Now Playing: D.A.R.Y.L.

Original release - June 14, 1985

D.A.R.Y.L.

Cast:
Barret Oliver – Daryl
Mary Beth Hurt – Joyce Richardson
Michael McKean – Andy Richardson
Donnie Corkill – Turtle Fox
Amy Linker – Sherie Lee Fox
Steve Ryan – Howie Fox
Colleen Camp – Elaine Fox
Josef Sommer – Dr. Jeffrey Stewart
Kathryn Walker – Dr. Ellen Lamb

Directed by Simon Wincer
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Written by David Ambrose, Allan Scott, and Jeffrey Ellis

A child is found in the woods of South Carolina without any memory as to who he is or how he got there. A family decides to foster him with hopes of later adopting. At first Daryl seems like a savant, possessing fast and accurate memory skills enabling him to learn quickly. Being over-polite, in no need of help from others, and unfamiliar with everyday customs and behaviors worries the couple that he isn't like other kids. It isn't until after Daryl's parents come for him that they learn the true identity of this mysterious kid.



Although the film is purported to be an original screenplay, I couldn't help making connections to the classic tale of Pinocchio, and that story's much later adaptation in 2001's AI: Artificial Intelligence. Thematically it was similar – artificial boy adventures away from the home where he was created and learns about human emotions and then chooses to become a “real boy”. But the storytelling was different enough that I can grant it originality, inasmuch as the screenplay is concerned.

The movie starts with a car speeding down a mountain road, the only pursuit appearing to be a helicoptor. The man driving is only vaguely concerned for the well-being of his passenger, a young boy of about 9 or 10 years. As things looked grim for the driver he slows down to let the boy out and then continues to drive dangerously down the road. As the helicoptor looms closer, he floors the gas pedal and flies over the cliff. An elderly couple discover the boy in the woods. He can tell them his name is Daryl but he has no memory of how he got there or where he came from.

Daryl is processed into a child care safehouse. The headmaster explains to him that he is sure is real parents are looking for him but in the meantime they will make him comfortable and even get some foster parents for him. He is thrown for a loop when Daryl calmly responds “Thank you for taking the time to look out for my welfare.” This just after his eye exam where he memorizes the chart in a quick glance and reads it off flawlessly. It's like Mini!Rainman.

Headmaster Fox – aside: I actually have no idea what his position or title was, but his duties of finding a home for Daryl lead me to suspect he was the boss of the place, and headmaster feels like an appropriate title – approaches his friend Andy Richardson about fostering Daryl. It's never made apparently clear why the Richardson's want to adopt, but they do state that they will never be able to adopt unless they foster someone first. I'm not up on the regulations of fostering/adoption and I didn't want to spend the time researching such a convoluted topic, especially as policies surely have changed in 25 years. Right?

Andy Richardson is a foreman at a construction company and his wife Joyce teaches piano to neighborhood kids from home. They are very eager to have the opportunity to foster Daryl and even have to keep reminding themselves that it will surely only be temporary. But they grow attached to him anyway. Mr. Fox lives across the street from them with his wife, daughter, and young boy. The boy is about Daryl's age and goes by the name Turtle. I had to forehead smack myself when it took me another 20 minutes or so to realize his full name is Turtle Fox. Which kind of reminds me of the troublemakers Pinocchio had befriended. Another notch signifying adaptation.

Turtle and Daryl become friends and spend an afternoon together just taling, hanging by the lake, and eventually back at Turtle's house to play Pole Position on his sister's computer. Naturally, this is where I perked up. It was a BBC Micro as best I can tell. The image at the Wikipedia entry varies in that it does not include a top port for game/program cartridges, so I'm unsure which model exactly it was. This raises two points:

1. This particular computer was almost exclusively sold in the United Kingdom, although a couple variant models were manufactured for overseas departments. This movie was distributed by Paramount Pictures, but box office numbers declare it is a production of the United Kingdom even though it is usually classified as an American science fiction shot on location in Florida and North Carolina. It's confusing to say the least.
2. I suddenly found myself straining to maintain suspension of disbelief because I was realizing that Daryl is supposed to be a robot with a deceptively human appearance and yet the average consumer is exited to have a computer that can play games the likes of Pole Position. It's an enormous leap.

So Daryl kicks butt at Pole Position. He kicks butt at everything and ends up batting for Mr. Richardson's softball team. He becomes concerned that Mrs. Richardson seems to be upset with him and Turtle has to explain that because Daryl is so perfect, she just feels unwanted and unneeded. So he purposely messes up, trying to meet that balance between being his best to make them proud, but still needing their guidance.

That's when Daryl's “real” parents show up, Dr. Stewart and Dr. Lamb. They take him home via private airjet while muttering how amazed they are at Daryl's learning capabilities. By the time they get home, which is a military base filled with computers and technicians, we are finally confronted with the truth about what Daryl is: he is an android whose initials stand for Data Analyzing Real Youth Lifeform. Technically, he isn't a robot. It is explained that he was genetically engineered but his brain was replaced with a highly advanced circuit board. As a cyborg he will actually still grow and age just like anyone else but will possess the ability to compute at a much greater level.

The Pentagon is displeased with the direction of the project. They don't think Daryl is what they wanted especially since he has been able to develop human emotions, in particular fear. They want to start over with a full-grown adult version and to terminate the Daryl project.

Dr. Stewart cannot bear terminating the project because he feels it would be like murdering a child. They cleverly escape and start to make their way back south to the Richardsons. Daryl's previous experience with Pole Position predictably proves useful in the getaway. A mishap getting through a road block results in Dr. Stewart getting shot. Dying in daryl's arms he reassures him, “Always remember, you're a real boy.” Which immediately had me hearing Pinocchio and Gepetto in my head.

Daryl breaks onto a military airbase, causes a distraction, and steals an SR-71. By himself. Alone. Unseen. I'm now picturing him going up against Rambo. The military won't let such an expensive piece of equipment to leave the country so they logically want to blow it up. Through perfect timing, Daryl manages to eject seconds before the plane explodes and parachute on a perfect trajectory to the lake where his friend Turtle was waiting for him.

Unfortunately, he didn't survive the descent and now the Richardsons and the Foxes all know he is dead. But Dr. Lamb knew where he was going and intercepted him at the hospital. According to the story, the only form of death is brain death and since Daryl doesn't have a brain but has a computer instead then he cannot die. It took Dr. Lamb to reactivate him and he runs back to the Richardson's house where we get our very special happy ending.

Daryl is now a real boy with a real family.

Snark aside, I really did enjoy the movie. The pace was nice enough and if you didn't know in advance that he was a robot it built up to a nice reveal. And even so, it was only mentioned explicitly when it was required for the story. Nothing about it felt extraneous. Except maybe the glorified car chases. The SR-71 getaway might be a little far-fetched, but back then there really wans't anything that could have caught up with it. So other than a highly advanced synthetic lifeform with a 24th century computer chip for a brain living in a world where the Commodore 64 was top of the line technology for your average consumerist, it was actually a well-told story.

Also, the boy reminded me of Wil Wheaton when he was that age. The previous year he starred in The Neverending Story. For D.A.R.Y.L. he won a Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor and was nominated for the Young Artist Award for Best Starring Performance by a Young Actor. He appeared on the silver screen again in just a couple weeks in Cocoon, and returned for its sequel. These days he teaches photography in Los Angeles.