Jack | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Francis Ford Coppola |
Produced by |
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Written by | |
Starring | |
Music by | Michael Kamen |
Cinematography | John Toll |
Edited by | Barry Malkin |
Production
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Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures |
Release date
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Running time
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113 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $45 million |
Box office | $58.6 million |
Jack is a 1996 American comedy-drama film starring Robin Williams and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The film co-stars Diane Lane, Jennifer Lopez, Fran Drescher, Bill Cosby, and Brian Kerwin. Williams plays the role of Jack Powell, a boy who ages four times faster than normal as a result of Werner syndrome, a form of progeria.
The film begins with Karen Powell (Diane Lane) going into labor during a Halloween party and being rushed to the hospital by her husband, Brian (Brian Kerwin), and their friends. Although the delivery is successful, the baby is premature, born after only ten weeks of pregnancy, and is diagnosed with an exaggerated form of Werner syndrome as stated by Dr. Benfante (Allan Rich) and Dr. Lin (Keone Young). According to them, as this very rare autosomal recessive disorder progresses, Jack will age at a rate four times faster than normal children due to his internal clock that seems to be developing faster.
Ten years later, Jack (Robin Williams) is next seen as a 10-year-old boy in the body of a 40-year-old man, with a group of four boys telling possible stories of a "monstrosity" of a boy their age that can't go to school. He scares them away by dipping a fake eye into slime and throwing it at them from his window. He is extremely childish as a consequence of his secluded life. He has only had contact with his parents and tutor, Lawrence Woodruff (Bill Cosby), who introduces the idea that he should go to public school. His parents initially balk at the idea of him doing so because he could be emotionally hurt.