Being one who always appreciates stories of triumph over personal tragedy, (after all I AM the Queen of Crisis,) I thoroughly enjoyed this 2007 film about the real life of Richard Pimental.
Critics found it unrealistic (well duh, it’s a movie!) but I LOVED the actor (Ron Livingston, what a hunk!), the story, and the great Baby Boomer music!
The film uses voice-over narration for Richard’s early years, a technique I happen to like, and then climaxes with the explosion of a bomb in Vietnam that cost him his hearing.
It then tells the story of his friendships with two disabled men, Mike, a drug-abusing, foul-mouthed cripple with a streak of saintliness, and Art a genius with cerebral palsy.
Richard and Art experience first-hand the discrimination, sometimes unconscious, that the world inflicts on those who look, sound or act differently, in one of the movie’s most infuriating scenes. They are asked to leave a restaurant, “because you’re disturbing the other customers.” How are they disturbing them? By being there? By existing?
Pimentel then quits his job with an insurance firm to devote himself full-time to finding work for disabled Vietnam War vets, while providing a perpetual soundtrack for scenes taking place throughout the ’70s.
Richard Pimental is one of many activitists who made the Americans With Disabilites Act of 1990 a reality in this country. His story is inspirational and well worth watching.
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Sounds like a movie worth watching. Thanks for the info!
It’s a great movie, especially the soundtrack! Very baby boomer!