The Boy Who Could Fly

– Milly and Louis, and their recently-widowed mom, Charlene, move to a new neighborhood. Once there, t..

Type:
Movie
Rating:
6.50 / 10
Duration:
One Hour and 54 Minutes
Release Year:
1986
The Boy Who Could Fly (1986)

Milly and Louis, and their recently-widowed mom, Charlene, move to a new neighborhood. Once there, they all deal with a variety of personal problems, but Milly finds a friend in Eric, her autistic next door neighbor. Eric has a fascination with flight, and as the story progresses, he exerts an enthralling force of change on all those around him.

Story Timeline:
Producing Country:
USA
Filming Locations:
Genre:
Editor's Pick for:

The Boy Who Could Fly (1986) - Trailer

Release Date:

26 Sep 1986

Language:

English

MPAA Content-Rating:
PG – Parental Guidance Suggested

Some material may not be suitable for children. Parents urged to give "parental guidance". May contain some material parents might not like for their young children.

Director:

Nick Castle

Writer:

Nick Castle

Main Actors:

Lucy Deakins, Jay Underwood, Bonnie Bedelia, Fred Savage

Plot:

Charlene Michaelson, her two children - teen-aged Amelia 'Milly' Michaelson and precocious adolescent Louis Michaelson - and their dog Max move into a new house in a new neighborhood after the passing of Charlene's husband/the kids' father, Donald Michaelson. Beyond life without Donald, they are all nervous about starting a new life, which, for Charlene, means getting back into the workforce after thirteen years. Milly quickly settles into the neighborhood if only because she becomes fascinated with their next door neighbor, teen-aged Eric Gibb, who authorities believe is autistic. Orphaned Eric has never spoken a word, and without having been told about the incident, began to think he could fly at the exact moment his parents died in a plane crash. Many believe Eric's belief is because he felt he could thus save his parents. Eric's guardian is his dipsomaniac Uncle Hugo Gibb. Milly's high school teacher, Mrs. Carolyn Sherman, who used to be a special needs teacher, looks after Eric as much as anyone. Mrs. Sherman believes that having Eric in her class with "normal" students is a positive environment for him, unlike the authorities who believe he should be institutionalized. Milly's official and unofficial tasks become to see what lies deep within Eric's psyche, and if there really is any validity to what people think Eric believes.

Awards:

3 wins & 5 nominations.

Production:

20th Century Fox

Ratings:
Internet Movie Database:
6.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes:
67%