Product Description

Jack is already struggling with adolescence, when he realizes his parents are getting a divorce and even worse, his dad is gay! After some bittersweet experiences, Jack learns there is no such thing as a perfect family and his own is more caring, supportive, and stronger than he knew.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #86170 in DVD
• Brand: Paramount
• Released on: 2004-12-07
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 104 minutes

Customer Reviews

A Sleeper of a movie
Channel-surfing on cable, I came across "Jack". Was very touched by the story and the acting by all the players. Stockard Channing is always consistent....she never fails in a performance. Ron Silver is a familiar name to me, but to watch him in this role, playing Dad, and a gay Dad at that, and the way he approached his life changes as it related to his son...understandable. He is a consummate performer. BUT..having read other reviews about Anton Yeltsin's performance as Jack being bland, or otherwise understated, I must disagree...This boy played an adolescent boy, coming of age, to the hilt...the dialogue and narration by him was touching. I'm no film critic, but I liked this film enough to sit down at the puter and find out more about it, and the opportunity to express my thoughts...GREAT little film, story...acting by ALL was great....it was, in a word, entertainment! And that's what it's all about. Thank you, cast (and crew) for Jack!

Good script and an excellent cast
Jack is a fifteen year-old boy dealing with the difficult navigation through adolescence. To further complicate his life his parents divorce because his father is gay. Jack's once secure world is turned upside down.

The movie has a well-written script and good performances from the excellent cast. Veteran actors Stockard Channing and Ron Silver play the parents. Jack is played by Anton Yeltsin, who was actually only thirteen when the movie was made. His sensitive performance in the title role is what really makes the story work.

Though nothing profound, this is an offbeat and better than average coming of age story.

well done, but...
Jack is a comedic drama that makes light work of dealing with teens facing complex issues in their lives. In that it makes light work of these issues is the movie's main flaw. Jack is a teen struggling with his own identity while dealing with his parent's sudden split, and then finding out dad is gay. His best friend seems (to Jack) to have a perfect suburban family right out of a modern day family sitcom, but all is far from right under their roof with parents who verbally fight all the time, occasionally ending in blows by one or the other. jack's newfound girlfriend has issues of her own.... popularity and constantly in fear of everyone finding out that her dad too, has come out of the closet. So how does the writing of the movie handle all of this luggage? with teen sarsastic wit and cynicism of course, and that's fine, but at times it feels overblown and forced. No teen, no matter how smart, has the guts to blast out every thought and concern in harmonious satire; even sitcoms have toned down that instinct to make their characters flawless in delivery, and yet, here it is overly prevalent. Still, Jack is often a bittersweet story of learning for the characters and the end does offer up hope, though thankfully, doesn't wrap it all up with a tiny bow and present to us a finished product all sunny and 100% happy. The movie makers instead presented us with a look of a batch of lives constantly in transition from the many lessons we (and these characters) are meant to learn each day. 3.75 stars