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Bert Remsen, Danny DeVito, Erica Yohn

It's not hard to see what attracted director Marshall Herskovitz (TV's thirtysomething) and writer Steve Zaillian (Schindler's List) to this tragicomic story of a widower trying to keep...( read more  read more... ) life together for his two young sons. And Danny DeVito gives them a surprisingly sympathetic and low-key performance that capably blends pathos and humor. But the story--about Jack's attempts to get his drinking under control, even while holding down a job as a late-night TV horror-movie host--descends into bathos. Then it gets downright weird and scary when the family's strange neo-Nazi neighbor (a popeyed Gary Sinise) takes an unhealthy interest in one of the children. Jack the Bear sat on the shelf for a couple of years while Herskovitz reworked it, but it was like changing the tires on a car with a broken drive-train. --Marshall Fine

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60% liked it

4,044 ratings

PG-13

Directed by: Marshall Herskovitz

Release Date: April 2, 1993

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DVD Release Date: December 14, 2004

Stats: 160 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (160)

  • StaisilD
    July 3, 2008
    StaisilD
    Since the tragic death of his wife in an automobile accident, John (Danny DeVito) has been raising his two sons, Jack (Robert J. Steinmiller) and Darian (Miko Hughes), by himself. Many of his neighbors consider John to be the perfect parent, but drinking too much brings out his d...( read more)ark side. Jack the Bear tells the story of John and his sons during the Fall of 1972 in Oakland, California, where the delicate balance of a family already hurt by tragedy is jeopardized by the actions of a neo-Nazi (Gary Sinese). The role of John Leary is a good one for DeVito, a character with many dimensions: bereaved spouse, good-time dad, local TV host of the nightly monster movie show, problem alcoholic. The story is told from the perspective of 12-year-old Jack (Steinmiller, Jr.) who's old beyond his years. At the outset, Jack's voiceover informs us that this is a story about the year he learned that monsters only reside within ourselves. His younger brother Dylan (Hughes) plays an adorable three-year-old scene stealer.
  • Showrogan
    March 4, 2008
    Showrogan
    I had no idea what this movie was about when I came across it fliping through channels...but it's DeVito so I stopped to take a look lol...so I hit the info button...Jack (Robert J. Steinmiller Jr.) and Dylan Leary (Miko Hughes) and quirky dad John (Danny DeVito) start over in 19...( read more)72 Oakland, California, with a sinister presence nearby: comedy, rated pg 13...so naturally I thought it was gonna be a mellow drama about a fun loving father, raising his two boys on his own and learning to love the neighbourhood weirdo and all that...but I was thrown for a loop...it was engaging, dramatic, suspenseful and a bit scary(to the end) and an all around good watch...2 thumbs up...
  • clooneyfan
    January 12, 2008
    clooneyfan
    I had no idea what this movie was about when I first saw it. I thought it was simply going to be a cute kids movie about learning to love your quirky next door neighbor. I should have known better, as Gary Sinise always plays evil so well. It was a little scary there at the end b...( read more)ut everything ended up ok. I enjoyed seeing a young Reese Witherspoon!
  • ileo
    December 25, 2007
    ileo
    Great movie! Love the music in this film!
  • QuietRebel33
    November 12, 2009
    QuietRebel33
    Pretty good movie about a single dad raising his two kids as best as he can.
  • dukeakasmudge
    October 21, 2009
    dukeakasmudge
    Great movie but disturbing
  • doublebubblegumball2
    July 2, 2009
    doublebubblegumball2
    it was a good movie and i want to watch it again
  • FiLmCrAzY
    April 29, 2009
    FiLmCrAzY
    what a terrible film
    now danny devito is brilliant and its a pretty decent filkm if it was just kept to having a dad who clearly is dipresses becuase of the loss of his wife so he turns to drink so the elder brother then fills as though hes got a lot o his shoulders as he has t...( read more)o look after the house and his brother whilst trying to convince his dad it will get better and tey can move on and be a happy familar now that would have beeen a really good heart warmiong movie with a pretty decent storyline but they bring in a caracter which is played by gary sinise who is a veteran and a bit of a weirdo who is a racist and clearly has issues and his character is just so pointless and makes the storyline so much more confusing as your thinkning well wht did e have to do with it all! so its watchable but really should have been better
  • doglover000000
    April 23, 2009
    doglover000000
    Danny De Vito is brilliant in this but its quite a boring, weird film!
  • Soundsofmadness
    April 10, 2009
    Soundsofmadness
    No thanks - Not interested

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  • lizzylexa0602
    March 6, 2009
    lizzylexa0602
    Danny DeVito is a great wondeful but the 2 little boys in the movie are just as good as him.
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Jack the Bear Trivia

  • Who starred in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Jack The Bear, and A Bug's Life?  Answer »
  • In what movie would you find Danny Devito, Reese Witherspoon, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, and Gary Sinise?  Answer »
  • i) _______ Black ii) _______ Nicholson iii) Jumpin _______ Flash iv) _______ v) _______ Frost vi) Lightning _______ vii) New _______ City viii) Kangaroo _______ ix) _______ and Sarah x) _______ Clayton xi) _______ The Bear What goes in all the blanks?  Answer »
  • Name the actress who stars in all of the following movies: Election Rendition Cruel Intentions Just Like Heaven Sweet Home Alabama Legally Blonde Walk the Line Fear Penelope Jack the Bear   Answer »
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