MovieChat Forums > Radio Flyer (1992) Discussion > finally figured it out **SPOILERS**

finally figured it out SPOILERS

posted 15 years ago by garnet10
6 replies | jump to latest

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

I couldn't figure out what happened the first time I watched it but I finally rewatched it tonight and YES!!! it all makes sense. The director was very crafty, however, and besides Hanks discussion at the beginning, where he tells his sons, "History is in the mind of the teller, and the truth is in the telling", you have to wait until the last 15 minutes or so and if you pay very careful attention you can see that Bobby was created in Mike's mind to handle the abuse.

They both get beaten up at the same time and suffer same side black eyes, they both have a stomachache at lunch in school with a bad premonition about their dog; right after Bobby's "flight" to freedom, his stepfather is handcuffed by the policeman who says to him, "You're done!" and Mike hugs his mother and says that Bobby is safe now. He no longer needs "Bobby" because the king is finally going to rot in jail. When Hanks talks about growing up and forgetting the magic of childhood imagination, (which includes the "ability to fly") he mentions that whenever he forgets, he gets another "postcard" to remind him.

"Bobby" wanted to fly, and it is Mike who becomes a pilot as an adult. Sampson was supposed to be on the Radio Flyer, yet they still have him. Because the Radio Flyer flying was in his imagination. It was a metaphor for escape. He says his mother never understood, because "being grown up, she could never recapture the frame of mind needed to really understand."

As an adult he has a picture on the wall of his mother and his dog, and a little boy (which is a picture of him as a child). There aren't two boys in the photo, and there are no adult pictures of "Bobby" who doesn't exist.

Hanks states at the end that keeping a promise is very important. And he kept the promise to himself--he promised he would never tell anyone that he was getting beaten by the stepfather. Not even his own kids.

It was fascinating watching this story from this perspective. I have new respect for this film.

I have always been proud of America.

[–] teefus87 15 years ago

yeah the bobby did not exist theroy is the most popular one. the other is that bobby killed himslef there is some evidance of this in adult mikes narration about the flyer repesenting escape.

sam tyler:David Bowie. Why does it always come back to David Bowie?

[–] ryoko_the_spacepirate1 15 years ago

There was a Mike and there was a Bobby...either the little kid got killed by the King or died trying to fly away.. or he actually flew away and mailed the turtle back.

But its not one kid with the same personality.

"Your love or hate for a person doesn't add or take away from how bad or good that person is."

[–] teefus87 15 years ago

well its not exactly that mike had two personlaties what the threoy is that as and adult he could not deal with the memorys of abuse so he made up memories of a younger brother.

sam tyler:David Bowie. Why does it always come back to David Bowie?

[–] ryoko_the_spacepirate1 15 years ago

It just doesn't make sense lol that one was imginary.

"Your love or hate for a person doesn't add or take away from how bad or good that person is."

[–] trixie-k-88 15 years ago

I really disagree with the "Bobby wasn't real" theories. The main theme of the movie, as established in the beginning is brothers getting along and keeping promises. There are other parts of the movie that also deal with loyalty, responsibility over loved ones and "brotherly love". If Bobby wasn't real that would not be in the movie. The mother also wouldn't be concerned and ask about Bobby either.

I think that it's probably Bobby really died, either by the hands of The King, or crashing the flyer. (I think the turtle could survive a small crash because they're sturdy animals.)

Also, I'm a fan of the fantasy belief that Bobby actually did get away. It feels better, even if it's not true.

Not to mention...why would the adult, and we assume, well adjusted Mike tell his sons a story about the delusions he created to deal with his childhood abuse? That doesn't make sense at all, neither does why they would know about "Uncle Bobby" if he wasn't real or they didn't know about the abuse. (He says in the beginning he didn't say everything about him because they weren't old enough, implying they didn't know about the abuse.)

[–] Batgirl_85 10 years ago

This is actually a pretty good theory, the best I´ve read so far! Makes total sense to me. Who knew an old movie that I´ve watched 7654 times as a kid would have such a different meaning when I watched it as an (sort of) adult.