Many people consider this film a misstep in Francis Ford Coppola's career, but when you think about it, this is probably one of the most suitable movies for Robin Williams to star in. His high energy performance just makes the whole thing believable.Jack Powell (Williams) is a ten-year-old boy who has a rare disease that makes him age at four times the rate of a normal human. His parents Karen and Brian (Diane Lane and Brian Kerwin) are extremely protective of Jack, but one day his private tutor, Professor Woodruff (Bill Cosby) suggests that Jack attend a public school.
At first, Jack is seen as an outcast and only his teacher Miss Marquez (Jennifer Lopez) is friendly with him. Soon enough the kids start to see him as a regular kid and they all become friends. It's a bit cheesy, but in the end it's all a bit of fun.
Williams' high energy is perfect for this role. There are some fantastic slapstick moments involving him being too big for the grade school chairs, his ability to beat the smaller kids at basketball and many others.
The other performances in this movie are pretty good as well. Although both being much younger than Williams at the time, Lane and Kerwin are great as Jack's parents and really help the movie along during some of the more emotionally driven scenes. Both Bill Cosby and Fran Drescher play against the characters that made them famous. Cosby is a bit more straight laced than usual and Drescher is not as nasal as the character she played on The Nanny.
Jack ultimately failed to perform at the box office due to its similarity to the Tom Hanks vehicle Big, but when viewed through the prism of time as a standalone movie, the message is quite touching. It was a movie that touched me deeply as a kid and after all these years, I enjoyed it again.
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