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Kid (1997), The
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment // PG // May 21, 2002
List Price: $29.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
Jimmy "The Kid" Grovehill is a thirteen-year-old amateur boxer who's rapidly moving up in his division. He is mentored by the stern but loveable Harry Sloan (Rod Steiger), a prize fighter who boxed under the name "The Irish Shadow" some decades earlier. Jimmy seems to be on his way to the top, but there's just one tiny problem. His family doesn't approve at boxing at all, despite Jimmy's insistance that it's less violent than hockey, their sport of choice. Against their wishes, Jimmy frequently sneaks out to a local boxing club, using study dates with his friend Daisy as an excuse for his numerous absences. Jimmy often meets up at the club with his friend Russel, a reluctant fighter with a decidedly unimposing frame. Russel is being forced into boxing by his overbearing father, though Pops isn't the only bully he has to face. The hyperaggressive 'Trey from the Bay' has it in for Jimmy and Russel. He's willing to go to any length to secure the title, even revealing Jimmy's double life to his family. As his mentor falls ill, young Jimmy is sworn off boxing, but he's not willing to go down without a fight.
"Rocky Meets The Karate Kid" is plastered in big, bold letters on the packaging for The Kid, and it's a safe bet that its intended target probably has not seen either of those movies. I have watched both more times than I'd care to admit, and perhaps that played some small part in The Kid's infallible ability to telegraph most every aspect of the plot well in advance. As Jimmy dukes his way up through the ranks, he learns that his mentor is feeling a little under the weather. Anyone who's seen the first of the Rocky sequels ought to be able to tell where this is going. After Harry's predictable passing, Jimmy is even taken under the wing of a black boxer. The older, overweight Cappy is no Apollo Creed, but it follows in much the same vein. Dialogue from the first few minutes -- "What's my mistake?" "You're underestimating me." -- will return in the final reel with the alteration of a couple of pronouns. There are only two characters in the entire movie that are painted as particularly unlikable, and just one of them boxes. Care to venture a guess as to who Jimmy will be paired against in the climactic title bout? Will Jimmy's unsupportive family come one by one to stand by him? If you've ever watched a movie...any movie, ever...you shouldn't have to rack your brains to answer.
As I frequently find myself mentioning, originality is somewhat overrated. A good cast can support a well-tread premise, and The Kid has quite a bit of talent in front of the camera. I recognized several members of the supporting cast from the television series Big Wolf On Campus, which was also lensed in Québéc. Rod Steiger makes the movie, and if anyone else had been cast in the role of Harry, The Kid probably would not have held any appeal to me at all. Steiger takes the Mickey clone and infuses it with a considerable amount of heart and personality. Even though it was terribly obvious that The Kid was setting up Harry's death, the performance by Steiger was such that I felt kind of down when the moment inevitably came. What an amazing, underappreciated actor. The movie's weak link is star Jeff Saumier, and, as far as I can tell, this was his first time in front of the camera. He's not terrible by any means, but Saumier's inexperience shines through. His delivery of dialogue is scattershot, with some leaving me recoiling in horror. At one point, Jimmy wakes up screaming from a nightmare. Jean Claude Van-Damme's "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"s have been more convincing. Saumier does a passable job, but not-quite-a-love-interest Nathalie Vansier and best bud Tod Fennell put in much better performances.
I'm a touch outside the typical demographic for family movies, seeing as how I'm 23, perpetually single, and don't have any relatives closer than three hours away. The Kid is undoubtedly not the sort of movie that testosterone-driven twentysomething boxing fans will want to seek out. As typical family fare, it's a cut above average, however incrementally. I'm uncertain how much of a market there is for seeing thirteen-year-olds punch each other. If there's sufficient interest, I think I have enough room for a pit in my backyard. The Kid would make for a reasonably strong rental for families interested in sports-driven movies without animal stars.
Video: The Kid boasts an average presentation for a fairly recent catalog title. With studios consistently churning out quality product, "average" is hardly an insult. The Kid is all of five years old, so the pristine nature of the source material is to be expected. Sharpness and detail in the 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation are both respectable, and colors and fleshtones appear to be spot-on. There is some pervasive film grain, though its presence is consistent enough that it seems natural. I spotted some vertical jitter right around the 43:30 mark, and a couple of the shots of Jimmy and Harry in the hospital don't look quite right compared to the remainder of the film. To poorly paraphrase Pete Townshend, in terms of its visual presentation, The Kid is alright.
Audio: There isn't much to say about The Kid's Dolby stereo surround soundtrack. Dialogue remains clear throughout, free of any underlying hiss or distortion. Surround use is limited to music and crowd noise. Perfectly serviceable. Along for the ride are English subtitles and closed captions.
Supplements: Just trailers for The Others, Iron Monkey, and Robinson Crusoe, along with a montage of "Miramax Movies To Remember". The chapter stop count this go-around is sixteen.
