The Mighty (1998)

Director:

Peter Chelsom

Writers (WGA):

Rodman Philbrick (novel)
Charles Leavitt (screenplay)

Release Date:

9 October 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

The quest for friendship is the noblest cause of all.

Plot:

This tells the story of a strong friendship between a young boy with Morquio's syndrome and an older boy who is always bullied because of his size...

Plot Keywords:

Friendship | Tutor | Knight | Imagination | Quest

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Harry Dean Stanton	...	Grim
Gena Rowlands	...	Gram
Elden Henson	...	Maxwell Kane
Douglas Bisset	...	Homeless Man
Joseph Perrino	...	Blade (as Joe Perrino)
Dov Tiefenbach	...	Doghouse Boy #1
Michael Colton	...	Doghouse Boy #2
Daniel Lee	...	Doghouse Boy #3
Eve Crawford	...	Mrs. Donelli
Kieran Culkin	...	Kevin Dillon
Sharon Stone	...	Gwen Dillon
John Bourgeois	...	Mr. Sacker
Bruce Tubbe	...	Officer
Rudy Webb	...	Mr. Hampton
Ron Nigrini	...	Man in Diner

Also Known As:

Freak the Mighty (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for elements of violence and peril.

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | Portugal:M/6 | South Korea:All | Philippines:G | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Brazil:Livre | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12/9 | France:U | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:IIA | Norway:11 | Peru:PT | Spain:T | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG | Singapore:PG | USA:PG-13 (certificate #35748)

Filming Locations:

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Company:

Chaos Productions

Trivia:

Ian Michael Smith was considered for the role of Kevin.

Goofs:

Continuity: While Max is waiting for his LD reading teacher, Kevin comes into the room, announces that he is Max's student tutor and sits down. The counter immediately behind Kevin is bare. Kevin tells Max to start reading from his book, Max says that he doesn't have a book, and then we see that a backpack is on the counter immediately behind Kevin from which he gets a book on King Arthur.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Maxwell Kane: And as we get to this point, which I guess shall be the end, you will have heard the story of Freak the Mighty, who slayed dragons, rescued maidens, and walked high above the world.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs The Godfather (1972)

Soundtrack:

Folkloric

Wow.

Caught this one on late-night cable (where else) and just had it on in the background while I worked.... About ten minutes in it pretty much had my attention. About 30 minutes in, as the unique relationship between the two main characters comes into being, I was hooked.

This thing fires on all pistons. Great story, great actors, intelligent humor, moments of genuine tension, and genuinely touching moments without a hint of sappiness. There's not a cliché' in site. The script is wonderful, and the director throws a few remarkable cinematic touches at us, despite this being obvious a lowish-budget flick.

Did I mention that it's a wonderful, wonderful film? I'd give it a "12" if I could.