King Jack

2016 • 80 minutes

About this movie

Jack is a fifteen year-old boy stuck in a run-down small town. Trapped in a violent feud with a cruel older bully and facing another bout of summer school, Jack's got all the problems he can handle. So when Jack's aunt falls ill and his runty younger cousin must stay with him for the weekend the last thing Jack wants to do is look after him. Unfortunately no one really cares what Jack wants. Set over a hazy summer weekend, King Jack is a tough and tender coming of age story about friendship and finding happiness in bleak surroundings.

Ratings and reviews

King Jack calls to mind Mean Creek, as it is very similar to that movie in tone and theme. However, whereas Mean Creek leaves us with reflection and a sense of regret and dread, Jack gives us a bit of hope past its muddled, turbulent portrayal of adolescence and the violence of bullying. The performances are a key reason as to why this movie succeeds in delivering a believable narrative; the actors here are young, but they aren't at all stifled. A main reason I loved Mean Creek is that the actors there were also young and convincing; the actors here strike all the same chords of emotional nuance. It's incredible. And I have to say that I really just loved the cinematography; some excellent shots of an almost decrepit American suburb that seems to tell a story of its own. I really enjoyed how the relationship between Jack and his younger cousin developed, including the role Jack's two female friends end up playing; and even how the whole "King Jack" concept comes into play without it having to be forced.

Not a wasted moment in this gripping film about growing up in a harsh world where emotion are barely allowed. Charlie Plummer, Danny Flaherty and the rest of the cast are fantastic. Don't miss it!

This is not for the no attention span-immediate action and tons of eye candy crowd..this is an intellectual thinking film..it stays with u