also, you know, it's, it's a very like fun sequence, I think, but also there's like a twinge of like, there's dark, obviously the whole reason for it is dark. Um, but the, there's even like a twinge of like real, a really sad moment. I think Joe Mazzello plays really well, which is like, he does make sure to save some of the potion before they clean it up. Yeah. Because if, if he gets, if like Adam Baldwin shows up and gets back, he has to drink it to make sure he's okay.

[00:50:18] Like he has to protect himself. And then, and then he comes home before they're done finished, like before they're done cleaning up. Um, and he goes like straight into the garage and starts drinking. And I think there's like a voiceover thing where it's like, that was the one time we were glad he went to drinking. Cause so he didn't come in the kitchen and catch them. Cause he went straight to the garage to drink. It's like, Holy shit. Like even this is fucked up. Yeah. And in that moment too, I think, uh, there's like the cord that, uh, the King uses to beat,

[00:50:45] uh, Joe Mazzello with and Elijah would takes it and like stuffs it in like the back of the oven. So like he can't find it. Um, but then of course later he's like, turns on the oven and it's like, what the hell is that? Like something's happening with the cord. Like it's get, it's, it's in the oven that he's using to cook. Uh, right. Exactly. And so he like, there's a weird smell coming and all that stuff. So he finds it in there and, and blames Bobby instead. And then like, damn, you know? Yeah, no, it's, uh, it's, it's tragic. It's sad.

[00:51:12] Uh, so yeah, there's a lot of like very dark, sad stuff in this movie while at the same time, a lot of like very fantastical, whimsical stuff. Uh, and it's a weird mix. I think it kind of works, you know, but like just kinda, it like just barely gets there. Uh, and I think kind of more works in the moment than like, when you take a step back from it, you're like, I'm not sure that this like comes together in any real meaningful way, but I appreciated the effort, I think. Uh, and you know, I, I, I think I liked it. I'm, I'm positive on this movie.

[00:51:42] Okay. Yeah. I mean, I didn't like hate this movie, but I did, I think I mentioned before we started recording, like all afternoon today, I was like, what fucking movie did I watch? Like what movie was that? Like I just couldn't remember. I was like, I know I watched a movie for Elijah Wood, but like, what movie was it? Oh, right. And then right before we started, I was like, oh yeah, Radio Flyer. Yep. That's the one. Um, so there is a little bit of that, I guess to it. Um, but I think, yeah, for me, maybe it just doesn't come together enough. I think the last 20 minutes, the ending just is like, well, where did this come from?

[00:52:12] Even though we've had like fantasy stuff throughout, it's all sort of grounded in reality. You know, like we, we see for a minute and then, oh, it's actually a chain in the shadow is like, okay. Sure. Right. Um, and this is just like, nope, he flew away. And granted, you know, we have the, we have the unreliable narrator aspect of it, but, um, it just feels really out of nowhere. Yeah, no, I, I agree. It's a, it's a strange ending.

[00:52:38] Uh, and if you, if you believe with all your heart, that's one of those, yeah, that, that he made it, then he did. And, uh, perhaps if you don't believe that he didn't make it, but, uh, turn to the character and if all, turn to the audience and all you kids at home believe hard enough, maybe we can do it. Like it's one of those vibes. Yes. It's a, it's a weird ending to the movie. You know, it sounds like a script that was heavily rewritten to kind of figure out from what I understand, like Richard Donner, like the reason he had, uh, Evans kind of rewrite

[00:53:07] the script when he kind of got on board was to try to make those two different tones mesh better. Okay. Like the, uh, the child abuse element and the fantastical adventure elements. If that's the case, I guess they were worse before. I don't know. I mean, they did shut down production for 10 days, like after 10 days. Uh, the original thing. So, uh, it's, it's conceivable that, uh, yeah, it didn't work out. So yeah, this movie didn't do well at the box office when it came out. It kind of developed a little bit of a cult following. Um, I think just as, you know, I think there's elements of here that do work.

[00:53:37] You know, I could see this. A, we never watched this when I was a kid, but I could see this being on like the blockbuster shelf and my family kind of taken and being like, yeah, sure. Why not? We'll watch this tonight kind of thing. Like this is something that like a families would have seen that way. What? Yeah. Yeah. I think you're right. I think this reminds me of, um, fly away home. Is that the movie with the geese? Right. You ever seen that? Perhaps. I've, I've never seen it. I think that's the name of that movie. It's got a Jeff Daniels. Okay. From arachnophobia. We know. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:54:05] And, uh, Anna Paquin maybe I think is like the girl in it. Oh, really? Okay. Something about geese. I don't know. I don't really remember anything more than that, but it's got this vibe that somebody flies and presumably home. Uh, yeah, fair enough. Uh, all right. Any other thoughts about a radio flyer of mine before moving on letterbox reviews? Uh, no, I think, I think we kind of hit all the big stuff. I think, uh, Shane, I think like you said, Shane, Shane, great. The dog. Yeah. The dog Shane. One of the best movie dogs. He's fantastic. Uh, all right.

[00:54:35] Here's some letterbox reviews for radio flyer. Uh, here's a three star review from Adam Robertson, uh, which reads for those who like a Christmas story, but feel it contains too much Christmas and not enough child abuse. Have I got the movie for you? I think that's a really, a really, uh, high bridge to clear how much child abuses in this movie. Uh, and that is fair, you know, and, uh, and again, to his credit, I guess Adam Baldwin really good in the movie.

