This movie is to Francis Ford Coppola's directing resume what Always was to Steven Spielberg's in the sense you can't believe this movie was directed by a cinematic genius, as it has the feel of a made-for- TV movie. To some extent Coppola should be blamed. Aside from directing some of the all-time greats "Godfather 1&2" and "Apocalypse Now", he himself is a talented writer with "Patton" and "The Godfather" screenplays. So he should have known this script wasn't worthy of his enormous talent, and should have made suggestions on how to improve it. The man is a genius, surely that's the least he could have done. You also can't fault him to some extent, however as he has said he only made this film to work with Robin Williams. I can see his desire for that. Williams was a genius in front of the camera just the same as Coppola is behind it. But why didn't he direct "The Birdcage" which came out around the same time and had a much better use of Robin Williams' talent? Coppola can direct comedy successfully "Peggy Sue Got Married" is a wonderful film. He knows what is funny and what works and what doesn't. It's rumored Coppola told Williams he wanted to work with him and when Williams got the screenplay for Jack he would only do it if Coppola agreed to direct it. But was Coppola really that desperate to work with Williams as to direct him in a so-so movie? Surely he could have suggested he and Williams team up for something far more worthy of their amazing talents. Jack has some sweetness that is appealing and not to be ignored, and the acting is decent overall. Coppola at least directs most of his actors well except for the obnoxious Fran Drescher in a supporting role. What in the world is Fran Drescher doing in a Francis Ford Coppola movie? Many Oscar winning actresses would have been proud to work with the genius behind The Godfather and Apocalypse Now even for a small supporting role and he gets one of (if not) the most obnoxious comedienne's of her era for the part. Why not go for Marisa Tomei, or Julia Roberts, or even the director's sister Talia Shire for the same part? He might as well have directed Roseanne Barr in the same role. Coppola is too talented to direct someone as bad at acting as Drescher. The rest of the cast including Coppola favorite Diane Lane, Brian Kerwin, Jennifer Lopez and Bill Cosby all do fine in their roles and give good performances, but they are not given anything special or memorable or even funny from a wasted script. Coppola doesn't even know how to direct Williams to do anything special. Williams plays a ten year old, but he doesn't act like one, he essentially just plays himself. If this movie is about him as a ten year old he should at least act like one and Coppola should have been able to direct him as such. Tom Hanks did the same thing wonderfully almost a decade earlier in Big where he was directed by Penny Marshall also a talented director but not even on the same level of talent as Coppola. Also Coppola makes the mistake at times of letting his movie turn into bad outtakes from a Farrely Brothers movie. I mean farting, eating gross-out stuff, and ten year old boys looking at porn magazines. The Farrely's can get away with that because that is their signature trademark, the same just can't be said about one of the cinema's all time great director's. Jack is not without it's charm, though it really is sad that the great Francis Ford Coppola wouldn't wait to direct Robin Williams in a much better movie. The result is a movie that tries and occasionally succeeds, but should have been a masterpiece with the star and director attached. Hopefully all involved enjoyed working with Coppola enough to ignore the fact that this is a mediocre, mostly forgettable film, and unless I see a worse early Coppola directing effort, the worse film of the great director's work. Godfather III is on par with it's far superior predecessors as far as Coppola's work goes compared to Jack.

Karen Powell (Diane Lane) gives birth 7 months early but it looks like a full term pregnancy. The boy Jack (Robin Williams) is aging rapidly about 4 times the normal rate. The doctors have never seen anything like it. For 10 years, he's been hidden away at home. He's home-schooled with tutor Lawrence Woodruff (Bill Cosby). On his advise, Jack is sent to public school. Miss Marquez (Jennifer Lopez) is his new teacher.Director Francis Ford Coppola is making this fantasy. He needs the style to match but he doesn't have it. This is simply made to allow Robin Williams to act like a child. He's not given something more compelling to do. It's not funny enough to be a comedy. It's like an after school special. It misses an opportunity to be fanciful. This plays like a bad weird kid's movie. I do have to say that it's weird to see Robin Williams playing around with a bunch of little kids. The good thing about 'Big' was that Tom Hanks acted childish around a bunch of adults. That's much funnier. Even in the adult world, this doesn't have any fun. This is obvious not Coppola's finest moment. He just doesn't have the comedic touch.

