As with anything we encounter in life, Scripture has something to add.  In 1 Corinthians 1:27-29, St. Paul writes, “Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God.”  If you are familiar with today’s film, Radio (2003), then you might also be aware that its events are inspired by real people and places.  There is a lot that is contained within the word “inspired.”  At the same time, we should not let that detract from the lessons contained therein.  As you read this review, especially if you have not seen the film, keep in mind the Bible passage quoted at the outset.

If there is a passage that James Robert “Radio” Kennedy (Cuba Gooding Jr.) likes to see, it is that of the train.  Most days, he wanders the streets of Anderson, South Carolina, alone, pushing a shopping cart and looking for items interesting to him, especially the title electronics.  His mother, Maggie Kennedy (S. Epatha Merkerson), works long hours for little pay for a single parent, leaving her intellectually delayed son on his own for long stretches.  He largely goes unnoticed until he walks past Coach Harold Jones’ (Ed Harris) football team practicing at T. L. Hanna High School.  As Radio passes, one of the footballs is kicked over the fence near him.  As he picks it up, one of the players, Johnny Clay (Riley Smith), demands the ball be returned using unflattering language.  Radio ignores the insults and walks away.  The next day after practice, Coach Jones arrives to find Johnny and a few of his teammates banging on an equipment shed.  Inside is Radio, tied up and huddled in a corner, crying.  Coach Jones does his best to calm down the young man, and eventually punishes those responsible for the bullying by making them run extra after the next practice.  Word of the incident gets around, and Principal Daniels (Alfre Woodard) asks Coach Jones what is being done to address the matter.  She is satisfied by his measures, but he feels he can do more.  Some of his feelings of responsibility stem from his wife, Linda Jones (Debra Winger), suggesting that he is not spending enough time with his daughter, Mary Helen Jones (Sarah Drew).  Later, he tells Mary Helen about how he had the opportunity to help a boy his same age in a difficult position and did nothing.  Between coaching and teaching, as well as maintaining good relations with a community that is dedicated to his team’s performance, he is rarely at home.  With Radio needing a place to go, Coach Jones invites the young man to come to practices.  At first, there are some who view this move as a distraction, particularly Johnny and his father, Frank Clay (Chris Mulkey).  These concerns grow louder when the team does not perform as everyone hopes.  Coach Jones largely ignores them.  When questioned by Principal Daniels as to why he is doing this, he confesses that he does not know, but that it seems like the right thing to do.  God bless him for this sentiment.  The first hurdle to clear with this sentiment is what to do with Radio once the football season ends.  Coach Jones’ assistant, Coach Honeycutt (Brent Sexton), agrees to take on Radio as he heads the basketball team.  Also, Coach Jones starts bringing him to school while he teaches history.  Thus, a new routine settles in for Radio that is only interrupted by the holiday break.  During this time, Coach Jones collects a number of Christmas gifts for Radio and his mother.  Heartbreakingly, Radio is arrested while passing out these presents to random houses in the community by a police officer unaware of his condition.  Coach Jones is thankfully able to clear up the misunderstanding, but then another major problem occurs: Maggie passes away from a heart attack.  Once again, Coach Jones comes to Radio’s aid, with their exchange also showing Mary Helen her father’s heart.  Unfortunately, there are still those at school that have not warmed up to Radio despite all he has suffered.  One of these is Johnny.  One day, Johnny tricks Radio into going into the women’s locker room.  Coach Jones suspects Radio had been put up to it, but the young man will not name his tormentor.  Instead, Coach Jones gets it from other teammates, causing him to suspend Johnny from the basketball team for one game.  In reaction to this, Frank stirs up more trouble for Coach Jones, mainly with the school board.  Their representative, Tucker (Patrick Breen), who had already questioned the wisdom of letting Radio on campus, lists the various incidents with the special needs person and suggests that Radio should be institutionalized.  Having an idea of where these complaints originated, Coach Jones interrupts a meeting led by Principal Daniels at the barber shop.  Frank nearly has everyone convinced that Radio needs to go when Coach Jones arrives with his family.  Giving a speech about how much he loves football, Coach Jones says that he will step down from coaching the team in order to concentrate on teaching, keeping an eye on Radio, and spending more time with his family.  Nobody is happy about this decision, including Frank, but as Coach Jones has done before, it is the right thing to do.  With that, at the upcoming graduation ceremony, Radio is made an honorary eleventh grader for as long as he cares to be at the school.  The final shots are of the real-life Coach Jones and Radio showing their appreciation for each other.

A large portion of that appreciation is articulated by Coach Jones in his speech at the end of Radio.  In it, he echoes the Scripture I gave you at the beginning about the meek humbling the strong.  Coach Jones discusses the improvements in Radio’s life that the young man has experienced since he has become a part of the T. L. Hanna community.  Yet, what Coach Jones emphasizes more is what Radio has taught everyone else.  I have to confess to having a strong emotional reaction to characters like Radio.  Starting in kindergarten and lasting throughout the bulk of my elementary school years, I was the victim of bullying.  I can recall moments like Radio’s in the equipment shed, crying out for help and having no friends come to your aid.  Memories like that are one of the innumerable reasons why I am thankful I found my way back to my Faith.  With God, one is never alone.  At the same time, it is great to have people who are willing to model Christ for you and show you that the world is not quite the harsh place it can seem like at times.  This is who Coach Jones is for Radio.  What stands out the most about their relationship is that Coach Jones treats Radio with dignity.  One could see this in terms of Radio’s special needs.  Then again, what does it mean to be “special needs.”  Of course, it has a specific clinical definition, but in plain terms, we all have aspects of our character with which God imbues us that needs unique attention.  As such, we should all be attentive to those things because doing so is the right thing to do, as Coach Jones often says.  It is also the Christian thing to do, and loving God means loving others as ourselves.  That is what Radio teaches us to do.

No matter how dramatized is Radio, he would have appreciated if you watch this movie.  Sadly, I use past tense because he died in 2019.  Before he passed away, though, he would tell people to go to Walmart to buy the film.  If that is not a recommendation, I do not know what is.