On B List of Movie Reviews

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The Boy Who Could Fly (1986)

Rate: 9
Viewed: 8/20, 3/22

BoyCouldFly
8/20: Here's a forgotten 80's classic that ranks right up there with Harvey and Field of Dreams: The Boy Who Could Fly.

This movie ran a lot on HBO, and I hadn't seen it again for thirty years. I remember everything, especially Fred Savage and his character's stupid obsession with G.I. Joe. The best part is the Peter Pan-like movie magic by Eric and Milly as they fall down from the roof and then come soaring quickly over the spectators.

Of course, it's Lucy Deakins who gives the most outstanding performance. Jay Underwood is a big part of the story. Making his screen debut, Fred Savage was, once upon a time, a pretty good child actor. These three are primarily responsible for making the film work. I've forgotten that Bonnie Bedelia and Fred Gwynne also star.

For a long time, I didn't understand why Eric was different from others; that being said, it was a movie from the late 80's, and autism wasn't that well-understood back then. After seeing The Boy Who Could Fly again, everything now makes sense. Yes, the CGI looks outdated with the strings and all, but who cares?

There are a couple of fun facts. If you see the boy trying to climb up the beam of a trellis (or something like that) and getting down from it and also doing something on the bridge as a girl tried to pick a flower from the tree, it's Jason Priestley although his face is never shown despite the unmistakable outline. While Milly and Geneva are drunk and watching some random MTV show, the guys doing the silly tongue stuff are the following directors: John Carpenter, Tommy Wallace, and Nick Castle (I have no clue who the fourth person is, but somebody said it's Warren Carr).

All in all, there's a lot to like about The Boy Who Could Fly, and it's a shame the film is obscure today.

3/22: The Boy Who Could Fly is still a great movie with strong performances.