Jack
Short description
Jack Powell is ten years old, but a rare genetic condition makes his body age roughly four times faster than normal, so he looks like a man of about forty. After years of being taught at home and kept away from other children, he persuades his parents to let him enrol in the fifth grade at a public school, where he hopes to make friends his own age. His appearance sets him apart immediately, and the film follows his attempts to be accepted by classmates and adults alike while his mind remains that of a boy.
Francis Ford Coppola directed the film, the nineteenth of the twenty-six features he has directed in chronological order, arriving between The Godfather Trilogy: 1901-1980 and The Rainmaker. James DeMonaco and Gary Nadeau wrote the screenplay, and Coppola produced with Fred Fuchs and Ricardo Mestres. Robin Williams plays Jack, with Diane Lane and Brian Kerwin as his parents, Jennifer Lopez as his teacher Miss Marquez, Bill Cosby as his tutor Lawrence Woodruff, and Fran Drescher among the credited cast of twenty-one.
Made for a budget of 45 million US dollars, Jack took about 59 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 5.8 out of 10 from around 67,000 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 6.3 from roughly 1,400 votes. A critics' rating of 4.4 from thirty-five reviews places it below both audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- Once, after Ryan Acton, Williams’ stunt double, was told that his services were no longer needed and that he could return to his studies, he was asked to return to the set. Coppola ordered him to go to makeup, but Acton stubbornly refused to get out of the car. Williams sat down next to him, said something to him, and Acton went to makeup, where he sat all day, but was never called to the set. It wasn't until several years later that Acton himself learned what Williams had said to him: "Hi Ryan, you're my stunt double. If you don't want to get out of the car, then don't."
- Before the start of filming, Francis Ford Coppola gave Robin Williams (1951-2014) camping equipment so he could sleep in a tent in the yard, and $10 for toys.
- Jack’s illness (he ages four times faster than a normal person) is a somewhat exaggerated depiction of a condition called “progeria.” This refers to one of the rarest genetic defects, resulting in premature aging of the body.
- Robin Williams agreed to star in this film after Disney officially apologized to him for breaking a promise not to mention his name in the advertising campaign for the animated film "Aladdin" (1992).
- Coppola faced misunderstanding and ridicule for filming this movie, but always fiercely defended his creation, saying he was not ashamed of it at all. Coppola and Williams were friends for many years, and Coppola had long wanted to work with Williams as an actor. When Williams read the script for the film, he immediately stated that he would only star in it if Coppola was the director.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
