Amazon.com
Based on the real-life story of disabled soap box derby champion Justin Yoder, this Disney bio-pic manages the difficult trick of balancing earnestness with wit, action with family drama. Frankie Muniz (TV's Malcolm in the Middle) plays Justin, a 12-year-old who accepts the limitations of his spina bifida but still wants to win a trophy like his athlete brother. Rick Rossovich and Molly Hagan are note perfect as his thoroughly likable but flawed parents, and Patrick Levis deftly portrays the difficulties of being a loving older brother who gets fed up always having to play second fiddle to his brother and his disease. Frequent trips into Justin's avid imagination, which provide humor and context, help the film avoid the sentimentality that usually accompanies triumph-over-adversity movies. (For instance, God is a race car driver who wears a T-shirt proclaiming "I don't make mistakes.") The smart script is cheerfully candid about Justin's problems (such as vomiting and lack of bladder control) and honest about the strain a disability puts on a family, but it's packed with enough action to sate the sports-minded viewer. (Ages 6 and older) --Kimberly Heinrichs