Radio
Columbia Pictures | Release Date: October 24, 2003 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
38
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews
Positive:
4
Mixed:
18
Negative:
10
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
What could have been an all-occasion Hallmark card turns out to be an emotionally genuine love letter to a young man who transformed the town of Anderson, S.C., in the 1970s. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
It's really Harris' movie, and he brings to it just the right blend of engaging affability, gruff strength of character and transcendent nobility of spirit to make it a genuinely enriching experience. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
There is no cynicism in Radio, no angle or edge. It's about what it's about, with an open, warm and fond nature. Every once in a while human nature expresses itself in a way we can feel good about, and this is one of those times. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
A feel-good flick that doesn't make you feel too bad -- in this genre, that almost qualifies as a ringing endorsement. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
A gentle film yet develops increasing dramatic tension beneath its easygoing, fair-minded surface. Read full review
60
Film ThreatRick Kisonak
Radio is a film many people may be tempted to laugh off as button pushing feel-good fluff. Before doing so, they might want to ask themselves just what it is they find so funny about a little peace, love and understanding. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Radio is assembled from small, hard stones of ignorance and intolerance paved over by large, mushy examples of community goodness. Read full review
50
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
The real Radio, and the real coach -- seen together in the movie's feel-good epilogue -- deserve better. Read full review
50
Rolling StonePeter Travers
There's no arguing that Cuba Gooding Jr. is trying to do right by the mentally disabled James Robert Kennedy. Read full review
50
The New York TimesStephen Holden
Mr. Harris's coach is not a flashy role. But the actor, who effortlessly embodies an all-American ideal of strength and decency, drains as much of the syrup from his character as any actor could hope. Read full review
50
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Though probably well-intentioned, Radio comes off as manipulative of its audience and exploitative of the mentally challenged. Read full review
50
Portland OregonianMarc Mohan
That the film rises above that level to the merely mediocre is an accomplishment of almost heroic proportions. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
A tall glass of hogwash that's terrified to declare itself the racial-healing melodrama it is. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
Radio is almost as bad as it gets. That it isn't is thanks to Ed Harris, who brings depth and focus to his performance. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
Trailers make it seem as though Radio is all about football, but it's not, and once the film leaves the fall sport behind it wanders around in no particular direction until it reaches an abrupt, poorly executed ending. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneRobert K. Elder
Although his is not a perfect film, Tollin employs his soap-opera dialogue and aim-for-the-solar-plexus message quite unapologetically. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
The cast, which includes Alfre Woodard and Debra Winger, manages to give thoughtful performances that salvage the film's integrity. Read full review
40
VarietyRobert Koehler
"Inspired by a true story" it may be, but inspired it's not. Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyScott Foundas
Harris tries his best to make something more out of his one-dimensional white-knight character, while Gooding plays his vaudeville Rainman routine to the rafters. Read full review
40
Dallas ObserverBill Gallo
The cumulative effect of the movie's many Kodak moments and stretches of greeting-card sentiment is that they kill us with kindness. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineSabrina Rojas Weiss
The heavy-handed score by notoriously heavy-handed James Horner is often the only indication that there's supposed to be a point to this showcase for Gooding's relentlessly adorable mugging. Read full review
40
EmpireJo Berry
Sweet, slushy mush of a family film. Read full review
38
PremiereSara Brady
Both Harris and Gooding, Jr. are fine actors trapped in a mawkish, pandering production that wastes the latter and is a waste of time for the former. Read full review
30
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
Anyone who already knows better than to taunt the disabled, or former Oscar winners, should probably give it a pass. Read full review
30
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
Beyond mawkish, Radio would be harmless twaddle were it not for the offensive depiction of its hero, the real-life James Robert Kennedy. Read full review
30
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Mr. Gooding is out there in almost every scene, and the destruction of his once-promising career proceeds apace.
30
Washington PostPhilip Kennicott
A train wreck of a film lying inert where the tracks of the Feel Good Line cross the Path of Good Intentions. Read full review
30
Austin ChronicleMarrit Ingman
You don’t have to be a cynic to find Radio naive for suggesting that high school is a good place for emotionally fragile misfits, that racism is not a problem, that caring for someone is all it takes. Read full review
25
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
This fact-based drama is very well-meaning but also cloying, sentimental, and simplistic. Gooding's fake-toothed grin deserves an Oscar for best makeup, though. Read full review
25
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
What really makes the jaw drop is the presence of so many talented actors in what seems like traditional TV treacle. Saddest of all is Debra Winger, reduced to playing the wife-as-wallpaper role. For this she came back to Hollywood? Read full review
25
New York PostLou Lumenick
It's hard to say what's more offensive about the out-of- tune Radio - Cuba Gooding Jr. trying to ingratiate himself by mugging up a storm as a mentally challenged man, or the mawkish narrative surrounding him like so much syrup. Read full review
20
Village VoiceEd Park
Based-on-a-true-story kitschfest. Read full review
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