''The Boy Who Could Fly'' is a 1986 American

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

written and directed by

Nick Castle Nicholas Castle is an American screenwriter, film director, and actor. He is known for playing Michael Myers in John Carpenter's horror film ''Halloween'' (1978). He reprised the role in ''Halloween'' (2018), and its sequels ''Halloween Kills'' ...

. It was produced by

Lorimar Productions Lorimar Productions, Inc., later known as Lorimar Television and Lorimar Distribution, was an American production company that was later a subsidiary of Warner Bros., active from 1969 until 1993, when it was folded into Warner Bros. Televisi ...

for

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

, and released theatrically on August 15, 1986. The film stars

Lucy Deakins Lucy Helyn Deakins (born December 18, 1971) is an American attorney and former actress best known for starring as Milly in ''The Boy Who Could Fly'' and originating the role of Lily Walsh on ''As the World Turns''. Biography Deakins was born ...

as 14-year-old Milly Michaelson,

Jay Underwood Jay Underwood (born October 1, 1968) is an American actor and pastor. Beginning a prolific career as a teen actor in the mid-1980s, he is perhaps best known for his starring feature film roles; portraying Eric Gibb in ''The Boy Who Could Fly'', ...

as Eric Gibb, a boy with

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

Bonnie Bedelia Bonnie Bedelia Culkin (born ) is an American actress. After beginning her career in theatre in the 1960s, Bedelia starred in the CBS daytime soap opera '' Love of Life'' and made her film debut in '' The Gypsy Moths''. Bedelia subsequently appea ...

as Milly's mother,

Fred Savage Frederick Aaron Savage (born July 9, 1976) is an American actor and director. He is known for his role as Kevin Arnold in the American television series ''The Wonder Years'' (1988 to 1993). He has earned several awards and nominations, such as ...

as Milly's little brother,

Colleen Dewhurst Colleen Rose Dewhurst (3 June 1924 – 22 August 1991) was a Canadian-American actress mostly known for theatre roles. She was a renowned interpreter of the works of Eugene O'Neill on the stage, and her career also encompassed film, early drama ...

as a teacher, Fred Gwynne as Eric's uncle,

Janet MacLachlan Janet Angel MacLachlan (August 27, 1933 – October 11, 2010) was an American actress who had roles in such television series as ''The Rockford Files'', '' Alias'' and ''The Golden Girls''. She is best remembered for her key supporting part in ...

, and

Mindy Cohn Mindy Cohn (born May 20, 1966) is an American actress, who appeared on VH1's List of "100 Greatest Kid Stars". She starred as Natalie Green in the sitcom '' The Facts of Life'' from 1979 to 1988, and is known for voicing Velma Dinkley in the ''S ...

. After the suicide of her terminally ill father, Milly becomes friends with Eric, who lost both of his parents to a plane crash. Together, Eric and Milly find ways to cope with the loss and the pain as they escape to faraway places.

Plot

Fourteen-year-old Amelia "Milly" Michaelson (Deakins) and her family move into a new suburban home shortly after the death of her father. Milly makes friends with her new neighbor Geneva, and Milly and her eight-year-old brother Louis (Savage), a budding military buff, have difficulty adjusting to their new schools, while their mother Charlene (Bedelia) copes with a demotion at work and her inability to learn how to use a computer. Louis is also plagued by bullies down the street who won't let him get around the block. During the first night at the house, Milly is in her bedroom talking to her pet bird. Something flies past the window, but when Milly goes to investigate she sees nothing. Milly and Geneva observe Eric Gibb (Underwood), a boy with autism, living next door with his alcoholic uncle Hugo (Gwynne). Eric has never spoken a word in his life, doesn't like to be around people and exhibits bizarre behavior related to flying. Milly hears that Eric's parents died in a plane crash. Later that night, Milly and her family watch as Eric and three adults appear outside with Eric in a straitjacket and being restrained by two men. Milly later reveals to Geneva one night when Milly's mother is out for the evening that she finds Eric attractive. Although Eric cannot communicate with anyone, he begins to react to Milly. Mrs. Sherman observes this interaction and asks Milly to keep an eye on Eric, explaining that because of Uncle Hugo's drinking, Eric is in constant danger of being taken by authorities and placed in a hospital. Milly works with Eric over the course of the school year and takes notes on his progress, which is slow at first. Milly notes excitedly the first time Eric smiles on his own rather than merely copying her own smile. Eric does nothing when Milly throws balls to him, except for one day when he spontaneously reaches out and catches a stray baseball flying toward Milly's head. Strange occurrences, like Eric's apparent ability to appear in his own window one instant and in Milly's the next without any link between their homes, begin to make Milly question reality. On a school field trip, with no one present except Eric, Milly falls off a bridge while trying to pick a rose. Knocked unconscious, she dreams that she wakes up in the hospital, with Eric sitting on the windowsill. After a conversation with him (albeit wordless on Eric's part), she becomes convinced he can fly. Eric gives her the rose she was trying to reach and then, taking her hand, leads her out of the window and the two begin flying. The two watch a fireworks display from a cloud before they share a kiss and return to the hospital window. After watching Eric fly off, Milly's dream becomes a nightmare as she sees her Dad in a hospital bed, dead, with a girl called Mona throwing a volleyball at her which knocks her out of the window. Milly then wakes up in a hospital and tells her mother that Eric can fly and that he caught her as she fell. A shrink, Dr. Grenader, talks to Milly and tells her that Eric caught her as she only has a concussion and no serious injuries. Dr. Grenader, however, puts forth a more logical explanation and explains her belief that Eric can fly may be due to stress caused by the death of her father as he died from cancer. It is revealed that Milly's father knew he had cancer, but kept it a secret from his family because he did not want them to worry. Rather than seek treatment, he said goodbye and committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...

