During the 1960’s not much was known about those who faced a handicap and because of this most of them were either locked up or became outcasts. This is what has happened to James Robert Kennedy who is better known as Radio because of his passion for radios. This was even mad tougher by the fact that hailed from a small South Carolina town and because of his race. So everyday Radio gathers up his shopping cart and goes walking through town gathering up treasures for himself. Tell one day his trips leads him by the local football practice field and across the path of a bunch cocky young players who lock him inside equipment shed which they then pelt with footballs. He is ultimately rescued by Coach Jones who for some reason takes a shining to him that even he does not understand. In an effort to try and help the troubled young man he decides to take him under his wing and allow him to help out the team. The two soon become friends and most of the team also takes a real liking to Radio who while at first is very shy and afraid, the kindness of the coach and the team help him come out of his shell. But not everything is perfect as there are some that do not like Radio and think that he is a distraction to the team and the school. So now Coach Jones is about to come under a hail of controversy as he tries to help someone he is not even exactly sure why he decided to save and whether he needed saving at all.

The movie is based on a true story of the real Radio who even to this day helps coach the Hannah Yellow Jackets 38+ years after Jones first started helping him. The movie is what you would call your typical cliché in many aspects from someone overcoming great obstacles to succeed, to how they gloss over many of the aspects of the film that might have been unsavory. That is not to say the movie is bad by any means but the fact is the story has been told quite a lot in recent movie history. The fact that it is based on a true story is all and all great but sometimes you have to wonder how many of these feel good movies can be churned out. I really did enjoy the movie, I am just critical about its timing in release. Cuba Gooding Jr. is an actor I have commented on in the past as not having the ability to choose quality roles; this being his third movie of the year and his first good role of the year. Once again Gooding showed that he does have great versatility as an actor and he really made you care for Radio and really brought the part to life. Ed Harris who played Coach Jones also did a good job of playing the conflicted coach who knows he should do the right thing but sometimes has trouble doing it, which is very real and I think probably the same dilemma the real Coach went through. You kind of need to be in the mood for this type of movie as it is one of those movies that tends to try and pull at your heart strings, so if you are looking for a good movie that is very well done and may touch you Radio is it.
3.5 stars out of 5