Review by Alise Chaffins
When Chad McDaniel was born, X-rays revealed that he had numerous broken bones. A family member said that it looked like he had been hit repeatedly with a hammer, just enduring the experience of childbirth. In his film “96 Pounds of Dynamite,” director Loren Goldfarb went in to watch Chad excel at billiards, only to create a film with a much broader, more expansive view of Chad as a son, a husband and a man with a disability. The film releases on VOD on May 11.
Chad McDaniel has Osteogenesis Imperfecta, often called brittle bone disease. As a result, his height and reach are dramatically stunted. He gets around in a wheelchair and has various assistive devices that, with work and determination, allow him to lead a relatively normal life. Chad credits his tenacity to his mom, who forced him to stretch beyond what he thought he could do on his own. And, as we learn throughout the film, he also gives a lot of credit to his stepfather, who fully accepts him as he is, unlike his birth father, who wouldn’t allow Chad into his home.
The original goal of “96 Pounds of Dynamite” was to follow Chad as he prepared for and participated in a billiards competition in Las Vegas. While the film does that, we also get to know so much more about Chad and what has allowed him to make it to this competition. He talks about how his stepfather created the bridge that he uses so that he is able to play, but also that learning to shoot pool has been different for him, because he can’t see the table the same way others can, since he plays from his wheelchair.
While the pool-playing aspect of this movie is the hook, there are other elements of the film that are more compelling. In one scene, Chad returns to Mississippi to visit his mother and stepfather, who is in the hospital. While there, he returns to the school he attended as a child. Chad grew up right as disability rights were being implemented, particularly in education. Even though things were moving away from institutionalizing kids with disabilities, they were often still grouped together, regardless of what the issues were, resulting in kids with physical disabilities in classes with those who had mental disabilities. His mother had to fight to get him the same education that his peers were receiving.
The film does a lovely job of showing how Chad lives independently, as well as how those around him support him. In addition to the support that he received from his mom and stepfather, we also see how he and his wife, Allison, help one another. She also has OI, and it is delightful to watch the two of them ride in their wheelchairs to their favorite bar to try all the different beers.
What makes “96 Pounds of Dynamite” special is that it refuses to treat its subject as someone to be pitied. Instead, as we get to know Chad McDaniel and his explosive personality. And actually getting to know someone is way better than just pitying them.
