"Jack the Bear" is a touching, underrated piece of cinema with fine performances all-around. Danny DeVito gives one of his best performances, combining his knack for comedy with his knack for serious drama. His character rings very true to life. Many people who seem extremely happy and always crack jokes are actually hiding tons of emotion baggage. Just look at most comedians. How many of them live clean, happy lives? DeVito's character, John, knew how to make people laugh and smile, but the only one who could see what's hiding behind his smile is his eldest son, Jack. I know people like John, who are almost always cheerful, but later on I found out they're really crying on the inside.
DeVito steals the show, like he usually does, but the rest of the cast is superb as well. The boy who plays the son is quite good, though his emotional outbursts are sometimes hammy. Miko Hughes, who was terrific in "Mercury Rising" with Bruce Willis, delivers a wonderful performance even though he hardly says a word throughout the film. His facial expressions and body language, especially considering how young he was, is impressive enough. Reese Witherspoon shows that she was just as cute and charming back then, as she is now (everyone should check out her very first film, "Man in the Moon"). Gary Sinise gives one of his most creepy, powerful performances as a racist Nazi loner, who threatens the children in the neighborhood. The scenes with him are extremely compelling, almost heart-stopping.
This is a fascinating, uplifting story that's only sometimes manipulative. I was very touched, and some scenes even brought me to tears. John is the type of character you feel much sympathy for, despite the fact that he's an alcoholic and tends to cause a scene. You feel even more sorry for him because of that. We don't want to see his life go through this downward spiral. Yet nobody's perfect. We all have our fatal flaws.
My score: 8 (out of 10)
DeVito steals the show, like he usually does, but the rest of the cast is superb as well. The boy who plays the son is quite good, though his emotional outbursts are sometimes hammy. Miko Hughes, who was terrific in "Mercury Rising" with Bruce Willis, delivers a wonderful performance even though he hardly says a word throughout the film. His facial expressions and body language, especially considering how young he was, is impressive enough. Reese Witherspoon shows that she was just as cute and charming back then, as she is now (everyone should check out her very first film, "Man in the Moon"). Gary Sinise gives one of his most creepy, powerful performances as a racist Nazi loner, who threatens the children in the neighborhood. The scenes with him are extremely compelling, almost heart-stopping.
This is a fascinating, uplifting story that's only sometimes manipulative. I was very touched, and some scenes even brought me to tears. John is the type of character you feel much sympathy for, despite the fact that he's an alcoholic and tends to cause a scene. You feel even more sorry for him because of that. We don't want to see his life go through this downward spiral. Yet nobody's perfect. We all have our fatal flaws.
My score: 8 (out of 10)