'Radio' hits right frequency

Viewers have been waiting for another great performance from Cuba Gooding Jr. since he won the best-supporting Oscar for his scene-stealing performance in Jerry Maguire. He made "Show me the money!" the catchphrase of 1996. Unfortunately it's been seven years since we've seen Gooding in a demanding performance. Luckily audiences should look no further than his role as James Robert Kennedy, a.k.a. Radio, a man who is described as "the same as everybody else, but slower than most."\nThe movie is based on the real-life friendship between Radio and a South Carolina high school football coach named Harold Jones. The friendship between the two men stirs up controversy in their small southern town yet changes the ideals of society by showing accetance of people considered outside of the "norm." \nCoach Jones is played by Ed Harris, a very talented actor who harvests an accessibility to his character by convincing us that he is not only a tough and strong football coach but a caring and generous soul to a man worth caring about.\nThe movie was written by Mike Rich and directed by Mike Tollin. Rich, who also wrote the inspirational sports film The Rookie, balances the script by showing the heartache of Radio with his blossoming spirit of finally feeling accepted in his community. Tollin, meanwhile, uses the basis of sports well to enhance the characters in this film. \nWhile there are many supporting performances in this movie, the only supporting performance I did not find completely convincing was the role of Coach Jones' wife, played by Debra Winger. Winger, who is famous for her lead in the '80s flick An Officer and a Gentleman, does not add much charisma to her character. She does not add anything extra to the character and therefore makes me wonder how she even received the part in the first place. Perhaps it was to spark an extra interest in the movie for Winger fans. Either way, her character does not appear in the movie much, so it's not a big deal.\nGooding does a wonderful job in this movie, becoming Radio while not exploiting his good looks and charm. After a series of mediocre performances in Snow Dogs and Boat Trip, he has a good chance of being nominated for an Oscar for this leading role.