Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- warm
- wholesome
- sentimental
- family movie night
- comfort viewing
What critics said
Critics found the film warm-hearted and supported by Bruce Willis and Spencer Breslin, but many considered its sentimental lessons and heavy-handed presentation cloying.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Russ meets Rusty, the nearly eight-year-old child who is revealed to be central to his journey into his suppressed past.
Russ returns to the key moment that defined his adult cynicism and estrangement from his father.
Russ is wealthy and professionally accomplished but isolated, cynical, and disconnected from both family and childhood memory.
The Walt Disney Pictures production frames time travel and personal transformation as a wholesome, warm-hearted parable.
Films like The Kid, and why
Back to the Future
shared family fantasy, time travel premise, and emotionally restorative self-discovery
Big
shared adult-child relationship, magical premise, and warm comedic redemption arc
Field of Dreams
shared introspective fantasy, family reconciliation, and sentimental emotional tone
Movie Details
- Director
- Jon Turteltaub
- Release Date
- 2000-07-07
- Runtime
- 104 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (1176)
Cast
- Bruce Willis
- Spencer Breslin
- Emily Mortimer
- Lily Tomlin
- Jean Smart
- Chi McBride
- Daniel von Bargen
- Dana Ivey
- Stanley Anderson
- Juanita Moore
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Disney Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Kid about?
- A cynical Los Angeles image consultant is forced to repair his adult life when a time-traveling encounter introduces him to the lonely child he once was.
- What is The Kid like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Kid as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Kid violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Kid.
- What did critics think of The Kid?
- Critics found the film warm-hearted and supported by Bruce Willis and Spencer Breslin, but many considered its sentimental lessons and heavy-handed presentation cloying.
- Which films are like The Kid?
- Films with a similar feel include Back to the Future, Big, and Field of Dreams.
- How long is The Kid?
- The Kid runs 104 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Kid?
- In United States, The Kid streams on Disney Plus.
