"Jack" is a strange blending of its two creative forces: comic
Robin Williams and director Francis Ford Coppola. This is not Robin's "Mrs.
Doubtfire" nor is it Coppola's "The Outsiders", although
"Jack" contains elements of each. In fact its strength and weakness
is that it is a comedy/drama. As a child who grows at four times the normal
rate, Jack is a child in an adult's body. Who better than Robin Williams
to be the little boy shaving and riding a bike? Sheltered by his loving
parents (Brian Kerwin and Diane Lane), Jack enters the fifth grade. No
one has an easy time fitting in when they are ten years old and neither
does Jack. This is a most light-hearted first act, but it is followed by
a meandering second. The reality of the aging disorder is not lost on the
character of Jack. I loved the way the clouds move in time-lapse photography
when we see them through Jack's eyes. But I kept waiting for Williams to
cut loose in this project that just didn't call for it. Bill Cosby seems
to relish his role as the private tutor, although he was almost too close
to his old Jello pops commercials. Yes, the theme is admirable, the performances
grand, but this PG-13 flick is too adult for kids and too kiddy for adults.
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