I read the book Flipper's side so I knew the story well enough. More than half of that book is about the author's adventures following Darlington Fc home and away, season after season and to be honest is a pretty dry read, mentioning various matches, who scored and what the results were. Content which is understandably barely scratched at in this film which concentrates mainly on the struggles of a disabled man trying to overcome the trials of having an unloving father who all but abandoned him, a mother who suffered a stroke, trying get a job, his relationship with his mother's female carer and one of his multiple suicide attempts. The film also omits huge portions of his complex family from his mother's 2 marrages.

The cast are very good especially Toyah as his mother and the settings are also seem very real.

I can accept these ommisions, what I can't understand is how the film descended into outright fantasy in the last act and how everybody ended up playing happy families. It wasn't in the book and I seriously doubt two people one of them disabled and still in a wheelchair could use a single home made hang glider, fly it to Darlington stadium, land outside the ground where all the main characters just happen to be watching the match run outside for a group hug.

This feel good fantasy ending spoils all that went before and ruined the film for me.

The movie "Give them Wings" is a predictable drama that drags on at the expense of an excess of tragic moments and emotional tensions of all kinds.

The movie is based on real facts and explores the highs and lows of Paul Hodgson's life and his experiences as a disabled person after getting meningitis when he was still a baby.

Director and writer Sean Cronin uses and abuses all the ingredients to make this story so melodramatic only to have a redemptive ending. Some scenes are meaningless, i.e. The beating Paul gets from a group of tugs, Paul and Ian in the bedroom singing Radio gaga, etc.

The cast also leaves something to be desired, it is very difficult to believe in some characters, especially Paul's mother, father and sister.

I believe that Paul would be more satisfied if the director had chosen to create a story, where the theme was more his courage to face all obstacles than just feeling sorry for his condition.