Francis Ford Coppola hails his movie Jack as ‘imaginative and unusual’ as film turns 30
The Oscar-winning director has reflected on the enduring legacy of the Robin Williams drama, defending the much-criticised film while celebrating its anniversary with a behind-the-scenes rehearsal clip.
Francis Ford Coppola has celebrated the 30th anniversary of Jack with a heartfelt tribute to the Robin Williams film.
Describing it as “imaginative and unusual” and defending a project that divided critics on its original release, the Oscar-winning filmmaker, 87, marked the milestone of the movie on Instagram through his production company, American Zoetrope, by sharing a rehearsal clip from the 1996 film.
The footage features Robin Williams, who died by suicide in 2014 aged 63, improvising with co-star Adam Zolotin, who played the young Louis.
The anniversary comes as Francis continues to attract attention following the release of his self-financed epic Megalopolis, while his wider body of work – including The Godfather trilogy, Apocalypse Now and Bram Stoker’s Dracula – remains among the most influential in cinema history.
Robin, meanwhile, continues to be remembered for performances in Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society, Mrs Doubtfire, Aladdin, Good Morning, Vietnam and Jumanji, alongside his acclaimed stand-up comedy career.
American Zoetrope wrote on Instagram: “30 years ago, JACK premiered at the Palace of Fine Arts as a benefit supporting local charities.”
Sharing Francis’ reflections on the film, Francis said: “I loved making Jack and thought it was imaginative and unusual, despite the fact that the theme had been dealt with perfectly in Big by Penny Marshall. And the ending of Jack is very touching.”
The post also described the rehearsal footage.
It added: “Robin Williams plays Jack, a 10-year-old boy in a 40-year-old’s body. In this rehearsal clip with Adam Zolotin, the two adlib their way playfully through song, with the young Louis coercing his nervous friend to pretend to be the principal so that he won’t get in trouble with his mother.”
Jack tells the story of a child affected by a rare condition that causes him to age four times faster than normal.
Alongside Robin and Adam, the film featured Diane Lane, Jennifer Lopez, Brian Kerwin, Fran Drescher, Michael McKean and Bill Cosby.
Although the film developed a devoted following, it was met with largely negative reviews when it was released.
Among its critics was Roger Ebert, who wrote: “Williams works hard at seeming to be a kid inside an adult body, and some of his inspirations work well. But he has been ill-served by a screenplay that isn’t curious about what his life would really be like.”
Francis later defended the film during a 2009 interview with Esquire.
He said: “People feel the worst film I made was Jack. But to this day, when I get checks from old movies I’ve made, Jack is one of the biggest ones. No one knows that.”
He added: “If people hate the movie, they hate the movie.
“I just wanted to work with Robin Williams.”
In recent years, the film has attracted renewed appreciation from filmmakers.
Director Luca Guadagnino described Jack as one of Francis’ masterpieces during an interview with the British Film Institute in 2024.
The filmmaker said: “For me, a great director invisibly masters everything he does. In Jack, you feel the way in which he’s taking this kind of conventional story but bringing humanity, and the way in which the world is created. It’s so beautiful.”
