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Jack (1996 film)

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Jack
Theatrical release poster
Directed byFrancis Ford Coppola
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJohn Toll
Edited byBarry Malkin
Music byMichael Kamen
Production
companies
Distributed byBuena Vista Pictures Distribution
Release date
  • August 9, 1996 (1996-08-09)
Running time
113 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$45 million[1]
Box office$78 million[2]

Jack is a 1996 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film co-produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The film stars Robin Williams, Diane Lane, Jennifer Lopez, Brian Kerwin, Fran Drescher, and Bill Cosby. Williams plays the role of Jack Powell, a boy who ages four times faster than normal as a result of a unique medical condition.

Jack was released in the United States on August 9, 1996. The film received negative reviews from critics and grossed $78 million against its $45 million budget.

Plot

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During a costume party, guest Karen Powell goes into labor and is rushed to the hospital by her husband Brian and their friends. The baby boy, named Jack, inexplicably looks full-term and healthy despite having been born in the 10th week of gestation. Medical exams reveal that Jack suffers from a unique condition that results in him growing four times faster than normal.

Ten years later, at age 10, Jack has the body of a 40-year-old man. One day, four boys are lurking outside of his house, intrigued by rumors of a monster inhabiting it. Jack scares them away by dipping a fake eye into slime and throwing it at them from his window. Jack has grown childish due to this secluded life, having socialized only with his parents and his tutor, Lawrence Woodruff, who suggests that he attend school. Jack's parents initially reject the suggestion, fearing that school could be traumatic to him, but they eventually agree.

When he first attends school, Jack is rejected by most kids due to his appearance. His father gives him some encouragement by installing a basketball hoop to help him learn to fit in. One day, a boy named Louis picks him for his team to play basketball, and they end up winning against some bullies. After school, Louis asks Jack to pose as the principal to avoid punishment from his mother, Dolores. Afterward, they become friends and Louis invites him to a clubhouse with the other kids, eventually enlisting him to get adult items for them.

Jack develops his first crush on Miss Marquez, his teacher, but, when she rejects him, he becomes deeply saddened and collapses going down the stairs. At the hospital, Jack is revealed to have begun developing cardiovascular problems, a sign that he is aging. Realizing the dangers that it might entail for his health, his parents decide to withdraw him from school, which upsets him.

Jack sneaks out of the house and goes to a bar, where he gets drunk, befriends a man named Paulie and tries to hit on Dolores. However, he gets into a fight, and both are arrested. Dolores bails out Jack and comforts him after dropping him off at home. He locks himself in his room and does not come out for weeks. Karen speculates that Jack realized the fragility of his life and is now scared of facing the outside world again.

Meanwhile, his friends continue to come to his house, hoping that he will come out and play, but he refuses. Finally, Louis manages to lure Jack out of the house by bringing over the entire class, spending the day playing in the front yard. The next day, Jack decides to return to school.

Seven years later, an elderly-looking Jack and his four best friends are at their high-school graduation. He delivers the valedictorian speech, reminding those in attendance that life is short, and he encourages his classmates to make the best of it as they all head into the future.

