The Boy Who Could Fly

A classic 80's film that nears cheesy pap but still avoids and retains heart through excellent pacing, dialog and acting. It might not hold up as well as when I first saw it because the family film concept had not yet been run into the ground yet for me.

Fred Savage does a good job in an interesting subplot that involves a bully and funerals for GI JOE soldiers. Fond memories of his confrontation with the neighborhood bullies still color my memory of this film.

A fun warm family fantasy that seems to be in short supply as of late due to it being nearly impossible to make something realistic because of the amount of film cliche in the modern world. Still, the film is very watchable and fun. 7/10

I'm really surprised I didn't see more comments on this movie. I remember watching this movie when I was, I think 13 or 14. I never quite understood the complexities of emotion that were put into this movie. But I had always remembered it from my younger years. I decided to pick up the DVD when it came out again. Now that I'm older, and actually work with cut scenes as an animator for a living. I now see everything that I missed.

I am by all means not an emotional person or cry a lot etc, but I have at least watched this film more then 15 times in the last year. No other movie has ever brought me to tears every time I watch it. Not tears of sadness or being upset , but tears of happiness. There are so many moments in this picture that can overwhelm you with that gut feeling of real love. You really let these characters take your heart and go with it. That is what a true movie is a about , is the ability to let you heart go and pull in that emotion from them and try to imagine feeling what they feel. I don't think any other movie has captured my heart that way. I might seem all soft and sound like a push over but I'm about as manly as you can get.

If you have the time to see this movie or buy it. You truly will receive a much broader look at life , love , fear , relationships and most of all believing in yourself and who you are.

I didn't want reveal any of the movie but it really has touched me.

Michael Loeck Character animator http://www.immortal3d.com

Like other commentators before me I watched this film as a young man and it touched me. In fact it moved me to tears. Now I am older I am still touched by the simplicity of this film and yet it is complex in showing us that from adults to children we all have things to deal with. The reason why Eric Gibb could fly is the most touching of all and in case there are people who do not believe that it is possible for one to sense tragedy in one close to you, believe me it's real.

As I pen this comment I have just watched it again and cannot help but feel that even twenty years plus since this movie came out there is the scope for a sequel 'The Man who could fly' I am not talking about a TV series but a one off movie showing our stars meeting again in adult hood. Something to think about. I liked this movie and I would like to own it on DVD should it be released for the European audience.

I also watched this movie as a young teenager. And it's a movie I will never forget, I just remember it changed me somehow, as a person.

I'm so tired of modern family movies full of fart jokes or movies where teenagers make love to pastries and it's supposed to be funny and then they staple on some superficial message at the end in an attempt to be poignant and balance out all the trash that came before. Every other week we are tortured with some nonsense of this calibre and whenever I wish for a movie that stands out from the crowd I have to go back in time and consider some overlooked gem. The Boy Who Could Fly is exactly that.

The characters seem so real and their emotions genuine, it builds at a slow pace but it never gets boring and story development is consistent. This is not a ferociously loud summer crowd-pleaser or something bloated with pointless SFX. Very few movies have the power to make a whole story out of characters and situation alone without feeling the need for some ridiculous set piece or blaring thrash metal guitars.

In fact Bruce Broughton's score is the wonderful opposite of that. The performances, especially the two leads, are flawless and the direction is far more refined than the typical. Everything in this movie comes together perfectly to make a film so unique and charming. If you have lost your faith in the current dreck that graces our screens and if you want a family movie with some meaning and subtext then check this out. And keep an eye out for director John Carpenter as on of the Coupe De Villes.

The DVD is in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen and in Dolby 2.0. It has an introduction by Jay Underwood and director Nick (Michael Myers) Castle, they also feature in a commentary with Lucy Deakins and Fred Savage.