Conclusion: The Kid is not a stunningly brilliant or inventive movie, but I enjoyed it just the same. When a disc has been given the faux-rental list price of $29.99, it had either be a heckuva movie or a phenomenal DVD for me to recommend it as a purchase sight-unseen. The Kid doesn't fall into either of those groups. Miramax regularly revisits titles after they've been on store shelves for a while and adjusts the price accordingly. That's a ways off for The Kid, so until then, wait until its inevitable reappearance on the Disney Channel or Rent It.
"Rocky Meets The Karate Kid" is plastered in big, bold letters on the packaging for The Kid, and it's a safe bet that its intended target probably has not seen either of those movies. I have watched both more times than I'd care to admit, and perhaps that played some small part in The Kid's infallible ability to telegraph most every aspect of the plot well in advance. As Jimmy dukes his way up through the ranks, he learns that his mentor is feeling a little under the weather. Anyone who's seen the first of the Rocky sequels ought to be able to tell where this is going. After Harry's predictable passing, Jimmy is even taken under the wing of a black boxer. The older, overweight Cappy is no Apollo Creed, but it follows in much the same vein. Dialogue from the first few minutes -- "What's my mistake?" "You're underestimating me." -- will return in the final reel with the alteration of a couple of pronouns. There are only two characters in the entire movie that are painted as particularly unlikable, and just one of them boxes. Care to venture a guess as to who Jimmy will be paired against in the climactic title bout? Will Jimmy's unsupportive family come one by one to stand by him? If you've ever watched a movie...any movie, ever...you shouldn't have to rack your brains to answer.
As I frequently find myself mentioning, originality is somewhat overrated. A good cast can support a well-tread premise, and The Kid has quite a bit of talent in front of the camera. I recognized several members of the supporting cast from the television series Big Wolf On Campus, which was also lensed in Québéc. Rod Steiger makes the movie, and if anyone else had been cast in the role of Harry, The Kid probably would not have held any appeal to me at all. Steiger takes the Mickey clone and infuses it with a considerable amount of heart and personality. Even though it was terribly obvious that The Kid was setting up Harry's death, the performance by Steiger was such that I felt kind of down when the moment inevitably came. What an amazing, underappreciated actor. The movie's weak link is star Jeff Saumier, and, as far as I can tell, this was his first time in front of the camera. He's not terrible by any means, but Saumier's inexperience shines through. His delivery of dialogue is scattershot, with some leaving me recoiling in horror. At one point, Jimmy wakes up screaming from a nightmare. Jean Claude Van-Damme's "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"s have been more convincing. Saumier does a passable job, but not-quite-a-love-interest Nathalie Vansier and best bud Tod Fennell put in much better performances.
I'm a touch outside the typical demographic for family movies, seeing as how I'm 23, perpetually single, and don't have any relatives closer than three hours away. The Kid is undoubtedly not the sort of movie that testosterone-driven twentysomething boxing fans will want to seek out. As typical family fare, it's a cut above average, however incrementally. I'm uncertain how much of a market there is for seeing thirteen-year-olds punch each other. If there's sufficient interest, I think I have enough room for a pit in my backyard. The Kid would make for a reasonably strong rental for families interested in sports-driven movies without animal stars.
Video: The Kid boasts an average presentation for a fairly recent catalog title. With studios consistently churning out quality product, "average" is hardly an insult. The Kid is all of five years old, so the pristine nature of the source material is to be expected. Sharpness and detail in the 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation are both respectable, and colors and fleshtones appear to be spot-on. There is some pervasive film grain, though its presence is consistent enough that it seems natural. I spotted some vertical jitter right around the 43:30 mark, and a couple of the shots of Jimmy and Harry in the hospital don't look quite right compared to the remainder of the film. To poorly paraphrase Pete Townshend, in terms of its visual presentation, The Kid is alright.
Audio: There isn't much to say about The Kid's Dolby stereo surround soundtrack. Dialogue remains clear throughout, free of any underlying hiss or distortion. Surround use is limited to music and crowd noise. Perfectly serviceable. Along for the ride are English subtitles and closed captions.
Supplements: Just trailers for The Others, Iron Monkey, and Robinson Crusoe, along with a montage of "Miramax Movies To Remember". The chapter stop count this go-around is sixteen.
Conclusion: The Kid is not a stunningly brilliant or inventive movie, but I enjoyed it just the same. When a disc has been given the faux-rental list price of $29.99, it had either be a heckuva movie or a phenomenal DVD for me to recommend it as a purchase sight-unseen. The Kid doesn't fall into either of those groups. Miramax regularly revisits titles after they've been on store shelves for a while and adjusts the price accordingly. That's a ways off for The Kid, so until then, wait until its inevitable reappearance on the Disney Channel or Rent It.
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