Cast

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  • Robin Williams as Jack Powell
  • Diane Lane as Karen Powell, Jack's mother
  • Jennifer Lopez as Miss Marquez
  • Brian Kerwin as Brian Powell, Jack's father
  • Fran Drescher as Dolores Durante
  • Bill Cosby as Lawrence Woodruff
  • Ben Jones as Mechanic (part cut from film)
  • Michael McKean as Paulie
  • Don Novello as Bartender
  • Allan Rich as Dr. Benfante
  • Adam Zolotin as Louis Durante, Dolores's son and Jack's best friend
    • Michael Madland as Louis (age 18)
  • Todd Bosley as Eddie, Jack's best friend
    • Matt Kroot as Eddie (aged 18)
  • Seth Smith as John-John, Jack's best friend
    • Tyler Smith as John-John (aged 18)
  • Mario Yedidia as George, Jack's best friend
    • Ryan Kennedy as George (aged 18)
  • Jeremy Lelliott as Johnny Duffer
    • Jesse James Chisholm as Johnny (aged 18)
  • Rickey D'Shon Collins as Eric
    • Jonathan A. Turner as Eric (aged 18)
  • Hugo Hernandez as Victor
  • Jurnee Smollett as Phoebe
    • Kamela Peart as Phoebe (aged 16)
  • Dani Faith as Jane
    • Jennifer Hagan as Jane (aged 16)
  • Keone Young as Dr. Lin
  • Al Nalbandian as Principal McGee
  • Allison Whitbeck as Lucy
  • Dwight Hicks as High School Principal
  • Mark Coppola as Radio Personality (voice)

Production

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In January 1995, it was announced that Robin Williams would star in Jack with Francis Ford Coppola set to direct.[3] John Travolta was interested in playing the lead role of Jack, but due to an apology from Disney to Williams regarding royalties from Aladdin, Williams was guaranteed the role.[4]

Release

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Jack debuted at number one at the US box office and grossed roughly $58.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $78 million worldwide, on a budget of $45 million.[1][2]

Reception

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Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 17% of 35 critics have given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 4.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Robin Williams' childlike energy is channeled in all the wrong places with Jack, a bizarre tragedy that aims for uplift but sinks deep into queasy schmaltz."[5] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 31 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.[6] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "B+" on a scale of A+ to F.[7]

Todd McCarthy of Variety called it a "tedious, uneventful fantasy" that wastes the talents of the filmmakers.[8]

Accolades

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Jack was nominated for Worst Picture at the 1996 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards but lost to Striptease.[9]

Response from Francis Ford Coppola and the crew

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About the film's reception, Francis Ford Coppola said, "Jack was a movie that everybody hated and I was constantly damned and ridiculed for. I must say I find Jack sweet and amusing. I don't dislike it as much as everyone, but that's obvious—I directed it. I know I should be ashamed of it but I'm not. I don't know why everybody hated it so much. I think it was because of the type of movie it was. It was considered that I had made Apocalypse Now and I'm like a Marty Scorsese type of director, and here I am making this dumb Disney film with Robin Williams. But I was always happy to do any type of film."[10][better source needed]

First-time screenwriter Gary Nadeau wasn’t quite as bullish, describing his experience of seeing the initial cut of Jack as a terrifying one. “I thought my career had ended,” he admitted to The Telegraph. “Not only that, but I’d be the man who destroyed Francis Ford Coppola’s career.”[11]

Music

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The film's theme is "Star", performed by Canadian musician Bryan Adams.[12]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Jack". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 2019-01-20. Retrieved 2016-05-30.
  2. ^ a b "Top 100 worldwide b.o. champs". Variety. January 20, 1997. p. 14.
  3. ^ "Williams Inks For Disney's 'Jack'". Variety. Archived from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  4. ^ "Travolta Time". Variety. Archived from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  5. ^ "Jack (1996)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 2021-09-09. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  6. ^ "Jack". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  7. ^ "Cinemascore". Archived from the original on 2018-12-20. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  8. ^ McCarthy, Todd (1996-07-29). "Review: 'Jack'". Variety. Archived from the original on 2018-02-23. Retrieved 2016-05-30.
  9. ^ "The Stinkers 1996 Ballot". The Stinkers. Archived from the original on 2000-08-18. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  10. ^ "Francis Ford Coppola". IMDb. Archived from the original on 2018-04-10. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  11. ^ Fordy, Tom (2021-08-09). "'I'm not bald and I'm not a freak': the strange legacy of Robin Williams's flop Jack". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2024-10-25.
  12. ^ Childs, Paul (February 12, 2018). "Examining the Many Movie Songs of Bryan Adams". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on 2021-01-17. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
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