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Disney's The Kid
review by Zach B.
Rated PG
Studio: Disney
Running Time: 104 minutes
Starring Bruce Willis, Spencer Breslin, Emily
Mortimer, Lily Tomlin, Chi McBride
Written by Audrey Wells
Directed by Jon Turteltaub
Retail Price: $29.99
Features: Commentary with Jon Turteltaub and Spencer
Breslin, Conversations with Jon Turteltaub featurette, Jon
Turteltaub Bio, Theatrical Trailer, Sneak Previews
Specs: 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, English Dolby
Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital
5.1, English Subtitles, Spanish Subtitles, Chapter Search
(24 Chapters)
Russ Duritz (Bruce Willis) is an image consultant. He
just has that knack for making people look good and turning
things around. Ironically, Duritz can't seem to do that for
himself. Call him heartless... call him mean... call him
whatever you want. Pretty much, Durtiz has forgotten who he
is and what it's like to have fun. Yet that begins to change
right before his big 4-0 (birthday, that is). Somehow, Russ
as an eight year old (who goes by the name "Rusty" - played
by newcomer Spencer Breslin) enters his life. Of course,
Russ can't believe it and goes into some kind of denial, and
things do go downhill from there. No matter how hard he
tries, his younger self doesn't seem to go away. Together
though, Russ and "Rusty" have to figure out how he got there
and why. And of course, along the way, there are plenty of
screwball moments and some tense drama toward the
conclusion.
I have to admit that this is a pretty enjoyable movie,
and while it is aimed for families, I think this is a movie
for all ages, whether you're eight or eighty. It works on a
nice level for kids, but it works on a smarter, better level
for adults. The title, however, "Disney's The Kid" is a
pretty big turn-off, it's one of the corniest titles I've
ever heard, just to make it seem like the movie has that
"Disney family magic". While I originally did not plan to
see this movie due to how stupid the advertising made it
look, I gave in after reading some very positive reviews.
This movie was a pretty moderate success over the summer,
raking in over 70 million at the box office (though I head
it cost 65 million to make). The film has some nice comedy,
but I liked how it dealt with a message in a way that
doesn't dumb it down or they rub it in your face. Many
people forget what it's like to be a kid and take a break
and have fun (while some never even grow up), people forget
a sense of themselves and who they are. This movie pretty
much follows that, as Russ slowly comes to remember his true
self. I'm sure if you keep an open mind and don't go in
thinking it'll be a kiddie flick, you'll have a nice time
watching it.
The movie does have some very solid production values.
For one thing, Bruce Willis is in it. This movie is proof of
the range Bruce Willis has as an actor. I think he's a very
underated actor and has been stereotyped for action films
like "Die Hard" and "Armageddon". But if you know your
Willis, his body of work in the past fifteen years has shown
a lot. Beside action, he can tacklle deep drama
("Unbreakable", "Nobody's Fool") as well as comedy ("The
Whole Nine Yards" and my personal favorite, the 80s TV
series "Moonlighting"). It's very nice to see Willis in a
role like this, because he does a wonderful job. I heard
that Willis once vowed he'd never act with children, but
obviously, he changed his ways and when he does, he does a
very good job. So "North" wasn't the greatest movie, but I
felt he was robbed of an Oscar® nod for "The Sixth
Sense".
The other performances are pretty good and enjoyable.
Lily Tomlin has a nice, smaller role and she gives off her
usual deadpan charm. Emily Mortimer plays Amy, Russ'
love-interest to an extent. Finally, we have newcomer
Spencer Breslin as the younger Russ, who's pretty good. He
doesn't overact and doesn't appear to be obnoxious. He plays
the part perfectly, and was a good choice. On a different
note, I enjoyed Marc Shaiman's score. It's sorta catchy, as
well as light and brisk. It pretty much fits the film
perfectly.
Audrey Wells wrote the movie, and I was very happy to
hear that, because I think she is a very unique writer. I
thought "Guinevere" and "The Truth About Cats And Dogs" were
very nice films that were very well written. Yet when I
heard Jon Turtetaub directed "Disney's The Kid"... I became
a bit weary. I'm not a big fan of his work. While I did
enjoy "Cool Runnings" and "While You Were Sleeping", I
wasn't that keen with the overrated "Phenonmenon" and
"Instinct". While some of his directing choices are a bit
formulatic and nothing new, this is one of his better films,
because as I mentioned, the film doesn't get dumb down in
the process.
Again, if you give this movie a chance, you'll be quite
surprised at how good it really is. It's well written, it's
well acted and while it appears to be your usual family
schtick, it's really not. "Disney's The Kid" is well worth
your time.
Presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, this is
another great Disney transfer (it's been a year now since
they've gone anamorphic and since then it's been a whole new
standard for them). I didn't notice any artifacts, but there
was some debris and grain now and then on the print. No
matter though, colors are generally solid and things look
pretty much perfect. Another excellent effort from Disney.
I really didn't what to expect much in this department,
and I really didn't get anything. The audio is in English
Dolby Digital 5.1 (as well as French and Spanish Dolby
Digital 5.1), and surrounds are kept to a mininum. When they
are there they are pretty good, but leave it to the front
speakers to carry the movie. Marc Shaiman's nice score
sounds wonderful and uses all the channels well, though.
Spanish and English subtitles are also included.
Disney provided some very nice extras for this disc,
starting with a Commentary With Jon Turteltaub And
Spencer Breslin. Right off the bat, I had a smile on my
face throughout the commentary. The two recorded this
commentary together, and this is a very light and very
enjoyable commentary. It seems each had fun doing the
commentary, and that's important, because it's not too dry
(I've heard too many of those recently - I prefer a lighter
tone). It's a fun commentary, and you do pick up some pieces
of information from each side. I believe this was Breslin's
first film (he mentions doing commericals), so being new to
the industry, some basic terms are explained and he mentions
anything (remind me if I make a film to hire "Tony's
Catering"). Turtelataub is pretty laid back and does offer
more insightful details, and it appears he really likes
Breslin. It does get pretty funny though when Turtetaub is
explaining something and Breslin just goes right to the next
shot and gets into that, so there is some interrupting, but
this is a well done commentary. Turteltaub, thinking more on
an adult level has his own ideas of what Breslin mentions
(listen during the first three minutes and Turteltaub's
resisting to laugh when Breslin asks him about the prefix
"bi"). Breslin wants to jump right into things and doesn't
understand so many implications made throughout the film,
while Turteltaub wants to take his time and explain things
little by little. I don't remember the last time I talked so
much about a commentary. Again, definently listen to this
one. Maybe you'll find it more enjoyable than the movie
itself.
Two Featurettes are included. The first, A Kid Becomes
"The Kid" is made especially for the DVD, with Breslin
introducing and pretty much narrating the whole thing.
Included is audition tapes, screen tests, and pretty much
the whole process of how Breslin was chosen and what it was
like to make the film. This isn't really promotional but
more insightful and interesting. I'm not a big fan of
marketing fluff, so watching this was a nice change. There
are some nice interviews here with Audrey Wells, Turteltaub,
Bruce Willis and a few others. I'm really glad this is on
the disc, and it's worth a spin to get a good idea of
Breslin's experiences and how things were done for the
movie. This is somewhat lengthy, so four chapter stops are
included so you can go right to a certain section of the
featurette.
The other featurette is Conversations With Director
Jon Turteltaub. This featurette focuses on Jon
Turteltaub and has some interview clips and behind the
scenes footage (most are not from "Disney's The Kid" but
rather other Disney films he directed, they seem to be
leftover promo stuff from "While You Were Sleeping" and
"Phenonemon"). Still, this is worth the viewing as
Turtletaub explains what a director is (analzying it as a
football game) and his thoughts on directing in general. He
seems like a very nice and humble guy, as he goes on about
certain challanges a director faces. Like the other
featurette, I found this to be very interesting and
basically shows what being a director is like. While some
commentaries or featurettes you'll really only hear about
stuff on the screen, certain shots, behind the scenes
stories and the film itself in general, you won't really
hear so much about certain, key reflections on directing.
It's mostly (not always) film-only related, while here
Turtletaub has a lot of passion for his work and talks about
directing in a nice manner without really refering to the
film so much. I always like to hear what directors think
about directing, so this is a welcome addition to the disc
and a good watch if you have any interest in the process of
making a film.
Rounding off the disc is a Biography On Jon
Turteltaub (him and him only) and some Trailers.
You got "Disney's The Kid" in 2.0 and full frame, plus
upcoming and already released DVDs and videos ("Dinosaur",
"Lady and the Tramp 2", "Fantasia 2000" and "Toy Story 2").
"Disney's The Kid" is a very good movie... even if you
aren't a kid. While I think Disney could have done a better
job marketing this movie to a wider audience, if you choose
to watch it, you're in for a nice surprise. This disc is
also well worth it, with a fine looking transfer and nice
bonus features. Good movie, good disc.
 (4/5, NOT included in
final score)
 (4.5/5)
 (3/5)
(3/5)
(4/5,
NOT an average)
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