Jack (2004 TV Movie) User Reviews

teenage sucks!

[brickfoot · 7/10 · 18 August 2005]

Even gay dads can be good dads. but they can still make growing up hard. In the 21st century, family and personal relations are changing in a way that hasn't been dealt with on the larger scale they are in the 2000's.

As if being a teenager wasn't hard enough! Not only people have to deal with new social changes, but society's reaction. And you thought you had it hard growing up!

The narration does bring back memories of 'the wonder years.'

And you get to see Rizzo as a mommy. But having your dad's gay partner named 'BOB' seems a little passive aggressive.

Exceptional movie about growing up

[wrxsti54 · 8/10 · 10 December 2020]

This movie was a hidden gem. 15 year old Jack (Anton Yelchin), facing usual teen boy issues, suddenly must confront the fact that his parents' (Ron Silver and Stockard Channing) marriage has broken up because his father has come out as gay and has moved in with his boyfriend. He is angry and confused and his pain is compounded by being bullied at school about it. Then his world is further complicated by his best friend's seemingly perfect family coming crashing down with the reality that this boy's father is violent and beats his mother and she leaves him temporarily. Jack has a minor crush on her so he is more than normally affected.

The journey of reconciliation with, and acceptance of, his dad against the backdrop of usual mid teen rites of passage (friends, sport, drivers license, girls etc.) is done with great depth and honesty. Teen boys this age have a unique ability to be so brutally honest and Jack commentates on his feelings and emotions in great off camera dialogue that rarely gets eloquently expressed openly at that age.

Silver and Stockard were superb as estranged parents but the star of the show was undoubtedly 15 year old Yelchin who was fantastic in this role and you can see why Yelchin became one of the premier teen/young adult actors with a large range of challenging roles before his tragic death aged only 27.

Fine example of film making

[Bradley-drake · 10/10 · 21 January 2004]

This film show shows us the life of a young man Jack. He is a normal teenager, who's life is turned upside down after his parents divorce, and he discovers his father is in a gay relationship. Jack must now not only come to terms with his own problems as a teenager, but the realization that his parents are actual people too. Every actor in this movie is amazing, being a teenager myself I wasn't sure I would be interested in this sort of movie. The 'gay' story on the flipside of a heterosexual teen being identified as having a gay father and how he must deal with the social backlash, gave me a new perspective something not many movies to do tell well now days. The story is simply about a teenager coming to grips with the world around him. Using great story, terrific acting and brilliant filming techniques I think everyone should take a little time to watch this movie, and learn what it has to teach us while being entertained, 10/10

Beautiful Truthful moments...

[LeaLea · 10/10 · 8 November 2004]

Rarely does a movie so captivate me with its honesty. This movie was extremely well done, and the characters are truthful, to a painful degree. The relationship between each one of them is a genuine experience for the viewer. I lost myself in the complexities that existed between the family, and the dynamic between each member of this crumbling family unit. I believe that we will see great things from Anton Yelchin in the future. His deadpan delivery of the poetically tragic events of puberty make for a beautiful personification of his character. My heart hurt for him, and I found myself loving his character and hating the end of the movie. This is a movie that should have gotten more publicity, for I hadn't even heard of it when I luckily found it on cable...

An exceptional find

[bksaunders · 17 July 2004]

I too had not heard of this film and came across it by accident. It is well written and acted with a good solid cast. The portrayals of all the characters are strong and very well done. The film deals with a complex subject with sensitivity and understanding. The film shows a seldom seen portrayal of relationships and life itself. The background narration by the young man provides real insight into the turmoil he works through. I would recommend this film to all teenage boys in particular as it provides a perspective, which they are not likely to find in school. It seems to me that many teenage boys are frightened by gay people and often use this fear to strike out against what they do not understand, as witnessed by the writing on his locker. The film is certainly more than worth the time to watch it.

Jack of hearts

[Prismark10 · 4/10 · 30 April 2015]

Jack is a low key and sensitive film dealing with sexuality. In this case the sexuality of Jack's father who comes out of the closet, leaves his wife and son but still wants to maintain a relationship with him.

Ron Silver plays Paul the gay father. He is the heart of the film and his earnest longing for his son to understand his predicament and desire to have a normal relationship with Jack is the key performance in this movie.

Stockard Channing is the mother who at first is embittered. She has lost her husband to another man and has to raise Jack on his own until she comes round to have Paul involved again in the family life.

