A 1996 film by
Francis Ford Coppola starring
Robin Williams as a young boy named Jack who, due to an extremely rare disease that is never officially named, ages at four times the normal human rate. The film explores his unique situation, from being the only 10-year-old who can buy pornography, to being mistaken for his elementary school's principal, to all the medical problems he must face as his expedient aging continues. As one might guess, the entire film is chock full of
Tear Jerker moments.
This film provides examples of:
- Artistic License - Biology: The entire premise of the movie, as it would be physically impossible for anybody to age this quickly, but particularly when one doctor mentions some sort of mystical "clock" that apparently controls every cell's reproduction rate.
- Kinda sorta justified by Rule of Symbolism . The movie is about doing what you can with the time you have and can, depending on who you are be forgiven for the fantastic approach.
- There is a rare disease called Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome
, in which a child from an early age exhibits rapid aging of the body◊, but not the mind. The longest they usually live is to their early 20s. The movie disease seems to match this pretty well, safe for the looking like a normal adult part...
- Award Bait Song: Star by Bryan Adams
- Good Parents: Given the situation and circumstances, Jack's parents are practically saints
- Hot For Teacher: Why not Develop a crush? She's Jennifer Lopez!
- Mood Whiplash: Between being the fun kid-friendly comedy it was marketed as (see below; heck, see the poster on this page) to the bleak, depressing Tear Jerker it really was.
- Never Trust a Trailer: It was pretty much marketed as Big WITH ROBIN WILLIAMS!.
- Not Allowed to Grow Up: Completely subverted; Jack can't help but grow up
- Rapid Aging
- Shrinking Violet: Jack, when he first goes to school.
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