The Mighty is a 1998 American coming of age buddy comedy-drama film directed by Peter Chelsom and written by Charles Leavitt. Based on the book Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick, the film stars Sharon Stone, Gena Rowlands, Gillian Anderson, Harry Dean Stanton, Kieran Culkin, James Gandolfini and Elden Henson.
| The Mighty | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster by John Alvin | |
| Directed by | Peter Chelsom |
| Screenplay by | Charles Leavitt |
| Based on | Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick |
| Produced by | Simon Fields Jane Startz Don Carmody |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | John de Borman |
| Edited by | Martin Walsh |
| Music by | Trevor Jones |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Miramax Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $6.1 million (worldwide) [1] |
The film received positive reviews from critics and Stone was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.
Plot
edit12-year-old Kevin "Freak" Dillon suffers from Morquio syndrome and lives with his mother Gwen "Fair Gwen" Dillon. Due to his disability, he walks with leg braces and crutches. Meanwhile, Maxwell "Max" Kane is a 14-year-old boy with learning challenges and living with his maternal grandparents Susan "Gram" and Elton "Grim" Pinneman. He has flunked the seventh grade twice and is tormented by Tony "Blade" Fowler, a teenage delinquent who leads the "Doghouse Boys", a bully gang. When Kevin is assigned as Max's reading tutor, they form a bond of friendship over the similar circumstances they share, such as both being outcasts in their school and their fathers abandoning them.
Freak and Max go to a festival to watch a firework show where they get attacked by Blade and his gang. The two then escape into a lake with Freak riding on Max's shoulders. Max subsequently starts carrying Freak around on his shoulders during their various adventures, describing it as Freak acting as Max's brain while Max acts as Freak's feet. This allows Freak to take part in activities such as school athletics that were previously restricted to him, earning Freak acceptance amongst his peers for the first time. During a visit to a museum, Freak uses Sir Galahad's sword to knight them as "Freak the Mighty."
Freak later witnesses Blade's gang putting someone's purse in a sewer. The two retrieve the purse but are once again confronted by the Doghouse Boys. They attempt to attack Freak, but Max stops them by picking up a manhole cover and throwing it at the gang, forcing them to flee in panic. Max and Freak find that the purse belongs to a woman named Loretta Lee and return it to her. Loretta is married to former gang leader Iggy. The couple are old friends of Max's father Kenny "Killer" Kane, who is currently in prison for the strangulation murder of Max's mother. At the age of four, Max witnessed this.
On Christmas Eve, Max is kidnapped by Kane who has been released on parole and is taken to Iggy and Loretta's apartment, where he is tied up. Loretta attempts to help Max escape but Kane attempts to strangle her. Max's seeing the attack prompts a repressed memory of Kane killing his mother; he breaks free of his bonds and attacks Kane.
After tracking Max and Kane, Freak breaks in, armed with a squirt gun he claims is loaded with sulfuric acid which he got for Christmas, which he sprays in Kane's eyes. Just before an angered Kane regains himself and attempts to hurt Freak, Max tackles him through the wall where the police are waiting; Kane is then returned to prison for life without the possibility of parole while Freak and Max run home to have Christmas dinner with Gwen, Grim and Gram. While exchanging Christmas gifts, Freak gives Max a blank book and tells him to write in it. That night, Freak dies in his sleep due to heart problems. The next morning, Max hears the news and gives chase to the ambulance on foot. Max recalls the biogenic intervention unit of a research center Freak had mentioned earlier and rushes there, only to discover that the lab in question is nothing other than a commercial laundromat. Heartbroken, Max breaks down in grief among the laundry workers.
The following weeks, Max continues attending school but spends his spare time locked in the basement, even missing Freak's funeral and seeing Gwen moving away. He later runs into Loretta at a bus stop, who says that "doing nothing's a drag, kid". He takes this advice to heart and even works up the courage to answer a question from his teacher during a lecture. Inspired by their bond, Max decides to write all the adventures he had with Freak in the blank book. Max gets writer's block on the last page and puts an illustration of King Arthur's grave which reads "Here Lies King Arthur, Once and Future King", to symbolize his belief that he will see Freak again. Max then takes Freak's ornithopter and winds it up, making it fly.
Cast
edit- Elden Henson as Maxwell "Max" Kane/The Mighty
- Kieran Culkin as Kevin Dillon/Freak
- Sharon Stone as Gwen "The Fair Gwen Of Air" Dillon
- Gena Rowlands as Susan "Gram" Pinneman
- Harry Dean Stanton as Elton "Grim" Pinneman
- James Gandolfini as Kenneth "Kenny" David Kane aka "Killer" Kane
- Gillian Anderson as Loretta Lee
- Meat Loaf as Iggy Lee
- Jenifer Lewis as Mrs. Addison
- Joseph Perrino as Tony "Blade" Fowler
- Eve Crawford as Mrs. Donelli
- John Bourgeois as Mr. Sacker
- Dov Tiefenbach as Doghouse Boy #1
- Michael Colton as Doghouse Boy #2
- Daniel Lee as Doghouse Boy #3
Reception
editThe Mighty received generally positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 75% rating, based on 40 reviews, with an average of 6.80/10. The site’s critics consensus states: "Spirited and sweet with an emphasis on the healing power of friendship, The Mighty is a modest charmer that comes by its whimsy honestly."[2]
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of four stars and wrote, "What I liked most about the movie is the way it shows that imagination can be a weapon in life."
Accolades
editSharon Stone was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture.[3] At the 20th Young Artist Awards, the film was nominated for Best Performance in a Feature Film for Kieran Culkin, and Best Family Feature - Drama.[4]
The song "Freak the Mighty" by Sting was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song - Motion Picture.[3] It won Best Original Song at the Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards.[5]
References
edit- ^ The Mighty at Box Office Mojo
- ^ The Mighty at Rotten Tomatoes
- ^ a b "Winners & Nominees 1999". Golden Globes. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
- ^ "The 20th Annual Youth in Film Awards". YoungArtistAwards.org. Archived from the original on November 28, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
- ^ "1998 Awards". Las Vegas Film Critics Society. Retrieved March 26, 2023.