Some movies do a good job at hiding. Not being popular. Radio, is one such.
On a lazy Saturday afternoon, rummaging through a close-down sale, I picked up this DVD instinctively — only because I saw Ed Harris and Cuba Gooding Jr. on the Sleeve. And I am happy, I did.
There will be many movies that use sport as the backdrop of motivational matter. Jerry Maguire, Any Given Sunday and such. And they are always an interesting watch, at least once.
Radio captured my imagination for a different reason altogether. Ed Harris, who I admire, is his usual steely self, not giving away anything, playing the character without hogging screen presence. He does that without exception, almost always. In that sense, he doesn’t quite qualify as a good actor — lack of versatility and variability, I will say. Yet, there is something very unique about his presence on the screen, which I enjoy, without exception.
The surprise, was Cuba Gooding Jr. But, then it wasn’t really so. Cuba has been able to demonstrate time and again that he is versatile. Take Jerry Maguire (again) and Men of Honor. What he did with the role of Radio, however, came across as most sincere and profound. The movie is based on a true story and a real person, so it follows that Cuba got a chance to study the character. Even then, to be able to bring in consistency in a character, especially a retarded one, I believe is a mark of a good actor.
Cuba has moved several notches up, as far as I am concerned and I had a wonderful time watching this one.
Been There, Read It, Seen That, Ate It 