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Russ Duritz (Bruce Willis) is an ultracynical, 40-year-old L.A. image consultant who fashions bogus façades for scumbag clients. Oblivious to his own need for a makeover, he’s a tyrant in the office (to the chagrin of his sarcastic assistant, played to perfection by Lily Tomlin), and he’s emotionally unavailable to the morally centered woman (Emily Mortimer) who senses goodness beneath Russ’s hardened veneer. Not a moment too soon, a pudgy kid (Spencer Breslin) Read more…
February 16th, 2010 on 10:44 am
THE KID tells a story about a workaholic man, Russ Duritz, (Bruce Willis) who thinks his life is humming along just great, yet who claims the questionable distinction of being called a jerk several times by many different people in the same day. Full of his own sense of self-importance, Russ would prefer to spend time with his wealthy clients with questionable ethics than with his own parents. Things change overnight when Russ finds himself face-to-face with his chubby, long-forgotten childhood self, Rusty (Spencer Breslin). This movie is laugh-out-loud funny in several places, including one hysterical scene in which Russ (Bruce Willis) asks his secretary, played by Lily Tomlin, to help make young Rusty vanish. As Russ begins to accept that Rusty will be with him for some time, he begins to take a closer look at his life. Little by little, Russ starts to find value in a past that he had long forgotten and repressed, and his love life even benefits from this introspection.While the supernatural/mysterious nature of what is happening is never fully explained, the significance of it becomes clearer by the end of the film — yet this film never for a minute bogs down in sappy sentimentality or false emotions. In fact, this movie is one of those rare screen gems you’ll find yourself wanting to see again and again — a perfect selection to get on DVD!
February 16th, 2010 on 1:14 pm
I really don’t watch too many Disney movies anymore, now being all grown up, but I saw the previews for “Disney’s The Kid”, and it looked pretty good. It wasn’t pretty good, it was terrific!Bruce Willis stars as Russ, an image consultant who’s grumpier than Scrooge. He simply has no respect for anyone else, and hates a whiner. (Favorite line: Somebody call the whaaambulance!) He has also done his best to foget his childhood.That all changes when he is visited by an eight year old boy. A boy who seems very familar. As it turns out, the kid is Russ at age eight, visiting him from the past. Russ starts to think that he is losing it and has no idea what to do with the kid.They start to get along, and Russ starts to remember a few things from childhood. Later on, he figures out that the kid is there to help him remember something, something that has been long forgotten.“Disney’s The Kid” is a wonderful film, and didn’t get the attention it should have since it was a “Disney” flick. Don’t let the “Disney” logo fool you. This is a funny and touching film for audlts and children. This is another easy five out of five.