Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story

If you think you know the fairy tale about the boy, the beans and the beanstalk, then you don't know Jack. Brian Henson, Jim's son, directed this slow-to-start, intermittently magical miniseries. Just as Robin Williams learned he was the real Peter Pan in Hook, so does Matthew Modine's Jack Robinson learn that he is a descendent of Jack, who really did climb the beanstalk, and whose theft of the giant's magic harp and goose cursed his family for four generations. When this giant skeleton in the family closet is exposed, it is up to Jack to return these "sacred treasures" to lift the curse. The bland Modine lacks the "special spark" that would have made his quest more engaging. And like the clueless Jack, youngsters will have trouble making sense of the film's first 45 minutes. But things eventually pick up with a re-enactment of the original fairy tale and special effects by the wizards from Jim Henson's Creature Shop that are, as usual, awesome. An optional purchase. (K. Lee Benson)