Peter Chelsom's adaptation of Rodman Philbrick's acclaimed Freak the Mighty is an amiable little gem, with Elden Henson and Kieran Culkin (yes, Macaulay's younger brother) as two socially outcast seventh-graders, Culkin a physically stunted intellectual prodigy, Henson a gentle giant afflicted by learning disabilities. The boys complete each other, inventing a fantastical being called "Freak the Mighty" who thwarts the ill doings of local bullies, resolves the heinous domestic scars inflicted by Max's nefarious father, and ultimately confronts death.