If I Had Wings (2013)

This is a wonderful story that makes us feel complete. Besides all problems and difficulties, human beings are put into test. Most of them are able to show their capability to overcome whichever comes as a barrier. This is basically what this movie is about. As a teacher, I not only recommend it as I use this story to work with my students aiming to show them they can always go beyond they think they can. Moreover, they can see with this example that complaining over silly things won't help them achieve their goals or even make them better people. Once again, I strongly recommend this movie if you're looking forward to being a better human being. =)

We found this nice small movie on Netflix streaming movies. It is simple and pretty predictable but has good messages for family and growing up. A Canadian movie shot in beautiful Canada.Richard Harmon is Alex Taylor, blind since an unfortunate accident when he was 2. As such he doesn't really remember not being blind, and isn't one to feel sorry for himself. He is good enough in this role that I had to check and see if he really is blind. He doesn't appear to be.He likes to run and he goes trail running with his dad, keeping his right hand on dad's left shoulder and getting audio clues like "Right turn 2 o'clock in 4, 3, 2 now." Alex and his dad think he would be good on the high school's cross-country team, but to do so Alex would need to find a running partner also on the team. Jaren Brandt Bartlett is the bad kid who always seems to be with the wrong crowd, Brad Coleman. He also likes to run, unfortunately sometimes it is with a money bag he has just stolen from an unsuspecting merchant. He can get one more chance to turn his life around if he will run cross-country and be the running guide for Alex.Some issues are resolved too easily and quickly, but through a series of steps and missteps it finally works out, both are on the team, and in the season championship we will see if it pays off.Craig Bierko is good as the dad, Geoff Taylor and Jill Hennessy (with the husky voice) is good as the worried mom, Sandy Taylor. I especially like Lorne Cardinal as Angus Coleman, the dad of the bad kid Brad. He creates his character and plays it very believably, and at times funny when appropriate. I had never heard of him before but I'd like to see him in other roles.SPOILERS: The biggest jerk in the movie is the athletic kid Tyson, who also was the star of the cross-country team. He was not nice to Alex, because he felt threatened that this blind kid might show him up. And in fact that is what happens in the final race, the finish is across an open field, so Brad turns Alex loose, tells him to sprint, and he beats Tyson by a bulging chest. Nice feel-good ending.

If I had Wings is a family film about a blind kid who wants to be a runner but needs a running partner. He teams up with a troubled youth in a bid to win a race. To get the negatives out the way first this is a film we have seen a million times before, the troubled kid with a good heart, the bad guy Jock, the standard family film plot template. For all it's predictability this still manages to be a very enjoyable and well above average film of its genre. This is mainly due to an excellent cast who all do a good job with the script they have. In particular Jaren Brandt Bartlett who is superb as the charismatic bad boy turned good. The film is fast paced and flows well and there are some well executed laughs to be had along with the drama had as well. This is a film that can be enjoyed by all the family, a pretty rare occurrence these days. Highly recommended.

This was a really heartwarming film that struck a lot of the right chords: overcoming a disability; having tolerance and respect for persons who are different in terms of culture, race, or ability; and meeting the challenges of single parenthood. During the screening I attended in Vancouver in April, young people in the audience were well engaged and, in the climactic race scene, cheering on the hero. It's a well-paced film with high production values.One of the challenges of a classic overcoming-the-odds film is making the characters and their situation believable. This film achieved a good level of credibility by giving all characters, both the good and the bad, a mix of traits. The hero has his faults, just as the less likable characters have their moments of grace and remorse.The film is well acted throughout. It was a testament to Richard Harmon's acting that, in a Q&A session following the screening I attended, one of the audience asked whether the actor is blind or sighted.