Jack

This movie has something very important attached to it: a message of life. This is due to the underlying themes as well as to Robin Williams' touching performance which is saddening and inspirational at the same time. He is able to transform the sheer hopelessness of his fate which subjects him to an early death with such outstanding and sincere skills that are deeply moving. Apart from that his entire character - as it is designed - demands substantial acting throughout the whole plot. He delivers a performance that many other actors would simply not have been able to accomplish. It takes a special kind of actor to portray such a character just as Jack here. The message is that despite a fate that destines us to be exposed to tremendous agonies and blank despair, there is always a light of hope, and this light burns in our hearts. It's up to us only what we do with the time that we're granted with. In Jack's case time is even more precious than for normal people. Despite the sadness and despair that is ultimately caused thereby, we still have the chance to make the best out of every minute. All we have to do is value the little things, such as friendship and love, and thus escape the shades of darkness. The movie itself is funny and sincere, it has important dialogues and, as stated above, a real massage, which makes it special. Watch out for it.

I do not think Jack is as bad as it is made out to be, but it is one of my least favourite Francis Ford Coppola films. The film is overlong, has some weak spots in the script and drags a bit at times. However, it does look decent, with the cinematography and sceneries nicely done, the soundtrack is credible enough, Coppola directs admirably and I loved the concept(reminded me a bit of Big). Robin Williams also gives an exuberant turn in the lead, while Diane Lane and Brian Kerwin are subtle and Jennifer Lopez is surprisingly sweet and believable. Overall, Jack is a decent enough film. It is lacking a bit and one of the weaker films of a truly great director, but it is worth seeing for Williams and the concept. 6/10 Bethany Cox

The idea of a child in an adult body has been explored many times before: "Big," "Vice Versa," "Like Father Like Son," "Freaky Friday," and others. In all of those cases it was a hot swap due to some freak accident. In "Jack," Jack Powell (Robin Williams) has accelerated growth due to a fictitious disease that makes him age four times the rate of a normal human being. So when Jack was ten-years-old he had the body of a 40-year-old man and the mind of a ten-year-old boy. You can imagine the myriad complications that can cause.

If anyone could've pulled off the role of Jack it was Robin Williams. Whatever the list of actors for the character it had to have been a very short list. Robin Williams has that natural effervescence and childlike personality which made him perfect.

I liked the movie. It was funny, innocent, and heartwarming. Jack just wanted to be a normal kid like everybody else, but he was far from normal. His entry into elementary school was a rocky one. Inevitably, he was teased (as kids are wont to do), but he was eventually able to meld right into the boys club by just being himself--a ten-year-old.

It's no spoiler to say that he would eventually have to face the fact he was aging rapidly and just how would he handle that. It would be a tough matter for anyone and everyone who loves him. Robin Williams crushed this role and really made the movie good.

The Good: This movie is an excellent comedy/drama. Robin Williams does a heart warming performance as Jack, a boy who grows 4 times as fast as a regular boy. There were many funny parts, and many sad parts with a good mix of both. The acting is very good; Robin Williams did a great job of playing a 10 year-old boy.

The Bad: There were a few missing ends to this movie. Some things didn't fit together right. One thing was when he went to jail for getting in a fight at the bar. If he's only 10 years old, aren't the police going to figure it out?!

Overall: Overall, this is a touching movie that I encourage everyone to see. It may not be an Oscar nominee, but all in all it is a good show.

*** 1/2 out of *****

I was extremely surprised to find out that Francis Ford Coppola directed this film, not because it's below the standards I expect from him, but because it is really well directed. It's rare that a movie can be so well directed and so bad at the same time. It's hard to pinpoint the exact problem here, until you realize it's all in the writing: moreover, the story. Robin Williams does everything he can for this character, and the story does not reciprocate. The entire cast is a success, in fact. I generally loathe child actors, but these ones are almost believable; Jennifer Lopez nailed a lot of nuanced beats and really surprised me; Bill Cosby was incredibly endearing, despite all of his horrible crimes. The shots and storytelling behind the camera, save for a couple janky inserts, is effective. Yeah, the more I think about it, the clearer this case of bad writing becomes. Not a bad premise, but the execution is hit or miss at best and the ending is woefully dissatisfying. All I needed to know is what he wrote for that essay, but we didn't get it. What a shame.