Jack the Bear (1993)

29% of critics liked it
(17 reviews)
54% of users liked it
(4,583 ratings)

Marshall Herskovitz directed this tearjerking schizophrenic combination of The Wonder Years and To Kill a Mockingbird. It is 1972, and John Leary (Danny De Vito) and his two sons Jack (Robert J. Steinmiller Jr.) and Dylan (Miko Hughes) have just moved to Oakland, California. John is a television… More Marshall Herskovitz directed this tearjerking schizophrenic combination of The Wonder Years and To Kill a Mockingbird. It is 1972, and John Leary (Danny De Vito) and his two sons Jack (Robert J. Steinmiller Jr.) and Dylan (Miko Hughes) have just moved to Oakland, California. John is a television celebrity who has been fired from one station after another, appearing now on a cheap local station as the Saturday night host of a horror-film showcase. But John spends most of the time drinking and grieving over the loss of his wife, who was recently killed in an accident. The children try to adapt to their new school, and the family tries to adapt to the collection of kooks that populate their neighborhood. Foremost among them is Norman Strick (Gary Sinise), a sinister neo-Nazi who lives across the street. When Strick circulates a petition for the local white-supremacist candidate, John gets drunk and attacks him on his television show. As a result, Strick takes his revenge by abducting one of John's children. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 38 min.
Directed By: Marshall Herskovitz
Written By: Steven Zaillian, Steven Zallian
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Comedy

In Theaters: Apr 2, 1993 Wide
On DVD: Dec 14, 2004
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Danny DeVito gives the most compelling performance of his career in a gripping drama about a single parent and his two sons.

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Film C

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 to… More
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 to 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
Leo L

Great movie! Love the music in this film!

Cast

            Danny DeVito as John Leary

            Robert J. Steinmiller Jr. as Jack Leary

            Miko Hughes as Dylan Leary

            Gary Sinise as Norman Strick

            Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Peggy Etinger

            Reese Witherspoon as Karen Morris

            Erica Yohn as Mother-in-Law

            Stefan Gierasch as Father-in-Law

            Bert Remsen as Mr. Mitchell

            Andrea Marcovicci as Mrs. Elizabeth Leary

            Cliff Bemis as Detective Marker

            Sarah Bork as Grad Student

            Monica Calhoun as Sondra

            Kelly Connell as Fireman

            Sam Freed as Mr.Morris

            Lee Garlington as Mrs.Festinger

            Art La Fleur as Mr.Festinger

            Christopher Lawford as Vince Buccini

            Donovan Leitch as Grad Student

            Dorothy Lyman as Mrs.Morris

            Kevin McDermott as Cop

            Troy W. Slaten as Edward Festinger

            Scott Thomson as Street Worker

            Lorinne Vozoff as Mrs.Mitchell

            Paul Wilson as Street Worker

            Charles Dugan as Mr.Strick

            Justin Mosley Spink as Dexter Mitchell

            Mary Goldberg
            
            Christy Botkin as Nursery School Teacher

            Carl Gabriel Yorke as Gordon Layton
See full cast