If you have ever experienced the paranoia that comes with the dread of fitting in with others, you may identify with the adolescent character that actor Robin Williams plays in "Godfather" director Francis Ford Coppola's imaginative comedy drama "Jack," a sensitive, sweet-spirited, feel-good film that costars Bill Cosby. Don't let the inevitable comparisons with the brilliant Tom Hanks comedy "Big" diminish your opinion about "Jack." Both movies manage to complement each other without competing in their chronicles about growing up. Neither should you let the memories of Robin Williams as a rollicking Brunhilda in "Mrs. Doubtfire" mislead you into thinking that "Jack" is all clown-beat without being downbeat."Jack" opens during a Halloween costume party. Karen Powell (Diana Lane of "Streets of Fire") has not been pregnant long enough to attend child-birth classes when she feels her future son kicking to get out. Brian Powell (Brian Kerwin) and a couple of their friends, all variously garbed as the Tin Man, a cigarette pack and a champagne class, rush Karen (dressed as a witch) off to the hospital. In the delivery room, everybody tries to convince Karen that it's a false alert until the doctor realizes that she is indeed about to give birth to a premature baby.Later, during a check-up, the Powells learn that Jack's inner clock ticks considerably faster than most clocks. The doctors guardedly explain to them that a condition that accelerates his growth afflicts poor Jack. When Jack reaches age 10, the doctors predict that he will resemble a 40-year old man. Otherwise, Jack is healthy and normal. Not! The Powells grow so protective of their cute baby with his beanstalk growth that they imprison him in his turret-like room. They hire tutor Lawrence Woodruff (Bill Cosby in a minor but masterly performance) to tech him. Brian and Karen keep Jack out of public school because they fear he would suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous ridicule. Woodruff disagrees with them. He thinks that Jack should not be deprived of the experience of going to school with kids his own age. Jack feels the same way. He chomps at the bit to attend public school. Reluctantly, Brian and Karen cave and escort Jack to school.So off goes Jack—all twinkle-eyed—to school. And not just any school, but an elementary school named after novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne. Initially, Jack's towering hirsute presence makes him an outcast. Although the physical act of growing up may come easily to Jack, mastering the mental feats of maturation pose more difficulties to him than he could ever imagine. Jack experiences many of the problems that the Great Dane who hung out with the dachshunds encountered in the 1966 Dean Jones farce "The Ugly Dachshund."Just when you think that Robin Williams has worn out his welcome, the inventive actor manages to plumb new depths. His funny yet restrained performance of a 10-year old trapped in a the body of a 40-year old negotiating the obstacle course of adolescence probably would garner him an Oscar, but his Jack emerges as more of a character than a clown. Although "Jack" qualifies as a comedy, the film contains enough sharp dramatic turns to hoist it above similar slickly produced but synthetic kid ventures such as Dudley Moore's "Like Father, Like Son" and the 1988 Judge Reinhold movie "Vice Versa."In "Jack," Williams radiates best during those scenes when he discovers that life's silver the silver lining can just as easily turn to lead. A particularly poignant moment occurs when Jack struggles to persuade his fifth-grade teacher, Ms. Marquez (winningly enacted by Jennifer Lopez), to escort him to the school dance. Not only does Jack have a crush on her, but she is also the only person with whom he could dance who was his own height. When she reluctantly rejects him, prepare to be plunged headlong into your handkerchief. Although Robin Williams deserves praise for his charismatic performance, the real genius looking over the shoulders of "Jack" is Coppola. Several critics have savaged Coppola for helming what in their hallowed estimation is a far cry from "Apocalypse Now." Obviously, they forgot that Coppola cranked out his first comedy in 1966 with "You're A Big Boy Now," so the famous director is no stranger to high jinks. Coppola gives "Jack" an artsy-fartsy sophistication. Whenever possible, he presents the adult world from Jack's perspective, so we get a number of interesting shots, such as the instant of birth, the view from a turret window onto the outside world, or a glimpse through a slot in a box at Jack's mother trying to get him to come out and play. Coppola has cleverly crafted every minute of "Jack" for maximum dramatic impact. Coppola fleshes out Williams' superb performance with product references that enhance the juvenile facets of Jack's character. The blinking lights on the heels of Jack's sneakers, for example, are a splendid touch to Williams' shenanigans. Another amusing episode has Williams begging his parents to let him bed down with them, then asking if his "Stimpy" doll can crowd in with them. As Jack's overprotective mom, Diana Lane excels in showing the struggles to deal with a person as fragile as Jack. Of course, Bill Cosby strikes high notes every time he appears without having to steal scenes from Williams. Fran Drescher exudes sexuality but provides more than window dressing as party girl Dolores Durante, the mother of Jack's closest school yard chum, Louis (Adam Zolotin). The bickering duo of girls who harass Jack on the playground are fun to watch, too. "Jack" boasts many wonderful touches. Some touches you may overlook because Coppola so skillfully and invisibly integrates them without appreciating their underlying significance.If the concluding scenes of "Jack" do not move you to tears, you're obviously watching the wrong kind of movie. Ultimately, "Jack" proves that there are more important things in life than size.

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