Movie Review : The Kid (2000)

This movie was not a recent one as the date counts back to 2000. I got to watch it just last week and IMO it was a great one. Though it is termed as "The Kid" it is not only for the kids. It has reality strewn throughout the movie. It sticks to the tagline "Nobody ever grows up quiet like they imagined". The movie categorizes under the comedy genre and promises a hilarious entertainer. I have missed it all these years and finally caught up with it last week.

Here the movie goes. Russell Morley(Bruce Willis) is a man approaching 40 is a popular Image Consultant who runs after time and money. His frigid attitude towards life is well potrayed by the director, Jon Turteltaub. One night he hears a babble of murmurs in his apartment and comes face to face with a 8-year old kid Rusty(Spencer Breslin). All of a sudden he finds that the kid is Russell himself at a young age. He remembers his name being Rusty during his earlyhoods. He realises that its not a phantasm as he expects it to be. The kid is a naughty kid who scores equally to Bruce Willis. He asks too many questions which are no doubt makes Russell to hate him at the instant. He as a kid had always dreamt of becoming a jet flyer but ended up as an popular Consultant to all celebrities. There are certain dialogues which arise laughter and thought provoking. Like the one the kid says, "How old are you?", "Iam turing 40 within a couple of days", says Bruce. The kid comments, "That...........is...........old". After realising about the happenings Russell gets crazy and yells at the kid, "Look!I dont have time to get crazy". One more is his assistant Janet asks Russell over the phone, "How are you and hows Mini-you?".The strange thing is all the other characters are able to "see" the kid which is not logical. One more dialogue which reserves in memory is when Rusty asks,"What happens between being me and becoming you?" is such a weird one but a good one. The kid finds that Russell does not have a dog, not committed till 40 and is not able to answer questions like "Why does the moon sometimes become orange?". Russell struggles hard to answer only to wear a frown on his face. The kid sighs, "I knew I am growing upto be a loser!".

The latter part of the movie finds Russell yearning towards the good part of life. He even finds himself after 30 years who is played by an "older" looking Bruce Willis who has a family, a dog and a jet. Within a second glance the kid disappears bringing an incentive smile on Bruce who concludes, "Now I know what to do".

Those who have not watched this movie just give it a chance. You are sure to love it. It runs roughly for about 1.5 hours and which is obviously a feel-good movie. Once the movie ends we could feel and remember "the Kid" in us. Good work by the movie team.

[Image Courtesy: Disney Pictures]