Real Steel is a rare bird among today's live-action family films — one that justifies its sentimentality by respecting the value of reconciliation and trusting the audience to forge its own empathy with the characters. With its sincerity, honest depiction of adolescence and earnest acting, Real Steel has an old-fashioned appeal that recalls the better kid-friendly films of the 1980s, and it should find an enthusiastic audience among those in 10-year-old range and anyone willing to leave their cynicism at the door.
While its premise — metal robots fighting in the boxing ring in a not-too-distant future — is sure to draw kids to theaters, sharp writing, fine performances and smart direction keep Real Steel engaging and emotionally potent. Hugh Jackman has top billing as Charlie, a former prizefighter who ekes out a living by sending his Rock Em, Sock Em-type robots to battle in the ring. The pay is generally good, but Charlie is reckless and can't hold on to his earnings very long. He's the kind of guy who welches on bets, makes bad decisions and drifts aimlessly through life.
He's also the absentee father of a boy named Max (Dakota Goyo), whom he's never known. The death of Max's mother leads to a custody hearing that ends with Charlie making a selfish deal whose terms oblige him to take the boy for three months — along with a sizeable sum of money.
Max is a perceptive kid who knows that he's part of a transaction, sees through Charlie and generally resists his authority. Goyo is very appealing, bringing a sense of humor and enthusiasm to his role. He's a gifted actor who convincingly portrays the pain of feeling abandoned and the wide-eyed wonder that comes with finding a kindred spirit.
That kindred spirit takes the form of Atom, a discarded sparring bot Max discovers during a rain-soaked night in a scrap yard. With his big blue eyes, and smile scratched across his mesh face covering, Atom is designed to make kids want to take him home (his look is reminiscent of the title character in The Iron Giant).
Director Shawn Levy does right by executive producer Steven Spielberg and captures Max's sense of wonder at discovering Atom, as well as the attachment and responsibility that develops. Max earns Charlie's admiration (and ours, too) as a sheer force of will and enthusiasm who won't take no for an answer — not even from himself, as when he deprives himself of sleep in order to provide Atom with some much-needed upgrades.
The parallel between Max's relationship with Atom and his relationship with his father is obvious enough that Levy doesn't belabor the point. Levy wisely focuses less on the bond between the boy and his robot than he does on Max's need to prove himself in Charlie's eyes. The father/son relationship between the two runs in both directions, with Max often taking on the role of wise counselor against Charlie's quest for easy money. Even the climactic fight between Atom and invincible robot Zeus is less about the battle in the ring and more about the discovery, bonding, mutual respect and earned love between Charlie and Max.
Thanks to good special effects, the robots are believably rendered; thanks to good filmmaking, so are Real Steel's emotions.
This article appears in Oct 6-12, 2011.