A young Anton Yelchin plays Jack who now having to go through puberty also has the embarrassment of having a gay dad once the kids at school find out. I kept thinking Yelchin gulped some helium every time he spoke his lines.

Jack is angry at his dad at first but the film opens out as he becomes friendly with a school girl whose dad also came out as gay while his best friend has parents who are in a violent relationship.

I guess the subtext of the film is that parents can screw you up whether straight or gay. I just felt the film was a little too neat and small scale for my liking even though it was handled sensitively.

Growing pains

[jotix100 · 9/10 · 22 June 2004]

This film shown on cable, recently, was a real find. Not having heard about it, but based on the talented cast assembled here, I decided to watch it, and I must confess that it has much more power than the bland fare that is being shown in mainstream movies. The film is directed with integrity by Lee Rose.

A divorce, is a tragedy, specially for the children that are left behind. Jack, is a teen ager when his parents decide to split up, amicably. Paul, Jack's father takes him out to eat at fancy restaurants during his weekly visits, as if to compensate for what has been lost. Jack couldn't care less. Secretly, he would like to see the parents together.

The cruel fact here is that Paul is gay. Jack is nasty, at first, but he comes around because of Wendy, another product of divorce, whose gay father happens to be a good friend of Paul. Wendy is light years ahead of Jack in dealing with a situation she can't control. It is through their friendship that Jack gets to accept his father.

Ron Silver plays Paul, the gay father with conviction. This actor plays the troubled father wanting understanding from the son he has left. Stockard Channing is Anne, the mother, who has to deal with the problems the divorce and the homosexuality has caused in Jack. Finally, Jack, as portrayed by Anton Yelchin, was a good choice for the part.

Watch the film, you won't regret it.

A kid every parent would like to have

[serioza · 23 October 2004]

Long ago one said: "Give me a god kid and you will see how great parent am I". But reality is somewhat different. This is a great story about growing; finding identity, but ... Being a parent for a while I would say that Jack's way of thinking is something that I saw with my daughter, rather than son. The way he understands social relations is more feminine. Someone could expect that Jack is more vulnerable than he really is. His self-confidence is unexpectedly high. Nevertheless, movie keeps attention till the end, and moral of the story is intact. Film has good rhythm, sometimes catchy photography with emphasis on ordinary urban life situations. Really good family movie that any parent could discuss with their youngster!

A good honest movie that gives you something to think about.

[celenazinc · 9/10 · 16 September 2005]

This was an honest and moving film. The actors all did fine jobs, adults and children alike. Some movies seem to try to convince you of something while you're watching, this one didn't. It was simply a good story that makes you think. You're watching this family's life unfold in front of you (or fall apart in front of you depending on how you want to look at it). There are sort of two stories going on at once and both are interesting. The second story involves domestic violence and seeing the kids and their different reactions was interesting. This movie basically revolves around parents that both adore their son Jack yet he's presented with a lot to deal with. The second family in the story have their own more common problems and while the mom in that family (Wendy Crewson) seems like a total sweetheart and a doting, loving mom and friend, she is also dealing with her own huge problems at home. All of the trials these people endure they handle well for the most part. It is an interesting laid back movie. The kid that played Jack was cool in this movie and Stockard Channing was awesome (as usual) as was Wendy Crewson (despite her smaller role).

Great low-profile film!...

[casch0101 · 9/10 · 17 January 2005]

Every commentator already said what I have to say. Wonderful movie, great performances, great script, etc. I saw this movie at Hallmark yesterday (Sunday Jan.17, 2005). Didn't catch it from the start but today I entered IMDb.com to search for "Silver and Channing working together" and found the title. The piece is great, and it is a pleasant surprise to watch a recent (2004) movie at a non-premium channel (Hallmark) as per my cable provider here in Paraguay. It is definitively a movie to discuss about with our kids (I am a father of 3, two boys: 26 and 21 and a 15-year old girl), especially here down in the middle of South America in our land-locked country where such situations do appear, though probably not as frequently as in USA, I guess (i.e., parents with children later on becoming functionally gay). I found Jack's crush on the beaten wife especially moving and as real as it probably happened to many a youngster with a beautiful and lovely teacher, aunt, classmate's mother, whatever...

An entertaining film with alot of heart.

[TrevorJD · 9/10 · 19 February 2004]

'Jack' is a pleasant surprise as not many people (me included) had heard of it before. It is a perceptive film about a teenager coming to terms with different aspects of life. In particular the realization that his father is gay. The film has great performances all round; especially Ron Silver as the father. 'Jack' is an entertaining film with alot of heart.