I had looked forward to JACK when it first came out back in 1996. I remember renting it when it reached video and being severely disappointed. Williams, first of all, is good at channeling a child - we all know that already. The problem lies in the film's schmaltzy, good-natured, sugar-coated outer layer that is sickeningly fake and annoying.
Coppola hasn't really made a good movie I can think of (or, a good movie worth remembering at least) since THE GODFATHER PART III (and not many will even agree with me on that choice! Some might go as far back as APOCALYPSE NOW in '79). It's disappointing to see him resorting to the hack-job he does here - ANYONE could have directed this movie. I never, ever - in a million years - would have suspected it was the product of Francis Ford Coppola.
The movie's ending is "feel-good" - but not in a good way. Instead, when it's over, you feel as if you've just watched a 2-hour soap opera spliced with moments of awkward comedy. The plot would be great for a silly comedy; unfortunately, Coppola turns his movie into some sort of half-cocked drama/epic-wannabe. Simply put, it isn't.
Coppola hasn't really made a good movie I can think of (or, a good movie worth remembering at least) since THE GODFATHER PART III (and not many will even agree with me on that choice! Some might go as far back as APOCALYPSE NOW in '79). It's disappointing to see him resorting to the hack-job he does here - ANYONE could have directed this movie. I never, ever - in a million years - would have suspected it was the product of Francis Ford Coppola.
The movie's ending is "feel-good" - but not in a good way. Instead, when it's over, you feel as if you've just watched a 2-hour soap opera spliced with moments of awkward comedy. The plot would be great for a silly comedy; unfortunately, Coppola turns his movie into some sort of half-cocked drama/epic-wannabe. Simply put, it isn't.