The Kid

Disney sure lays it on thick in this feel-good family flick starring Bruce Willis as a snide, fundamentally unhappy L.A. "image consultant" who (through a rather obscure supernatural plot device) meets himself as an 8-year-old boy and learns to embrace his inner child. Willis--more determined than ever to avoid being pigeon-holed--spends a good third of the movie looking wistful or misty, while the "kid" himself (roly-poly, and, yes, adorable newcomer Spencer Breslin) isn't a terribly good actor (but boy has he mastered the art of the wide-eyed double-take). Yet, thanks to likable characters, a slightly unconventional script (by Audrey Welles, The Truth About Cats and Dogs) and judicious direction from Jon Turteltaub (Instinct), The Kid plays sweet without insulting the intelligence. Also featuring irresistible Emily Mortimer (Love's Labour's Lost, Notting Hill) as Willis' sprightly Miss Right, Lily Tomlin and Jean Smart, this is a strong optional purchase. (R. Blackwelder)