Jack (1996 film)

Jack

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Produced by Francis Ford Coppola
Fred Fuchs
Written by James DeMonaco
Gary Nadeau
Starring Robin Williams
Diane Lane
Jennifer Lopez
Bill Cosby
Fran Drescher
Brian Kerwin
Music by Michael Kamen
Bryan Adams
Robert Lange
Cinematography John Toll
Edited by Barry Malkin
Production
company
Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures
Release dates
  • August 9, 1996
Running time
 113 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $45 million
Box office $58.5 million

Jack is a 1996 American comedy-drama film starring Robin Williams, Diane Lane, Jennifer Lopez, Fran Drescher, Bill Cosby, and Brian Kerwin. It was directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Williams plays the role of Jack Powell, a boy who ages four times faster than normal as a result of a disease, Werner syndrome, a form of progeria.

Plot

The movie begins with Karen Powell (Diane Lane) going into labor during a costume party and being rushed to the hospital by her husband Brian (Brian Kerwin) and their friends. Although the delivery is successful, the baby is premature, born after only ten weeks of pregnancy, and is diagnosed with an exaggerated form of Werner syndrome (an aging disease) as stated by Dr. Benfante (Allan Rich) and Dr. Lin (Keone Young). According to them, as this very rare autosomal recessive disorder progresses, Jack Powell will age at a rate four times as fast as normal children due to his internal clock that seems to be developing faster.

Ten years later, Jack (Robin Williams) is next seen as a 10-year-old boy in the body of a 40-year-old man, with a group of four boys telling possible stories of a "monstrosity" of a boy their age that cannot go to school. He scares them away by dipping a fake eye into slime and throwing it at them from his window. He is extremely childish as a consequence of his secluded life. He has only had contact with his parents and tutor, Lawrence Woodruff (Bill Cosby), who introduces the idea that he should go to public school. His parents initially balk at the idea of their son going there because he could be emotionally hurt.

When he first attends school, he is exploited by the other kids to win at basketball against bullies, and eventually to get adult magazines and other such items. As time goes by, he is accepted by them, beginning with Louis, as they discover that they like him. He attempts to be normal there, for example, when he deals with his first crush and heartbreak, and the relationship with his teacher, Miss Marquez (Jennifer Lopez). When he goes through a fall while attempting to leave school, he is rushed over to the hospital, where his doctor explains that he suffered a shocking severe strain (which could've been a rare form of angina), and also, because of his Werner syndrome condition, his internal clock is starting to run out. Realizing the dangers it might entail for his health, his parents decide to withdraw him from school, which upsets him.

He sneaks out of the house and goes to a bar, where he gets drunk and befriends a man named Paulie (Michael McKean), and tries to hit on Dolores (Fran Drescher), the mother of his classmate Louis. However, he then gets into a fight with another man (Edward Lynch) and is arrested. Dolores bails him out and, upon returning home, Jack locks himself in his room and doesn't go out for weeks. His mother speculates that perhaps he realized the fragility of his life and is now scared of facing the outside world again. He also doubts the need to study as he realizes that he wouldn't have the time to use any of the knowledge.

Meanwhile, his friends continue coming to his house, hoping that he will come out and play, but he refuses. Finally, Louis has an idea: he brings the entire class to Jack's house as they take turns yelling "Can Jack come out and play?" and participate in various games and fun activities right in front of the house. The next day he decides to go back to school.

Seven years later, an elderly-looking Jack and his four best friends are at their high school graduation. He delivers the valedictory speech, in which he reminds his classmates that life is short, and urges them to "make your life spectacular", as the four of them drive into the future of their lives.

Cast

Reception

The film received mostly negative reviews from critics, many of whom disliked the film's abrupt contrast between actual comedy and tragic melodrama. It was also unfavorably compared with the 1988 film Big, in which Tom Hanks also played a child in a grown man's body. Most critics felt that the screenplay was poorly written, not funny, and the dramatic material was unconvincing and unbelievable. Other critics felt that Coppola was too talented to be making this type of film. It holds a 17% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[1] However, the film debuted at #1 and it was moderately successful at the box office, grossing roughly $58.6 million on a budget of $45 million.

Music

The film theme is "Star", performed by Canadian rocker Bryan Adams.

References

  1. ↑ http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/m/1072875-jack/#

External links

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