The Boy Who Could Fly (1986)

Directed by Nick Castle. Starring Lucy Deakins, Jay Underwood, Fred Savage, Bonnie Bedelia, Mindy Cohn, Fred Gwynne, Colleen Dewhurst, Sean Kelso, Janet MacLachlan, Louise Fletcher. [PG]

Gooey-soft fantasy parable about a teenage girl (Deakins) new to town who slowly befriends an autistic boy (Underwood) next door who thinks he can fly. Aimed at children, so the message is as pat as it is uplifting, with sentiment both borrowed and earned, and far too many facile turns in the narrative. For instance, almost all of the supporting characters have convenient little problems to be solved—the mom is struggling at work, the neighbor’s caretaker uncle is a drunk, the heroine’s little brother is being bullied by a kid who’s dog is named Hitler, etc.—but instead of tackling them in a real-world fashion, they’re miraculously taken care of by the “inspiration” of a neurodivergent who can somehow soar around town with Deakins touching his hand like she’s Lois Lane. Some leeway must be given in terms of its dated attitudes and understanding of the boy’s condition, but autism correlating to magic powers must have been in dubious taste even in the 1980s. Fred Savage’s first movie role; keep an eye out for bit player Jason Priestley making his film debut, too.

45/100