THE KID
A Walt Disney Pictures release

review by Joseph B. Mauceri

SYNOPSIS: Two days before his 40th Birthday; Russell Duritz, a high-powered image consultant, comes face-to-face with his eight-year-old self. Duritz has 48 hours in which he must come to terms with his child self so that he can set things right and save himself from a bleak future.

REVIEW: Director Jon Turteltaub, one of Disney's successful live-action directors, condenses as much heart and sentiment into THE KID as in all of Zemeckis' "Back to the Future" trilogy. The reason why he can accomplish that is that he focuses on the story between the kid and adult, and offers no explanation about how this can happen. It is a basic philosophy that is prevalent in the classic live action Disney films of the 60s and 70s, the films that starred Kurt Russell and Dean Jones.

There is nothing original to the plot. You can find references from Dickens, Matheson, Twain and Bradbury, and also all the films that were based on tales by these authors. I hope that doesn't sound like a bad thing. The great things about Disney live action comedies is that they enabled families to come together and share some motion picture merriment. From "Flubber" to "The Shaggy Dog" and "Blackbeard's Ghost," the fantasy didn't have to make sense. However, you didn't care because they were magical, thanks to the actors and direction. THE KID is the first Disney film in ages to cleanly tap into that spirit and deliver a film to be enjoyed by kids of all ages.

Bruce Willis is at the top of his comedic form. There is an element to his performance that harkens back to his work in "Blind Date" and "The Whole Nine Yards." However, this is a kid's movie and Turteltaub allows Willis to get a bit goofy. The big question here is who is playing the straight man here? Young Spencer Breslin is an outstanding young actor, who stands toe-to-toe with Willis. There are moments between the two that are as magical as the interaction between Groucho and Harpo Marx.

The special effects here are simple dashes of flavoring, like a bit of "salt & pepper," that offer the audience a bit of fantasy fluff. By not attempting to blind the audience with effects the performances stand on their own merits. The biggest special effect is the chemistry between Willis and Breslin, and Turteltaub captures all those moments for the audiences to enjoy.

THE KID is the kind of film that reminds us that "the wonderful world of Disney" is the place where the "magic kingdom" resides. Turtletaub, Willis and Breslin give audiences a sweet and heart felt film. THE KID faces an uphill battle at the box office as it tries to compete against the mega-budget special effects features and the high cost for a family night out to the movies. This film will definitely do impressive numbers as a video rental.

OFFICIAL WEB SITE:
http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/thekid

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