Good afternoon, House of Madness occupants:
Sometimes it's fun to reminisce about our youth, and re-watch some of our old favourite movies in order to take a nice trip down Memory Lane. When I was young, my grandfather was one of the first to get a VCR when they came out (yes, I'm that old), and it came with four very different films, which I would proceed to watch somewhere in the vicinity of three trillion times each. Other than "Superman II", none of the aforementioned films were much to write home about, but at the time of their inception to my eyes, I thought they were the bee's knees (yes, I'm that old too). Point is, sometimes a film you so enthusiastically adored when you were a child doesn't hold up to your adult self's standards, and can leave you questioning your earlier in life choices. I'm looking directly at you, "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure".
"Jack Be Nimble" can't necessarily be classed as a loved film of the past that disappoints later for a lot of people simply because not many saw it when it originally came out in 1993. It's a simple tale about a brother and sister separated at birth; Dora (Sarah Smuts-Kennedy) gets adopted by a relatively normal family, and has a great upbringing in a house overflowing with love, whilst her brother Jack (Alexis Arquette) gets taken in by a hideous couple with slave-like aspirations for the boy, and is beaten and mistreated on a regular basis. Although their lives are very different, they do share one thing in common: finding each other and reuniting together as a family.
You may ask yourself during the film "Isn't it strange that a husband and wife give up their children, each child goes to a different family, and yet they all co-exist in a town no bigger than a large village but never once come across one another?". To this question I say yes, it's extremely bizarre indeed, but then again, so is the idea of separated siblings that each garner a strange power instrumental in finding one another. Dora is telepathic and psychic, using her abilities to help locate Jack's whereabouts, and Jack has concocted some kind of machine (that conveniently fits into a 200 pound suitcase) which can hypnotize people into doing whatever he likes.
Once the two siblings are reunited, Dora must use everything and everyone at her disposal in order to help Jack feel loved again, and earn back his trust. "Jack Be Nimble" is a very strange film, leaving you wondering what exactly the reason is for following it down the trail into Bizarreland, and I can honestly say I can't really think of one. If it's nostalgia you're after, I suggest instead of simply going down Memory Lane, perhaps you should try a little Lois Lane, and re-watch "Superman II"; I wish I had.
Madness Meter: 4.2/10
NB
