cathychase Review of The Ryan White Story

The Ryan White Story (1989 TV Movie)

Another "based on a true story" that ebellishes the facts to further an agenda.

[1/10 · 21 May 2019]

The movie leaves out a few facts. The subdivision where Ryan lived was a very nice one. It was not depicted as such in the movie. Western High School is located in Russiaville, Indiana, not Kokomo. The meetings where parents voiced their concerns about exposing their children to the AIDS virus were orderly and civil. Other homes in the White's neighborhood were broken into at Christmas time. The workers at Delco Electronics donated money, that was given to Jeanne, so that she could replace the Christmas gifts that were stolen from her home. FYI...I worked at Delco. We built the circuit boards used in radios, not what looked like tire rims or whatever those were, in the movie. We actually had break rooms that contained vending machines for candy, food, pop, and coffee. (other hot drinks as well) I never saw any coffee pots sitting around. FYI.... Nor did I hear any dueling banjos. Kokomo was a booming factory town. Our wages at that time brought people from all over the country and from all walks of life. (That was before the passing of NAFTA, after which the blue collar jobs at Delco were sent to Mexico.) Most of the people in Kokomo were hard workers and known for being very charitable. Anyhow, square dancing may have been popular, somewhere, but not so much in Kokomo. I really took offense to the whole city being shown in such a negative light. Everyone that I knew had compassion for Ryan and only wanted the best for him. If some people didn't feel that way, I am sure they were in the minority. I wish the "based on a true story" movies were not slanted to further an agenda of some sorts. I am pretty sure that the facts about AIDS could have been addressed in a way as to not bring hatred toward an entire city. I have since moved to a different state and still hear from others how horrible Kokomo is. It definitely isn't LA, but to that I say, Thank God it is not!