It’s cute and funny, sweet and sentimental. It’s “Disney’s The Kid”! Just don’t expect anything too deep in this family fantasy about an uptight image consultant named Russell Duritz (Bruce Willis) who meets and instantly dislikes his own chubby-loser eight year old self (Spencer Breslin).
Russell is soon to be 40 years old. He’s an unhappy professional who manages to alienate just about everyone he knows or meets. One night he gets a unexpected visit from a strange little kid who seems all too familiar. Neither knows why he’s in this predicament but they put their thinking caps on and figure there must be a reason. The kid “Rusty” ends up disrupting Russ’ professional life, his relationship with a worker-almost-a-girlfriend named Amy (Emily Mortimer) and life in general.
There’s nothing about the Kid that Russ likes. He realizes he’s spent the whole of his adult life trying to forget him. The Kid, meanwhile, realizes not only is he a loser as a child but he grows up to be one as well. So you can expect lots of disappointments, bickering, and a little soul searching (although not as much as perhaps there should be).
The script is clever with some amusing dialogue. The chemistry between Willis and Breslin is quite good and supporting characters Amy and Lily Tomlin as Janet, Russ’ beleaguered secretary are right on.
It’s a Disney moment to be sure. You’re teary-eyed one minute, chuckling the next. “E.T.” type soaring music lets you know when you should feel uplifted.
Lotta says all in all this is a good family film that parents and kids will enjoy and for that we should be most grateful.