Batkid Begins (2015) Warner Bros./Documentary RT: 87 minutes Rated PG (mild thematic material) Director: Dana Nachman Screenplay: Kurt Kuenne and Dana Nachman Music: Joe Barham and Malia Hall (supervisors) Cinematography: Don Hardy Jr. Release date: July 10, 2015 (Philadelphia, PA) Cast: Miles Scott, Natalie Scott, Nick Scott, Eric Johnston, Mike Jutan, Patricia Wilson, Greg Suhr, Phillip Watt, Sue Graham Johnston.
Rating: *** ½
As much as I think terms like “inspirational”, “courage” and “feel-good” tend to be overused, often applied to skin-crawlingly treacly pabulum like Patch Adams, I can’t think of any other words to describe Batkid Begins, a feel-good documentary about Miles Scott, the 5YO leukemia survivor who wanted to be Batman for a day. The boy’s wish was granted by the good people at the Make-A-Wish Foundation who went all out, with the generous assistance of many, MANY others, and transformed San Francisco into Gotham City. It started out small, but once it hit social media, the project snowballed into a massive event that drew thousands of people from all over the country.
I admit it. I teared up a few times during Batkid Begins. Call me sentimental. Call me sensitive. Call me a sap. Whatever. I get this overwhelming surge of emotion whenever I see humanity show its good side. It’s rare for a documentary to be as moving as Batkid Begins. It’s so effective on an emotional level that I didn’t even mind the occasional lapses into self-congratulatory mode on the part of some of the participants.
“Batkid Day” took place on November 15, 2013. On that day, several people including important types like Mayor Ed Lee and Police Chief Greg Suhr dropped whatever they were doing to play make-believe with Miles. And it all started with a small boy’s wish. Diagnosed with leukemia at 19 months, Miles spent the next few years enduring painful procedures and treatments instead of just being a kid without a single worry in the world. He developed a fascination with superheroes early on, his favorite being Batman.
Upon making his wish, Patricia Wilson from the Make-A-Wish Foundation took charge of the project, seeing it as a challenge. What do we do? How can we make it special? She conceived the idea to turn San Francisco into Gotham and stage a series of crimes for Miles, dressed as his favorite superhero, to foil. He would be sidekick helper Batkid to an adult actor (inventor Eric Johnston aka E.J.) dressed as Batman. A friend donated his car to use as “The Batmobile”. A friend of Eric’s, graphics guy Mike Jutan, played “The Penguin” and kidnapped Giants’ mascot Lou Seal. Chief Suhr appealed to Batkid for help via pre-recorded messages seen through a projector on E.J.’s wrist (where does he get those toys?). Mayor Lee presented Miles with a key to the city at the end of the day. Through it all, crowds of people cheered Batkid on. It was a great day although little Miles looks pooped near the end.
Director Dana Nachman (The Human Experiment) wisely chooses not to dwell on Miles’ years-long fight with his disease, instead focusing on what went into granting his wish. Wilson originally wanted about 200 extras for a crowd, but once the Batkid event went viral (on Twitter mostly), people responded en masse. Every actor that ever played Batman sent out tweets of encouragement. Even Obama made a brief statement. Various corporations donated their services and time to help bring the event together. The local opera company worked round-the-clock on the costumes even though they had three shows going on at the time. And to think it all started with a small boy’s wish.
What transpires is nothing short of beautiful and fascinating. Batkid Begins shows the enormous amount of effort that went into the project. We hear from several people who were involved to varying degrees including Dark Knight composer Hans Zimmer who created a theme just for Batkid.
It’s heartwarming to watch Miles develop a bond with E.J. with whom he trained in acrobatics the day before the event. To say that Miles is a courageous little guy goes without saying. His parents, Nick and Natalie, explain he’s usually shy around crowds but saw a complete transformation once he donned the armor (donated by a 12YO boy). Thankfully, Miles is never made the object of pity. He’s also young enough not to get a swelled head about all the fuss. Quite the opposite, he doesn’t appear to fully grasp that the crowds are there for him.
Most of Batkid Begins consists of interviews and footage of the event. A camera crew followed Miles and E.J. around filming their adventures. As an added flourish, Nachman uses comic book panel graphics to open and close Miles’ story.
On a larger scale, Batkid Begins is a celebration of human kindness. It’s nice to know it’s still possible for people to come together to lend a helping hand. And it’s not just the big stuff, it’s the smaller things that mean a lot too whether it’s civilians helping the police move back crowds of on-lookers or the Scotts’ neighbors in the small town of Tulelake, CA pitching in to help maintain the family farm while they’re in Portland seeing to Miles’ medical needs. It would have been nice to learn their names too.
I understand that Julia Roberts is currently filming a movie based on the Batkid story. While the story lends itself well to the Hollywood treatment, I question if it will be as truly moving as the real thing. Until then, Batkid Begins is guaranteed to make your heart and spirit soar. Holy clichés, Batman, I did it again!