[00:55:03] I think really scary presence, you know, just a monstrous man in real life and in this movie. Exactly. Yes. Uh, here's a two star review from Brevas 34, which reads me in the nineties as a kid. Hooray. He made it. It worked. My, my grown ass finally seeing this as an adult. Holy fuck. That kid's totally dead. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Which is, uh, kind of how it plays. And finally, I got one more review here. I have an overview. We alluded to earlier.

[00:55:30] It's a two and a half star review from rally of 44, which reads, who is this movie made for? It is too dark to be a kid's movie, but it also feels too irresponsible for adults. A whimsical movie about child abuse unsurprisingly doesn't work. And it made me uncomfortable to watch. There's not much I could add that hasn't already been said about this film, but I do want to quote the late great Roger Ebert and his review for this back in 1992, because I think he put it best. I will not regale you with the details by which Bobby's maiden flight takes place.

[00:55:59] I was so appalled watching this kid hurtling down the hill and this pathetic contraption that I didn't know which ending would be worse. If he fell to his death, that would be unthinkable. But if he's sort of to the moon, it would be unforgivable because you can't escape from child abuse and little red wagons. And even the people who made this picture should have been ashamed to suggest otherwise. Roger Ebert's not an ineptly made movie as Richard Donner was good at whimsy in his films, and it even has two good two good kid performances from Joe Mazzello and Elijah Wood.

[00:56:26] It's just an inappropriate movie with a problematic message that fails at what it intended to do. Yeah, there you go. I think that's maybe more negative than either of us, but basically, ditto. Yeah, I think there's enough good here, especially in the first time. Just like hour and a half to recommend it. You know, but again, it's also a tough recommend because there's some tough sequences in this movie. But I think if you like movies like Stand By Me or Paradise, Fly Away Home question mark,

[00:56:57] you know, movies that are about kind of just kids growing up in a nostalgic era. I think if you like the Sandlot, like I think this movie, you know, has very similar vibes to the Sandlot, which makes sense. Yeah. You know, so like that kind of thing. It just has some weird elements to it that especially kind of start hitting in the last like 20, 30 minutes of the movie. Yeah. I haven't seen the Sandlot forever either. Do you think that holds up? I would imagine. I would imagine the Sandlot still holds up. I also haven't seen it since I was maybe in like junior high, but I think I would probably

[00:57:27] still enjoy it. It's the Sandlot, you know? What's not to like? Best enjoyed, much like a Christmas story in like 20 minute chunks on cable. Like that's how it's meant to be seen. Right? I think so. Yeah. Pretty much. You know, that feels like how I mostly watched the Sandlot when I was a kid. It'd be like, oh, hey, it's the part where they make s'mores. You know, like that kind of thing. Oh, there's the dog. The great Bambino. Like all that stuff. I remember the Sandlot things.

[00:57:57] I get it. Penny the Jet. Come on. Yeah. The kid who faced drowning so he can kiss the hot lifeguard girl. All that stuff. That part probably, probably not so great in 2026. Kids being kids. I don't know. Classic. Classic tricking a girl so you can kiss her. Everybody loves that. In any case, the Sandlot we're not talking about on this podcast. Oh, yeah. Right. That's right. Elijah Wood's not in it unless you want to make us watch the Sandlot. Go to our Ko-fi page. But Mike D will plug that in a minute. Mike D, where can we find you online this week?

[00:58:27] You can find me at MDFilmBlog on Letterboxd and Blue Sky. You can donate to support the show on our Ko-fi page. Ko-fi.com slash Mike and Mike Pods. Like Mike said, you can donate $50. Pick a movie for us to watch on the bonus episodes. Mike and Mike go to the movies. You want us to talk about the Sandlot and potential problematic fave status? I don't know. We can do it for $50. And if you would like merch, we have merch available on our Redbubble. MikeandMikePods.redbubble.com. That's right.

[00:58:55] You can find me online at MSmithFilmBlog on Twitter and Blue Sky. I'm Mike Smith Film on Letterboxd. Radio Mike Sandwich on Instagram. Thank you so much for listening to Complete Works. I'm Mike Smith. It's Mike Decrecio. Don't forget to rate and view the show on Apple Podcasts or any other podcast app. And if you want to contact us, go to Blue Sky at Complete Works Pod. You can find the rest of our podcasts in Rapture Press alongside many other podcasts, all kinds of comic books and movie news and all that good stuff. Our theme song was created by Kyle Cullen, who you can reach for your own podcast themes at kilespodcastthemes at gmail.com.

[00:59:22] And our logo was designed by Mac V or at Fearless Guard on Blue Sky. Next week, Elijah Wood plays Delta Burke's imaginary friend in the 1992 TV movie, Dayo, which I believe is unrelated to the Banana Boat song. I was going to ask, is that a reference to that? Like, it must be. It could be. I haven't seen the movie, so I guess we'll find out. We'll find out together. Yeah, exactly. And remember to check out our other podcast, Mike and Mike and I Go to the Movies, for all kinds of other movie-related stuff, including recent releases,

[00:59:52] ranked lists, general discussions, and a lot more. Thanks so much for listening, guys. Join us next time. Would you?