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`The Kid' has strong cast, little Disney magic
By Jack Garner
Democrat and Chronicle
(July,7 2000) First question. Why the corporate logo on Disney's the Kid? There was no Disney's Pinocchio.
The studio must be desperate to assure families it's a film for all ages, even if that means simple, paint-by-number feelings.
And like an adult holding a child's hand to cross the street, director Jon Turteltaub hammers home every emotion with Marc Shaiman's shameless music.
The surprise isn't how much The Kid fails, though, but how much it succeeds, thanks mostly to central performances by Bruce Willis and appealing youngster Spencer Breslin, and supporting gems from Lily Tomlin and especially Jean Smart.
The theme has potential: In our efforts to keep the kid in us alive, Haven't we all wondered what it'd be like to confront our younger selves? That's the idea here.
Willis is a driven, self-absorbed executive whose lost the happiness, innocence and dreams of childhood. Along comes "the child within," and he gets a necessary jolt.
Along the way, there's also a bit of romance, and a hokey finale that gives both the boy and the man a glimpse into the future.
Meanwhile, Tomlin invigorates the film as Willis' secretary, the only person who can handle him; while Jean Smart nearly steals the film with two brief scenes as a woman who gets and gives advice.
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