I am sure that director Peter Chelsom isn't in the same league as Steven Spielberg. Nevertheless, he almost equals the master in the art of manipulating the audience into whatever emotion he deems appropriate. Time to weep? Chelsom makes us weep. Time for an outburst of laughter? Everyone is laughing madly. I would have to watch the movie a couple more times to be able to analyze what does the trick, and I don't either have the time nor the motivation to watch this film once more, let alone three or for times. Even while shedding a few tears or laughing aloud I was very much aware of being manipulated, but that didn't prevent me from behaving in the "right" way. This is not to say that The Mighty is a worthless movie. The two main characters (Elden Ratliff as the dumbest kid in town and Kieran Culkin as the paralyzed and soon-to-die genius) do some great acting, and some of Culkin's wisecracks are hilarious, as are his impersonations of Groucho Marx and Marlon Brando. A less Spielbergian approach might have resulted in a really great film. As it is, The Mighty will reinforce the point of view shared by many European critics (not me) that every Hollywood production is an all too obvious vehicle to make a lot of money, while furthering the corruption of western culture.
Review of The Mighty
