Warning: May Cause Cavities!

Disney’s The Kid has got to be the sweetest movie since Stuart Little. Who would have thought that Bruce Willis could pull that off? First he did Sixth Sense, which did a lot to establish him as a serious actor. Now he’s done something totally different again, an adorable Disney movie that makes the perfect family entertainment. And the little boy who plays the title character, Spencer Breslin, was a wonderful choice. He’s cuter than Macauly Culkin in the original Home Alone. I want to adopt him! I found myself leaning towards my daughter every couple of minutes saying, “He’s adorable!” The movie also had us both laughing out loud. I let my husband take her to Pokemon 2000. This one I wanted to see for myself, and it was well worth it. It’s definitely a feel-good movie. Surprisingly, it’s also one that has you leaving the theater feeling a little more hopeful, a bit more optimistic. It may have been ‘just a silly kid’s movie’, but it really does have an important message behind it. The message is that it’s never to late to be the person you hoped you would be when you were a child.

In the beginning of the film and throughout, an old-fashioned red biplane is shown flying around wherever Russ Duritz (Bruce Willis) seems to go. The audience may at first think this plane contains ‘The Kid’, but the pilot may actually be the surprise visitor from the end of the show. But somehow, ‘The Kid’ makes his way to the stark, modern home of Russ. Russ is an uptight, slightly obnoxious Image Consultant. The character reminds one of Jack Nicholson in ‘As Good As It Gets’. His profession is summed up nicely by Rusty as “helping people lie about themselves so they can pretend to be someone they aren’t”. He helps his famous clients get themselves out of hot water, but insults them at the same time.

Russ is in shock at the appearance of the boy whom he feels is just a hallucination. He wants a quick fix from a therapist in the form of medication to get rid of it. It turns out to be a bit more difficult because everyone around him can also see this boy and believes the story he tells.

Rusty turns out to be a reluctant time traveler and is Russ 32 years ago. Although Russ is confused about why Rusty is there, it turns out to have something to do with a 3-legged dog named Tripod, a playground fight in 1968 and something much darker. The reason for the visit is revealed as a way to show Russ that he is not the man he wanted to be when he was 8 years old, and he had better do something about it.

In the meantime, he is utterly humiliated by his 8 year old alter ego although he is found charming by all others around him. He’s also forced to relive the pain of his childhood as a chubby and tormented victim. Rusty is embarrassed as well and disappointed he turned out to be a ’40 year old loser’ with no dog, no wife and a boring job that does not involve flying jets.

The best part of the show for me was the funny and precious little Spencer Breslin whose lisp and mannerisms are irresistible. Lily Tomlin plays the unfortunate secretary of Russ who is the frequent target of his crankiness and workaholic ways, even at 3 a.m. She takes him in stride and never hesitates to tell him exactly how she feels. His assistant Amy hopes to make him over by using her perkiness but does not succeed. Rusty does his best to bring the two of them together. He’s also advised by Jean Smart who plays an anchorwoman he meets on a flight. Although her wonderful role is small, it adds much to the movie.

In some ways, the ending is predictable, but it is satisfying just the same. There are some surprises, too.

Disney’s The Kid would be best for children over six. Younger children may not get some of the plot or humor. There is no profanity or sexual content, so it’s appropriate for anyone to see. The audience that would most appreciate it would probably be parents and children.