'Chad Powers' Has a Surprising Nod to an Awful 22-Year-Old Football Movie Actorsvaultpro

The first two episodes of Glen Powell‘s new sports comedy, Chad Powers, are now streaming on Hulu, and they contain a bizarre reference. One of the coaches gives Powell’s character the nickname “Radio,” after the 2003 football movie of the same name. It’s a deep-cut reference, as Radio was poorly received when it was released and hasn’t aged as well as other football films.

Luckily, viewers unfamiliar with Radio can easily catch up by streaming the film on Netflix. The emotional film stars Ed Harris as a coach who helps take care of a young man played by Cuba Gooding Jr. Although some audiences may enjoy the relationship highlighted in Radio, others might struggle to enjoy the film due to the lackluster acting and emotional pandering.

‘Radio’ Is a True Story That Will Tug on Viewers’ Heartstrings

Sony Pictures Releasing

Radio stars Cuba Gooding Jr. as James Robert Kennedy, who goes by the nickname “Radio” because he loves to listen to the radio. Radio is an intellectually disabled young adult living in the 1970s. He spends his days riding in a shopping cart and collecting items he finds interesting. During his walks around town, Radio also stops to watch the high school football team, although he meets resistance from the players and their parents.

Coach Harold Jones, played by Ed Harris, notices Radio’s interest in the team. Coach Jones starts to take care of Radio during the day and brings him to football games and practices in the evening. Although Radio doesn’t play for the team, he helps inspire the members of the football team. Not everyone is inspired by Radio, but Coach Jones does his best to protect the young man. He even helps Radio enroll in high school again, so he can complete his classes and graduate.

Radio is based on a real-life story with clips of the real Coach Jones and Radio appearing at the end of the film. The story was first captured in the 1996 Sports Illustrated story titled “Someone to Lean On” by Gary Smith. The article captured many details that would be included in the movie, like Radio’s shopping cart and the teasing he faced from other boys in the community. If anything makes the heartfelt story of Radio better, it’s the fact that the film is based on real events and people.

‘Radio’ Was Not Well-Received

Cuba Gooding Jr. holds a radio in the movie Radio

The reference to Radio in Chad Powers feels like a deep cut, mainly because Radio was not a big hit, and for good reason. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie has a rotten rating, with only 34% of critics giving Radio a positive review. According to Box Office Mojo, the film grossed $53 million at the box office, barely recouping its $35 million budget, which does not account for marketing costs. Cuba Gooding Jr., who was already having a bad year, got a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for the role, alongside his roles in Boat Trip and The Fighting Temptations.

Radio might not deserve all the hate, but that doesn’t necessarily make it a good movie. The film isn’t nearly as good as some of the best films about football, such as Remember the Titans and Friday Night Lights. The film often feels like it’s pandering too much to audiences’ emotions. Additionally, Cuba Gooding Jr.’s performance as Radio feels somewhat out of place, forcing a big-name actor to portray an intellectually disabled character.

That’s not to say Radio is unwatchable either. On Rotten Tomatoes, 79% of audience members said they enjoyed the film. Roger Ebert went against his fellow critics in his review of the film, giving it three out of four stars and writing that it is “a sweet expression of the better side of human nature.” The film has heartwarming moments and well-intentioned characters, though these elements can sometimes feel over-the-top. It’s worth opening Netflix to watch the movie and decide for yourself whether Radio is a truly good or bad movie.

‘Chad Powers’ Uses ‘Radio’ To Make Fun of the Main Character

Radio is mentioned several times in the first two episodes of Chad Powers. As Russ Holliday attempts to adopt the persona of Chad Powers, he often responds slowly to others while inventing details about the character. Chad also has a high-pitched voice and makes strange jokes, alienating him from the rest of the team. These details lead Coach Dobbs (played by Clayne Crawford) to frequently compare Chad to the intellectually disabled main character in Radio.

The Radio reference is the show’s way of making jokes about Chad’s intellect without coming off as too insensitive. The characters in the series don’t directly refer to Chad as intellectually disabled. Instead, they use the nickname “Radio,” as it sounds nicer and gets the point across. Sure, the series could avoid these jokes entirely, but they also show just how much Russ Holliday struggles to fit in as Chad Powers.

Taking all this into account, Radio is still a strange choice for a movie to reference. Given the film’s poor box office performance and its limited cultural relevance compared to other football films, people may not recognize the reference. Perhaps that’s what the show’s writers intend: to let these jokes about Chad’s intelligence fly under the radar. Maybe they just think Radio is an underrated movie and want audiences to discover the film through Chad Powers. The first two episodes of Chad Powers are now streaming on Hulu. Radio is streaming on Netflix.