Jack
Released: August 5, 1997
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Run Time: 113 minutes
Source: Netflix Instant Play
Summary (amazon):
Jack is Francis Coppola at his most pointless noodling, looking for the film he wants to make instead of just making it. Robin Williams stars as 10-year-old Jack, a boy with an inexplicable disease that ages him at four times the normal human rate. Kept at home like a contemporary Boo Radley, Jack becomes a neighborhood legend until his parents relent and send him to school. In time, the other kids befriend him and stay loyal as his hyperdevelopment puts a strain on his body and emotions. The idea is sound, but the execution is a bore. The best the script and Coppola can come up with are painfully long scenes in which Williams's character proves himself on the playground and in gross-out contests in a tree house. Coppola fishes around for signs of life and spontaneity in these scenes, but the film is actually best when Jack has to cope with certain feelings in his mature body (such as his attraction to a character played by Fran Drescher) that he isn't prepared for emotionally. Jack would have been a lot better if Coppola had embraced a plan from beginning to end and stuck to it. --Tom Keogh
This was one of those movies I avoided watching as a kid for some strange reason. But again, I watched it because it happens to be one of my husband's favorite movies. He's a sucker for Robin Williams so it was only a matter of time before I watched this lol.
I guess I avoided this movie because I thought it was one of those depressing-sad-ending movies... but I actually really enjoyed it. Robin Williams did a fantastic job playing Jack in all the ways he rapidly changed and in all the scenes as a child. Seriously, it was fantastic. I couldn't help but feel bad for Jack for his condition and the way things were.
Ack, I don't know what else to say about this movie. I'm still new at this whole movie reviewing thing!
I've always kind of avoided this one, too. Will have to give it a shot sometime soon. Sometimes I love Robin Williams, sometimes he can be too much.
ReplyDeleteThis movie rates #1 for me as far as Robin Williams goes. He played this role to the hilt (but when doesn't he). If I had to decide between Jack and Tom Hank's "Big" I don't know if I could pick who was the greatest kid. Humm, might need to rent both and rewatch just to see if I could.
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