comparisons are odious. . .BUT

as it happened, I saw this film right after "Kikujiro," which has a somewhat similar pairing of adult/child interaction. The young actor in "Kikujiro" is just about the same age as the young actor in this film.

But oh, what a difference.

In "Kikujiro," the child is extremely appealing and shows a wide range of emotions, often without speaking. In "The Kid," I personally found the young actor obnoxious and quite unappealing. Yes, I realize he was supposed to be that way but it could have been conveyed without the whining, etc. But then, isn't that what acting is all about?

"The Kid" was much better than I thought it would be - not highly memorable but still easy to watch. The adult actors all did a good job and Dana Ivey particularly did so in a small but evenly and tautly sustained brief segment.

pamela