The Ryan White Story
7.4 /10 1 Votes
Genre DramaBiography First episode date January 16, 1989 Language English | 7.2/10 IMDb 40% Rotten Tomatoes Duration Country United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Release date January 16, 1989 (1989-01-16) Network American Broadcasting Company Cast (Jeanne White), (Harley), (Andrea White), (Dr. Kleiman), (Laura), Mitchell Ryan (Tom)Similar movies Go Toward the Light (1988) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The ryan white story 1986
The Ryan White Story is a 1989 television film starring Lukas Haas, and Judith Light, directed by John Herzfeld. The film first aired on the ABC network on January 16, 1989. It is based on the true story of the American teenager Ryan White, who became a national poster child for HIV/AIDS in the United States, after being expelled from middle school because of his infection. Nielsen ratings estimated that the movie was seen by 15 million viewers on the original airing.
Contents
Upon airing, some residents of Kokomo felt that the film unfairly portrayed the town in a negative light. The office of Kokomo mayor Robert F. Sargent was flooded with complaints from across the country. The real life Ryan White made a cameo appearance in the film as another hemophiliac AIDS sufferer named Chad. The film's final scene was filmed at South Iredell High School in Statesville, North Carolina. After its airing, the film was released on VHS in the UK.
Plot
Ryan White is a teenage hemophiliac who discovers he has contracted AIDS through contaminated blood products, and is then barred from attending school by Western School Corporation in Russiaville, Indiana, just outside Kokomo. Unfairly judged and emotionally abused by the community, Ryan and his mother engage the services of a high-powered attorney to win back his basic rights to attend school.
Cast
Reception
The film received positive reviews from critics upon the original airing. The New York Times gave a favorable review upon release, stating
"Once again prime-time television entertainment is approaching the subject of AIDS through the case of a hemophiliac youth infected through a transfusion of tainted blood. The vast majority of AIDS patients are homosexuals and drug addicts, but television apparently is not ready to explore these groups with any degree of compassion. Innocent youngsters trapped by circumstances beyond their control provide far easier dramatic hooks for uplift exercises. Still, these stories are indeed heartbreaking and do serve as vehicles for exposing public ignorance and prejudice about AIDS. The Ryan White Story is a good case in point. The key roles are more fleshed out and are handled remarkably well. They hold the film together firmly as the unsettling story unfolds. It is a story not only about ignorance but also about an almost total lack of enlightened community leadership in the city of Kokomo. Residents are understandably concerned and frightened, but panic is allowed to take over. It is not a pretty story. Worse, it is a story that didn't have to happen. Ryan White's story is certainly worth telling."
Hal Erickson of AllMovie gave the film four out of five stars and said: "Despite its inherent sadness, The Ryan White Story is a celebration of an exceptional young human being whose short life touched so many others in a positive, uplifting manner."
References
The Ryan White Story WikipediaThe Ryan White Story Rotten TomatoesThe Ryan White Story themoviedb.org The Ryan White Story IMDb