Review of Radio (2009) by Nathan C — 21 Aug 2012
"Radio", through all its stench of obvious Oscar bait, somehow gets to me in the end due to its big heart and good-natured intentions. Cuba Gooding Jr.'s performance is a mixed bag. It's clear that he's showing a lot of effort and he is somewhat effective, but, frankly, his performance tends to get baffling and comes off as overdone.
The rest of the cast, though, does a fine job hurdling over the cloying -- and quite manipulative -- material. Even with a script that's paint-by-numbers and stock situations made to create conflict in a story that never had much conflict to begin with, it all manages to work, eliciting much-needed warmth and entertainment value.
The football action is great, and it's nice that the sports isn't so much in the focus. A plus for being character-driven, at least. In the end, what could have been a truly feel-good flick ends up being a decent effort, as long as one doesn't mind the sour aftertaste that lingers.
This review of Radio (2009) was written by Nathan C on 21 Aug 2012.
Radio has generally received mixed reviews.
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