[yasr_overall_rating]
Trapped in a violent feud with a cruel older bully and facing another bout of summer school, Jack’s got all the problems he can handle. So when Jack’s aunt falls ill and his runty younger cousin must stay with him for the weekend the last thing Jack wants to do is look after him. Unfortunately no one really cares what Jack wants.
In a year that has been driven by national dialogue about the plight America’s white working class, “King Jack” feels like an especially timely piece. That is not to say that the film is a political one – far from it, in fact. Rather, it lets the excellent performance of Charlie Plummer, portraying protagonist Jack, guide the viewer through the violent and desperate environment of exurban upstate New York. Through Jack’s eyes, we see his struggles, but they aren’t necessarily forthright. His single parent home becomes evident, but is never directly addressed; his family’s poverty line-level standard of living is obvious, but doesn’t take center stage. “King Jack” shows clear examples of postindustrial decay and the breakdown of civil institutions, but these are explored more through the actions of the characters than through overt examination. This was a refreshing cinematic portrayal of working class Americans, who too often end up being turned into reductive stereotypes.
The film takes place over the course of a single summer weekend in New York’s Hudson Valley. I am an absolute sucker for any linear narrative that takes place over a condensed timeframe – a night, a day, a weekend – so this was a real treat for me. Other viewers may not feel the same way, but I thought it helped wonderfully recreate the ephemeral nature that summer so often holds for children and adolescents. Jack is in summer school and clearly has fallen victim to the crushing despair that living in a broken community brings. Jack is mercilessly bullied by the psychopathic Shane and his equally brutish cohort. Meanwhile, Jack is balancing a friendship with a young woman named Harriet with his semi-requited love of another girl his age, Robyn. Into this tempest of anxiety and distrust steps Ben, Jack’s younger cousin – he is sent to stay with Jack’s family due to his mother’s medical episode, which is highly suggested to be related to schizophrenia.
“King Jack” finds its success when it lets the characters’ actions tell the story: Jack’s savage beatings at the hands of his bullies, a game of truth-or-dare in Harriet’s bedroom, and the debauchery of underage partying all lend credence to the film’s teen-driven narrative. Where “Jack” stumbles are in scenes that are dialogue-heavy: writer/director Felix Thompson seems like he does not quite know how he wants his characters to speak to each other, nor does he have a handle on the slang and verbal tics of younger people. As a result, the discourse feels a bit like an ill-fitting Halloween mask – slightly off-putting. Nonetheless, the acting is terrific all around, especially considering the age of the performers. Thompson deserves plaudits for his directorial prowess.
The story is not complicated, because it does not need to be. While it is a bit predicable, there are enough variables to afford some surprises over the eighty-minute run. This leads me to my next point: I would have loved to spend a little bit more time in Jack’s world. Eighty minutes did not feel like long enough, and the ending seemed rushed as a result.
Too many films with teen protagonists tend to be either a) young adult franchises that are difficult to differentiate between or b) odes to suburbia. “King Jack” tries something different, and while it does not hit all its notes perfectly, it is still a worthy effort.
Available on DVD today
