Radio Movie Analysis

“We are all longing to go home to some place we have never been — a place, half-remembered, and half- envisioned where we can only catch glimpses of from time to time. Community. Somewhere, there are people to whom we can speak without having the words catch in our throats. Somewhere a circle of hands will open to receive us, eyes will light up as we enter, voices will celebrate with us whenever we come into our own power…” Radio is a dramatic and uplifting movie that is based on the true life story of James Robert Kennedy (aka Radio), a mentally retarded African-American, who spends his days pushing a shopping cart around the streets of Anderson, a sleepy town in South Carolina, collecting junk and old radios. It features an emotional story
Despite the fact that he was a bully, his social status meant that he still had plenty of followers around him. For the about the most part, Johnny has been known to be the stereotypical bully/villain in the movie only second to his father. He is a clear representation of how one individual has the potential to damage relationships and ensure that others do not belong.He’s been consistently mistreating Radio ever since he’s encountered him. Evidence of this would be found when he and the rest of the football team tie up Radio and lock him in the equipment shed, or when he convinced Radio to walk into the girls locker room. However in spite of all of this, Radio returns nothing but affection in return. Due to his innocent and youthful demeanor, he wants nothing but good for Johnny. Regardless of what he did to him, Radio has always been forgiving of Johnny. After the incident with the girls locker room had occurred, Radio had tried to smooth things out by gifting Johnny one of his radios, with a note that probably mentioned how sorry he was that Johnny got in trouble. This becomes a turning point in Johnny’s life because he realizes that Radio had never been the problem and that it was he himself who had to change. Even though he had been punished for his actions by Coach Jones, it took that one act of kindness from Radio for him to come into realization. Moreover, because of this, he had begun to defy his father because of his father’s negative attitude towards Radio. Even though this might’ve caused a strain in his relationship with his father, Radio has most probably changes Johnny’s life for the better. Most importantly, he has helped Johnny learn from his mistakes and become a much better human