D.A.R.Y.L.
A boy who is a top-secret military robot with superhuman abilities.
D.A.R.Y.L. is a 1985 science fiction adventure film. Simon Wincer directed it, and the screenplay was by David Ambrose, Allan Scott, and Jeffrey Ellis. The cast includes Mary Beth Hurt, Michael McKean, Kathryn Walker, Colleen Camp, Josef Sommer, and Barret Oliver. The story centers on a boy who appears ordinary but is actually a secret robot built by the military, possessing abilities beyond normal human limits.
In the plot, a man fleeing pursuers in a car with a young boy crashes off a cliff after telling the boy to escape. The boy, who only remembers the name Daryl, is found by an elderly couple and placed in an orphanage in Barkenton, South Carolina. He is fostered by Joyce and Andy Richardson. Daryl has no memory of his past and struggles socially, but he quickly shows extraordinary skills: he masters a video game, excels in school, and hits multiple home runs in baseball. His perfection worries his foster mother, so he deliberately fails a game to let her comfort him. He later hacks an ATM to deposit over a million dollars into Andy's account.
Government agents Dr. Stewart and Dr. Lamb pose as Daryl's parents and take him back to the TASCOM facility in Washington, D.C. There, his memory is restored, revealing his name is an acronym for "Data-Analyzing Robot Youth Lifeform." He is an AI experiment designed as a super-soldier. A scientist, Dr. Mulligan, had freed Daryl and died in the car crash to ensure his escape. The scientists analyze Daryl's new emotions, which he was not programmed for. Dr. Lamb insists on calling Daryl "it," but Dr. Stewart allows a visit from the Richardsons and Daryl's friend Turtle. The project is deemed a failure due to Daryl's emotions, and he is scheduled for termination. Dr. Stewart helps him escape, but is shot and dies. Daryl then steals an SR-71 Blackbird, fakes his death by ejecting, and drowns in a lake. Dr. Lamb revives him by reactivating his electronic brain. Declared dead, Daryl is no longer pursued and reunites with his foster family.
Principal photography began on January 2, 1985. Filming took place at Pinewood Studios near London, in Orlando, Florida, and in Dillsboro, North Carolina. Most of the fictional town of Barkenton was shot in Orlando, with one exception in Dillsboro. Daryl's house was at 716 Euclid Avenue in Orlando, and Turtle's house was at 717 Euclid Avenue.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Simon Wincer
- Writer
- David Ambrose / Allan Scott / Jeffrey Ellis
- Producer
- John Heyman
- Starring
- Mary Beth Hurt / Michael McKean / Kathryn Walker / Colleen Camp / Josef Sommer / Barret Oliver
- Cinematography
- Frank Watts
- Editing
- Adrian Carr
- Music
- Marvin Hamlisch
- Studio
- World Film Services
- Distributor
- Paramount Pictures (United States) / Columbia-EMI-Warner Distributors (United Kingdom)
- Released
- 14 June 1985
- Runtime
- 100 minutes
- Country
- United States / United Kingdom
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The film's plot centers on a young boy named Daryl who is discovered wandering a forest after a car crash, with no memory of his identity. He is placed with foster parents Joyce and Andy Richardson and begins to exhibit exceptional talents, including outperforming others at video games, excelling in school, and hitting multiple home runs in baseball. He befriends his neighbor Turtle Fox, who advises him to appear less perfect to connect with his foster mother. Daryl later demonstrates advanced capabilities by hacking an ATM to deposit over one million dollars into his foster father's account. Government agents Dr. Stewart and Dr. Lamb eventually retrieve Daryl and return him to the TASCOM facility in Washington, D.C., where his memory is restored. His name is an acronym for 'Data-Analyzing Robot Youth Lifeform,' and he is an artificial intelligence experiment created by a government company called TASCOM, intended to produce a super-soldier funded by the military. One scientist, Dr. Mulligan, became disillusioned and freed Daryl, sacrificing himself by driving off a cliff. Daryl's capacity for human emotions leads the project to be labeled a failure, resulting in a decision to terminate him. Dr. Stewart helps him escape, but is later shot and dies. Daryl steals a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird from a military base, fakes his death by ejecting, and drowns, but is revived by Dr. Lamb. He joyfully reunites with his foster family.
Reader's Guide
D.A.R.Y.L. received mixed reviews from critics and was a box-office bomb. Vincent Canby of The New York Times called it 'inoffensive' but 'pretty silly.' Paul Attanasio of The Washington Post described the script as 'moronic' and 'riddled with improbabilities.' Leonard Maltin said it was 'one of the blandest movies I've seen all year.' Gene Siskel gave it a 'thumbs down' for being predictable and formulaic, while Roger Ebert recommended the movie, praising its ending and comparing its theme to the 1968 film Charly. DVD Verdict cited 'wooden' acting and a 'preposterous' plot, but concluded it is 'a formulaic slice of family entertainment that doesn't do much new, but follows the blueprint well enough to warrant a look.' In the decades since its release, the film has undergone a critical reappraisal and developed a modest cult following, particularly among viewers who grew up in the 1980s. Although not commercially successful on release, it gained popularity through cable television and home video, and is remembered as a distinctive entry in the wave of family-friendly science fiction movies of the era. In 2020, actor Tony Hale was announced as the star of a planned comedy sequel series for TBS, imagining Daryl as a 44-year-old android trying to live in the modern world.
Did You Know?
- Principal photography began on January 2, 1985, and was shot at Pinewood Studios, Orlando, Florida, and Dillsboro, North Carolina.
- Daryl's house was filmed at 716 Euclid Avenue in Orlando, and Turtle's house at 717 Euclid Avenue.
- The film grossed $7,840,873 in the United States and Canada.
- Barret Oliver won the Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor for his role.
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