. Upon returning home, Milly notices the rose on her windowsill and becomes convinced that Eric can fly. When she shouts to Uncle Hugo about Eric's whereabouts, he replies by saying the institute has taken him away as Hugo was found drunk again. Despite the efforts of Milly and her family, they are not allowed to see Eric. As they leave, Eric tries to force the window open and is restrained by two men who try to sedate him. Another attempt by Louis to get around the block fails as the bullies tear his tricycle apart and to make matters worse, his dog Max is hit by a passing car and is taken to an animal hospital. Later that evening, Milly thinks she spots Eric on his roof during a thunderstorm and after climbing into the attic, she finds Eric, who is soaked from the rain and shivering with cold. As Milly pulls a blanket around him, he pulls out a box and from within it, he takes out a ring which he gives to Milly. When the authorities arrive at Eric's house the next day, Milly sneaks Eric out, and the police chase them to the roof of the school during a carnival. Eric turns to Milly and speaks her name, the first word he has spoken thus far. Milly asks Eric if he really can fly, and he smiles and nods his head. He holds her hand and the two fall off the building. Just before hitting the ground, Milly and Eric begin flying hand in hand in plain view of the crowd around the carnival, which follows Milly and Eric down the streets of their town, shocking Charlene, Louis, Geneva, and Uncle Hugo. Eric brings Milly to her own window, tells her he loves her, and kisses her before he says goodbye and flies away. Milly is heartbroken, but quickly realizes why Eric had to leave: Over the following weeks, spectators, policemen, and scientists mob the town, looking for an explanation and taking all of Eric's belongings away to be analyzed. Milly speculates that Eric too would have been taken by scientists had he remained. Despite all the ensuing media attention, Eric's story becomes an inspiration to the people closest to him in his neighborhood. Eric's uncle beats his drinking problem and gets an excellent job. The Michaelsons' dog Max gets better. Louis dominates the bullies down the street using a water gun full of

urine Urine is a liquid by-product of metabolism in humans and in many other animals. Urine flows from the kidneys through the ureters to the urinary bladder. Urination results in urine being excreted from the body through the urethra. Cellul ...

. Charlene masters the computer at work. Milly regains interest in her life and relationships with those around her. The movie ends with Milly looking out the window waiting for Eric. As the sun sets, she throws out a paper airplane which flies ever upward.

Cast

as Amelia "Milly" Michaelson *

as Eric Gibb *

as Charlene Michaelson *

as Louis Michaelson *

as Mrs. Carolyn Sherman * Fred Gwynne as Uncle Hugo Gibb *

as Mrs. D'Gregario *

as Geneva Goodman * Jennifer Michas as Mona * Michelle Bardeaux as Erin * Aura Pithart as Colette *

Jason Priestley Jason Bradford Priestley (born August 28, 1969) is a Canadian actor and television director. He is best known as the virtuous Brandon Walsh on the television series ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (1990–1998, 2000), as Richard "Fitz" Fitzpatrick in t ...

as Gary * Cam Bancroft as Joe * Chris Arnold as Sonny * Dwight Koss as Milly's Dad * Louise Fletcher as Dr. Grenader * Jake as Max the Dog

Reception

On the review aggregator website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

, 63% of 30 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The site's consensus states: "Writer-director Nick Castle's careful command of tone keeps ''The Boy Who Could Fly'' from fully surrendering to its story's sentimental tendencies."

Box office

The movie debuted at No. 4.

Soundtrack

The film's score was composed and conducted by

Bruce Broughton Bruce Harold Broughton (born March 8, 1945) is an American orchestral composer of television, film, and video game scores and concert works. He has composed several highly acclaimed soundtracks over his extensive career and has contributed man ...

