The Mighty **** (1998, Kieran Culkin, Elden Henson, Sharon Stone) – Classic Movie Review 1799

Director Peter Chelsom’s 1998 drama is a captivatingly imaginative and original heartbreaker, based on the Rodman Philbrick novel Freak the Mighty.

In the story, a 13-year-old misfit called Maxwell Cullen (Elden Henson) finds his life transformed when he encounters Kevin Dillon (Kieran Culkin), the new kid next door who is afflicted with the degenerative disease Morquio’s Syndrome. Kevin is an older boy who is always bullied because of his size. The two strike up a strong friendship, with Kevin helping Maxwell improve his reading skills while Maxwell takes him out to places he is not allowed.

Sharon Stone as Kevin’s mother, Gena Rowlands, Harry Dean Stanton, Gillian Anderson and John Bourgeois also star.

Ian Michael Smith was considered for the role of Kevin. He has Morquio’s Syndrome, also known as MPSIVA, which affects the skeletal structure causing dwarfism. But Miramax studio executive Harvey Weinstein decided that Ian was too young and denied the director’s request to use him. Ian went on to land a similar role as the lead in Simon Birch (1998).

Philbrick’s screenplay was scrapped in favour of one by Charles Leavitt because it was too much like the book. The movie was also going to be called Freak the Mighty but, Miramax found the title offensive.

http://derekwinnert.com/simon-birch-1998-ian-michael-smith-joseph-mazzello-oliver-platt-ashley-judd-classic-movie-review-1794/

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1799

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com/