Disney's The Kid

Spencer Breslin may be no Haley Joel Osment, but this ruddy-cheeked blob of a boy does his part to prove that Bruce Willis's chemistry with the kids is no fluke. Here Willis fumes and fusses as Russ, a tight-assed workaholic image consultant who on the cusp of his 40th birthday comes face to face with himself at age eight (Breslin). It ain't pretty: besides some recalcitrant baby fat, "Rusty," as the lad is called, is clumsy, hoots "Holy smokes!" a lot, and, naturally, doesn't relate well to Dad. However, inner child that he is, the tyke's about to shake up Russ's strictly ordered life like an underage Spirit of Christmas Past.

It's a child-empowerment comedy in the spirit of Disney's Freaky Friday and The Parent Trap, and it almost works: the slick Willis and the tubby Breslin are a funny juxtaposition, and the supporting cast is first-rate, namely Lily Tomlin as Russ's deadpan assistant and Emily Mortimer as a gamine colleague. The film's undoing rests with director Jon Turteltaub (Instinct), whose touch is anvil-light (there's enough music here to score three movies), and screenwriter Audrey Wells (Guinevere), who chokes on the film's fantasy twists, plying a truly awful Back to the Future vibe. Yes, The Kid exposes more than just the vulnerability of men: it lays bare a complete disregard for subtlety. At the Harbour Mall, Hoyts Providence Place 16, Showcase, Tri-Boro, and Woonsocket cinemas.
-- Alicia Potter