Varèse Sarabande Varèse Sarabande is an American record label, owned by Concord Music Group and distributed by Universal Music Group, which specializes in film scores and original cast recordings. It aims to reissue rare or unavailable albums, as well as newer r ...

released a re-recording of highlights in 1986 on LP and cassette (later reissued on compact disc as part of the Varese Encore line), performed by the

Sinfonia of London Sinfonia of London is a session orchestra based in London, England, and conducted by John Wilson. The current orchestra is the third of three distinct ensembles of this name. The original Sinfonia of London was founded in 1955 by Gordon Walker ...

and conducted by the composer; in 2002 Percepto released the film recordings of Broughton's music as a limited edition promotional release.

Intrada Records Intrada is an American record company based in Oakland, California, owned and managed by Douglass Fake. The company specializes in movie and television soundtracks, notably those by the late Jerry Goldsmith. Intrada was founded in 1985 by owner ...

issued the complete score in 2015, including Stephen Bishop's "Walkin' On Air" (written and recorded for the film's end credits in lieu of Broughton's unused end title cue) and the brief song "Back Of The Bus" (written by screenwriter Nick Castle and Broughton). The band The Coupe de Villes (composed of Nick Castle, horror director/composer/screenwriter/musician

John Carpenter John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American filmmaker, actor, and composer. Although he worked in various film genres, he is most commonly associated with horror, action, and science fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s. He ...

and director

Tommy Lee Wallace Thomas Lee Wallace (born October 8, 1949) is an American film producer, director, editor and screenwriter. He is best known for his work in the horror genre, directing films such as '' Halloween III: Season of the Witch'' and ''Fright Night Part 2' ...

) appear in a cameo on a television in a scene in the film playing their original song ''Back on the Bus''. The band is known today for their theme song "Big Trouble in Little China" for the movie with the same name directed by Carpenter, and their 1985 album ''Waiting out the Eighties''.

1986 Varèse Sarabande album

# Main Title (2:36) # New Starts (3:51) # Millie's Science Project (3:09) # Family (2:57) # Flying (4:29) # Eric On The Roof (2:23) # Eric Agitated/Louis Defeated (3:55) # Millie And Eric Flee (3:45) # In The Air (4:31) # The Boy Who Could Fly (2:45)

2002 Percepto album

# Main Title/Meeting Eric (4:44) # Military Mission/New Neighbors (2:10) # Night (1:02) # Surprise Visit (1:23) # Eric On The Roof (2:24) # Milly's Science Project (3:33) # Heads Up (1:39) # Family (3:08) # The Field Trip (1:57) # The Hospital/Flying (7:37) # Returning Home (3:59) # Eric Agitated/Louis Defeated (4:16) # The Rainstorm/The Ring (6:40) # Milly & Eric Flee/Into The Air (9:01) # New Starts (4:14) # Milly Reflects (2:06) # The Boy Who Could Fly (3:02)

2015 Intrada album

# Main Title (4:45) # Louis Meets Hitler (1:00) # Louis’ Retreat (1:14) # Late! (First Hint - Revised) (1:04) # Eric On The Sill (0:28) # On Milly's Sill (1:24) # Eric On The Roof (2:25) # Milly's Science Project (3:34) # First Triumph (1:40) # Family (3:09) # The Rose/Flying (9:35) # Eric's Gone (4:00) # Eric Agitated (4:17) # Louis Gives Up (3:24) # The Ring (3:22) # Milly And Eric Flee/He Really Flies (9:01) # New Starts (4:15) # Milly Reflects/End Credits (Instrumental) (5:03) # Walkin’ On Air (End Credits) - Stephen Bishop (3:28) # First Hint (1:04) # Fireworks (From ''

To Catch a Thief '' To Catch a Thief'' is a 1955 American romantic thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, from a screenplay by John Michael Hayes based on the 1952 novel of the same name by David Dodge. The film stars Cary Grant as a retired cat burglar ...

'') -

Lyn Murray Lyn Murray (born Lionel Breeze, August 13, 1909 – May 20, 1989) was a composer, conductor, and arranger of music for radio, film and television. Early years Born in London, Murray was the son of a violinist. Before entering a career in music ...

, cond. Broughton (1:40) # Back Of The Bus - The Coupe De Villes (0:59) # Car Radio (2:16)

In popular culture

The band

Thrice Thrice is an American rock band from Irvine, California, formed in 1998. The group was founded by guitarist/vocalist Dustin Kensrue and lead guitarist Teppei Teranishi while they were in high school. Early in their career, the band was known ...

released a song based on the film, titled "A Song for Milly Michaelson" on their 2007 LP '' The Alchemy Index Vols. III & IV''.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Boy Who Could Fly, The 1986 drama films 1980s coming-of-age drama films 1980s English-language films 1980s fantasy drama films 1980s teen drama films 1980s teen fantasy films 20th Century Fox films American coming-of-age drama films American fantasy drama films American teen drama films Films about autism Films directed by Nick Castle Films scored by Bruce Broughton Films shot in Vancouver 1980s American films Films about disability