Jack

“Jack,” released in 1996, is a film with two different stories. It starts as a comedy like “Big,” but then it gets serious, just like “Big.”

The transition from comedy to drama was trembling, but the film manages the trick. Jack Powell, played by Robin Williams, is a boy who is aging at four times the normal rate. When he’s 10, he looks 40. (This is a fictional version of Progeria). His parents Karen (Diane Lane) and Brian (Brian Kerwin), keep him at home and have him tutored by Lawrence Woodruff (Bill Cosby). They finally agree to send him to school, where he has trouble adjusting. At least Jennifer Lopez is his teacher.

The story is very funny for the first half of the film and then it gets serious when Jack realizes that old age is catching up with him fast. Real fast. He finds out he doesn’t have very long to live and begins to wonder what the point is to even going to school anyway. It ends emotionally, not sadly, but definitely seriously.

The film touches on some interesting themes. The hard time parents have to “let go” of their children and let them grow up, the loss of innocence, the transition part of life. The film deals with these issues in a positive, intelligent, and moving way. Robert Roten said in his review, “Like "Phenomenon" and "Charly" this is a film about an extraordinary person who wants nothing more than to lead an ordinary life, but just can't.”

It helps that Williams and Cosby are both very much in their place with their own “inner child.” Both bring good performances. However, Diane Lane is the real surprise, as she gives an amazing performance as Jack’s mother. She shows a wide range of emotions without going over the top.

Roten noted, “The film appears to have been edited ruthlessly down to 113 minutes. There are dead ends as story lines open and then don't lead anywhere, but the end of the film is powerful.” There are a couple of scenes that has to make most people teary-eyed.

I remember seeing an ad for this movie during the credits of one film, saying that “Jack” was available for free on VOD. I saw it and I did like the movie. I know people didn’t like it, probably because of how Progeria was fictionalized or maybe certain performances or the overall story, but I still thought this was good. The ending, as previously mentioned, doesn’t fail to make me breakdown. I didn’t when I first saw it, but now that Williams is gone, I breakdown when I watch that clip. Fran Drescher is in here playing a mom of one of Williams’ friends. Watch this on Disney+ and at least give it chance.

Thank you for joining in on “Francis Ford Coppola Month.” I can finally say I have reviewed “The Godfather Trilogy,” and hopefully everyone enjoyed my reviews. Stay tuned next month for what I will end the year off with.