Synopsis
Milly and Louis, and their recently-widowed mom, Charlene, move to a new neighborhood. Once there, they all deal with a variety of personal problems, but Milly finds a friend in Eric, her autistic next door neighbor. Eric has a fascination with flight, and as the story progresses, he exerts an enthralling force of change on all those around him.
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Cast
- Jay UnderwoodEric
- Fred SavageLouis
- Bonnie BedeliaCharlene
- Colleen DewhurstMrs. Sherman
- Fred GwynneUncle Hugo
- Lucy DeakinsMilly
- Jason PriestleyGary
- Nick CastleThe Coupe de Villes
- Cameron BancroftJoe
- Janet MacLachlanMrs. D'Gregario
Recommendations
- 90
Washington Post
You don't have to be young or old to enjoy it this lovely, engaging film, just open-minded, or at least bighearted. At once funny, sad, moving, inspirational and revealing, The Boy Who Could Fly suspends the law of emotional gravity, soaring at just the right moments. - 80
Empire
A commendable rarity: a sensitive childrens film that neither patronises them nor insults their intelligence. - 80
The New York Times
A gentle and affecting film that ought to charm older children while also holding their parents' interest, - 80
Chicago Reader
It's easy to pick this emotional bunny rabbit apart—for the sentimental bathos, the literalism, the radiating wholesomeness (everything David Lynch parodied in Blue Velvet, down to the impeccable small-town streets and flowers framed against a screaming blue sky . . . only Castle gives it to you straight, without irony)—though what's remarkable here, and altogether rare, is the artifice and polish of Castle's studio-rooted style. - 80
Variety
Under Nick Castle’s careful direction, scenes never become maudlin, which is remarkable considering the potential of the subject matter. Deakins and Underwood handle their difficult roles with amazing grace. - 80
Washington Post
It's funny and sad and a little surreal, the kind of movie that makes you willingly suspend your disbelief. You don't have to be a kid to enjoy it, but you'll feel like one again when it's over. - 75
Chicago Sun-Times
Movies like this can be insufferable if they lay it on too thick. The Boy Who Can Fly finds just about the right balance between its sunny message and the heartbreak that's always threatening to prevail. - 75
TV Guide Magazine
This is a strikingly original story about human feelings.
