Radio 2003 Film Retrospective

Radio (Rated PG)

(Video Retrospective)

In 2004 I stumbled upon this film on TV, it was a year after Radio had released, and when it started I had no idea what the movie was about, but the opening following James "Radio" Kennedy on his daily routine was instantly captivating. Cuba Gooding Jr. plays "Radio" in the film, and this performance is surely one of his best, he brings such a warmth and innocence to the role and that is what makes the film so captivating, but also, so inspiring. 

Cuba Gooding Jr and "Radio"

What makes the story even more inspiring is that it is true, while events in the film are condensed, and small liberties were taken, for the most part, this film is factually accurate to the real James "Radio" Kennedy's story. James "Radio" Kennedy was born in Anderson South Carolina on October 14th, 1947, when "Radio" was 24 he was seen observing Football practice at T.L. Hanna High School, and after some of the team decided to bully "Radio", Coach Harold Jones took it upon himself to invite him to practice to try and make up for the altercation that took place. Slowly, a bond forms between "Radio" and Coach Jones, he invites "Radio" to every practice, drives him home, and treats him to burgers and fries in the beginning. However, over time, Coach Jones sees something in "Radio" and helps integrate him into the High School and even takes the time to tutor him. 

The town of Anderson was not initially supportive of "Radio", but, Coach Jones refuses to give up and champions "Radio" until the town begins to love this sweet man, whose only issue is being a little slower than others. "Radio" had spent most of his early life alone, wandering through the city, and while most people may have ignored or even pitied him, he was happy to explore and find the beauty that surrounded him. While Football and Sports, in general, would become something very special to "Radio", his first love was his namesake, as he would wander through town, he would listen to music from his radio. In the film, Radio's Mother remarks that of all the things she tried to teach him, the radio was the one that he truly took a shine to. The reason Radio would wander through the town during the day, was because his Mother works constantly at the Hosptial as a nurse, and that's why she could not give him the constant attention and extra help that he needed. Thanks to Coach Jones, "Radio" was never alone, he would spend his time as an assistant to Coach Jones, or Coach Honeycutt, he would also spend his days taking classes at T.L. Hanna High and becoming friends with everyone there. "Radio" started his time with Coach Jones barely speaking, or using one word here and there, but before long, "Radio" was able to be an effective Assistant Coach and would remain as the athletic team's assistant coach, and he would lead the teams out at the start of every game. "Radio" would also be made a permanent Junior at T.L. Hanna High so that he could always go to school there, something that he would do for his entire life.  

Eventually, "Radio's" mother passes away, and while "Radio" would have family members to take him in and care for him, Coach Jones would never stop caring for, and being there for "Radio". We could be cynical about this story, we could rip on it for being a white savior narrative, or we could see the incredible reality of this story. A person saw another human in need and decided to help, without any wish of a reward for his deed, he simply wanted to be kind to this person that others chose to ignore. How often does that happen, how often does a person convince an entire town to rethink how they treat an individual? It is a truly rare act of kindness and generosity, it is something that we could all learn from. This film beautifully tells this story of kindness without expectation, with incredible sincerity, wonderful performances, and scenes that would make anyone stand up and cheer, provided they are not dead inside and are comfortable with expressing their emotions. 

So, how was this wonderful film received? Sadly, while it made a decent profit, it was lambasted by critics, and worse, the reason that so many of these critics decided to hate the film, was for its sincere tone and Cuba's incredible performance. There is great truth to the scene from Tropic Thunder where Robert Downey Jr.'s character discusses certain actors being scorned for going "Full Retard", this is not a slur or an insult, rather it is a case where actors who give incredible performances of a person with a disability, are then criticized for being too over the top, for hamming up their scenes, or dumbest of all, for being disrespectful due to their extreme portrayal of that disability. When you actually hit the mark, and perfectly embody this kind of character, I think it makes people so uncomfortable that they would rather criticize it, than recognize its brilliance. Now, I think we should all find a wonderful sense of irony that when an actor perfectly portrays a form of retardation, it makes people so uncomfortable that they choose to criticize it, instead of embracing its brilliance. 

The real "Radio" and Coach Jones

Without Coach Jones embracing "Radio's" brilliance, would he have had the wonderful life that he did? Would the town of Anderson be the same without this man making them smile everyday for over 50 years? Would the world be the same without this act of kindness? Who knows how many people "Radio's" story has touched, who knows how many people this film has inspired. We may never know the amount of goodness that "Radio" brought to the world, but, we don't need to, we simply need to smile because he was here. It is easy to groan at those kinds of statements, I mean I am sure the teenage version of me just barfed in their mouth hearing that schmaltz, but the world needs more schmaltz, we need to embrace the good, and celebrate these acts of incredible kindness. 

Just before the end of 2019 James "Radio" Kennedy 73, would pass away surrounded by family and friends, his funeral would be attended by many and he would touch lives you'd never expect. I think Chadwick Boseman another famous T.L. Hanna High alumni and Anderson Native summed it up best in this tweet, "R.I.P Radio. Always running out first. Now you can lead the angels into the courts of praise in Heaven." In memory of this incredible man, let's all try to be a little kinder to one another, we can still rip on and burn our friends, I mean, that is part of what makes life so sweet, but, we can also treat those most choose to ignore with warmth and kindness, it costs nothing, and who knows where it could lead.