The Mighty

The movie stars Elden Henson (aka Elden Ratliff, who you may have seen in The Mighty Ducks movies... he was the kid with the wicked shot) as Max, a slow 14 year old who is virtually a giant of a boy; and Kieran Culkin as Kevin, a child who has a dibilitating disease but an intellect advanced well beyond his years. Don't let the movie box fool you - this is NOT a Sharon Stone movie. In fact, Ms. Stone is in maybe 4 scenes, maximum. Sure, her performance is ok, but this movie really belongs to Henson and Culkin. Henson, to be frank, is excellent. The character of Max has a wide range of emotions throughout the movie - pain, bewilderment, fright, joy, sadness... He never "overdoes" a scene. He BECOMES Max. Absolutely amazing.

Culkin isn't so shabby himself - and let's be honest here, he's the REAL actor in his family. He plays the role of a boy who knows that sooner or later, he's going to die - but lives life to the fullest.

Ok, this IS a "feelgood" movie. But it's the best of its kind (forget "Simon Birch", please... besides, this movie was finished way before "Birch" was released. Miramax screwed up royally be releasing "The Mighty" late, and not promoting it enough). The imagery is awesome, and Henson and Culkin have great chemistry together. I can't wait to see more of these two (and it looks like we'll at least get to see more of Henson... he has 3 movies coming out this year). Do yourself a favor: rent "The Mighty". You'll be glad you did.


Students Enjoyed It   February 24, 2000
ISA Classroom (Toronto, Canada)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

We really liked the movie The Mighty. We liked the action scenes such as the sled ride, the fight in the alley and the carnival, and when Kevin rescued Max. We thought it was funny the way the two boys stood up to everyone, the way Kevin created different characters wearing food, and how he made up names for people. There were many themes in the movie. For example, there was friendship, heroism, and Medieval Times. This is a good movie for all ages.


BEST movie I've EVER seen in my life!!!   October 11, 1999
Jennifer (bluesky_16@yahoo.com) (Greenwood, Indiana)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

Ok, sorry, enough griping. On to the REAL review. The movie starts out with Max (Elden) giving a monologue about his present life, his grandparents that raise him, and the bullies that pester him. Nothing is going for this kid except reading class and being called Dinosaur Brain. But then he meets Kevin (Kieran). Their relationship starts out slow at first, but after Kevin shows how mighty his brain is, while he teaches Max how to read, it moves into full swing. With Kevin sitting on Max's shoulders, (this being due to a disease that Kevin has called Morquio's syndrome, which limits the use of his legs) becoming Freak the Mighty, they set out to conquer the world. And that means fighting the bullies that torment them, going on mighty quests to help fair maidens, and even helping Max get better grades in school. Everything is going great, until......SORRY! I'm not going to tell you what happens. I refuse to, because I want more people to come and rent (or buy) The Mighty. I recommend it for people of all ages (I really do, ask the people where I work. *Blockbuster* I'm constantly requesting that they rent it.) and I *unless you are an idiot) KNOW that you will enjoy it. And if you come to where I work, and you don't think you'll like it, I might even rent it FOR you :*) FREAK THE MIGHTY!!!!!!


Simpley a beautiful gem of a film.   June 12, 2001
Rebecca (Massachusetts, USA)
7 out of 9 found this review helpful

I just loved THE MIGHTY. It's about a 14-year-old boy named Max Kane (Elden Ratliff) who is an outcast because of his unusual giant-like size. Max lives with his kind grandmother - his father had been put in jail several years ago. When Max starts doing poorly in school, he has to get a tutor. The tutor ends up being a 14-year-old disabled, but intelligent boy in Max's school named Kevin Dillon (Kieran Culkin). Kevin feels like an outcast because of his disabilities. At first they do not get along very well, but soon they become best friends, when they realize that they are just as strong as everybody else when they unit as one. Sharon Stone plays Kevin's kind mother, Gwen Dillon, who takes care of Kevin while Kevin's father is also in jail. Gillian Anderson ("The X-Files"), plays a woman named Loretta Lee, who helps Kevin and Max in the end.

The only reason why people may think Sharon Stone is the main star in THE MIGHTY is because she is the most famous out of the cast. But she is only in like, a few sceens. It's Kieran Culkin and Elden Ratliff who are the REAL main stars. Though the whole cast gives surpurb performances, Kieran Culkin and Elden Ratliff's performances really shine.

This film should really have been more commercially advertised, because it is a great film many people missed out on. Ignore those snobbish critics who snubbed this film, because THE MIGHTY is really a wonderful film. The script is fantastic, and so is the scenary. There was not a boring moment in THE MIGHTY. You must see this film.

Also, if you love THE MIGHTY, then I also suggest SIMON BIRCH and THE CURE.


A film about special kids that doesn't patronize   December 23, 2002
D. Movahedpour (CA United States)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

I enjoyed this film from start to finish, and was bowled over by the performances of the young actors. Based on a children's book, 'Freak the Mighty', the film manages to portray the challenges and friendship of two special young people without being patronizing.

Max, played brilliantly by Eldon Henson, is a slow boy, big for his age, whose mother was killed by his father, who is now serving a prison sentence. Max is being raised by his grandparents, the appropriately weary Gena Rowlands and Harry Dean Stanton. Max has failed 7th grade twice, and is the butt of teasing and jokes. His life is changed when Kevin, played by Kieran Culkin (Macauley's more-talented younger brother) moves next door with his single mother, well played by Sharon Stone. Kevin is physically disabled, with a degenerative bone disorder. He has compensated for his disability by being a genius. He is also stronger than Max, the only thing he lacks is Max's physical strength. The two work together, with Max being Kevin's legs, and Kevin being Max's brain.

The world can be an empty place for people who are "different", and Max learns and grows from his friendship with Kevin. The movie never resorts to cheap sentimentality, and this was one of the first films to make me cry in a long time. I don't agree with the criticism that Sharon Stone is too attractive to be Kevin's poor mom. All kinds of people have children with disabilities. There was no need to make Sharon Stone less beautiful, since this film is about the boys, and she is the mom, a supporting role, and her good looks are not really an issue.

I was disappointed in Gillian Anderson's performance as a white trash biker chick. She seems to be borrowing from the Sandy Dennis school of facial twitches, and feels a need to resort to a southern accent to emphasize that her character is from the wrong side of the tracks. Other than that, the movie is excellent, particularly the performance of Eldin Henson, who has a great future ahead of him.