Review of Jack the Bear (1993) by Amy A — 27 Jul 2016

I was happy to see that another reviewer equated this movie to 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. While 'To Kill a Mockingbird' is a classic on a much larger scale, both movies depict small children coming of age, innocent but exposed to prejudice, and mother-less with a caring father.

The way the author shows moments of childhood is raw, not over-stated, or "Hollywood"... just honest. However, I did not like the title. It was a turn-off. Nor am I a Danny DeVito fan, but I did like him in this movie.

Glad I watched this movie anyway. Many people rave about DeVito's acting, but it was the two children who amazed me. HOW did they get a toddle to act so naturally?!? Usually, little kids over-act (and are annoying), but not these two.

When older brother stuck his younger brother by the evil dogs, the toddler cried in fear, and it was so realistic, it was frightening. And when the older boy cried, "Daddy!" on the tree limb near the end, again, it was so realistic, so it wasn't corny.

However, there were a few flaws. Mostly, the older brother's haircut was painful to see. And when the children were laughing hysterically to DeVito's jokes, it felt a little forced, because he wasn't that funny.

And why did the girlfriend dump Jack so suddenly? Maybe because this is what happens in real life, and this movie was all about r-e-a-l l-i-f-e... no Hollywood. That's also why it had a Mockingbird feel.