Radio Flyer

A little boy is physically abused by his alcoholic stepfather. He is beaten with a cut electrical cord; the beatings aren't shown, but the bruises on his back are. Stepdad slaps little boy when he accidentally breaks his fishing pole after nearly catching a fish. He is also verbally abused by the stepfather, who says things to him, "Get to bed, you little son of a bitch." The older brother kicks a bully in the groin. Bullying from tweens, verbal, and then physical, done under the guise of playing football. The boys' German Shepherd attacks the stepfather; the dog is later shown injured and bleeding in an alley after getting attacked by the stepfather. A tween boy looking to impress his peers rides his bike down a very steep hill and up a ramp in the hopes of making an impressive jump; he ends up injured for life.

Stepfather is verbally abusive to his young stepson, saying things like, "Get to bed, you little son of a bitch." Occasional profanity: "s--t," "dammit," "crap." While playing "the Name Game" on a road trip, a little boy almost uses "f--k." Tween kid says "goddammit."

Stepfather is almost always drinking and getting drunk on beer, which in turn makes him surly and physically abusive to his youngest stepson.

Parents need to know that Radio Flyer is a 1992 coming-of-age fantasy-drama. To illustrate the importance of keeping promises, the narrator (Tom Hanks) tells his kids of his upbringing, and specifically a time when his younger brother was the victim of physical abuse at the hands of an alcoholic stepfather. If the beatings themselves aren't shown -- although one early scene shows the stepfather slapping the boy hard during a fishing trip -- the bruises are shown. The boy begs his older brother to keep the abuse a secret. The mother is too busy trying to make a living as a diner waitress to know what's happening until the situation becomes so bad that the stepfather is sent to jail. When he's released, he makes a tear-filled apology to the mother, begging her to take him back. Their dog attacks the stepfather and is later shown in the alley behind their house bloodied and left for dead by the stepfather. The kids are also bullied by tweens in the neighborhood. The older brother kicks one of the bullies in the crotch. The bullies later rough up the older brother under the guise of football. Occasional profanity including "s--t" and the beginning of the word "f--k." Potty humor involving dog flatulence.

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