The Boy Who Could Fly

Play trailer

The Boy Who Could Fly

PG,

1986,

1h 48m,

Fantasy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

59%

32 Reviews

Tomatometer

69%

5,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

59%

Tomatometer

32 Reviews

69%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Kindly adolescent Milly (Lucy Deakins) moves in next door to autistic teen Eric Gibb (Jay Underwood). The mute Eric, whose parents were killed when he was 5 years old, lives with his hard-drinking uncle, Hugo (Fred Gwynne), and is obsessed with birds. His tendency to stand on rooftops and window ledges posed as if he's flying alarms his social workers, but when Eric saves Milly from a potentially deadly fall, she begins to believe that the boy really can take flight.

Critics Consensus

Writer-director Nick Castle's careful command of tone keeps The Boy Who Could Fly from fully surrendering to its story's sentimental tendencies.

Read Critics Reviews

Derek Malcolm

Guardian

Mar 28, 2023

The fable just about holds together. At any rate it doesn't have much need of the glue of its soupy score. But you know Hollywood. We need to have a little pain around if we are to believe in the magic.

Go to Full Review

Victoria Mather

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Mar 28, 2023

What is likable about this film is that it extols children being kind to each other.

Go to Full Review

Gavin Bainbridge

Empire Magazine

Jul 16, 2020

A commendable rarity: a sensitive children's film that neither patronises them nor insults their intelligence.

Go to Full Review

Dan Webster

Spokesman-Review (Washington)

Jul 27, 2024

2.5/4

Too much fantasy can spoil the tale, and that's just what happens in this story.

Go to Full Review

Philip French

Observer (UK)

Mar 29, 2023

A piece of sentimental uplift for the Reagan era.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Abraham G

May 30, 2017

A family, coping with loss, must overcome adversity while adapting to their new surroundings all while the kid next door thinks he can fly.

See more

Abraham L

Jul 31, 2010

It ended with a burst of magic, but it was too little, too late. I wanted to like this more than I did, but it wasn't very good. A very cheesy and outdated eighties movie. (First and only viewing - 6/20/2017)

See more

Read all reviews

Nick Castle

Director

Lucy Deakins

Milly

Jay Underwood

Eric

Bonnie Bedelia

Charlene

Fred Savage

Louis

Colleen Dewhurst

Mrs. Sherman

Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla

29%

16%

Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla

Watchlist

Funny Farm

64%

51%

Funny Farm

Watchlist

Krush Groove

43%

81%

Krush Groove

Watchlist

Breakin'

33%

73%

Breakin'

Watchlist

A Genius, Two Friends, and an Idiot

56%

A Genius, Two Friends, and an Idiot

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Kindly adolescent Milly (Lucy Deakins) moves in next door to autistic teen Eric Gibb (Jay Underwood). The mute Eric, whose parents were killed when he was 5 years old, lives with his hard-drinking uncle, Hugo (Fred Gwynne), and is obsessed with birds. His tendency to stand on rooftops and window ledges posed as if he's flying alarms his social workers, but when Eric saves Milly from a potentially deadly fall, she begins to believe that the boy really can take flight.

Director: Nick Castle
Producer: Gary Adelson
Screenwriter: Nick Castle
Rating: PG
Genre: Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 3, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $6.3M
Runtime: 1h 48m
Sound Mix: Surround

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings