There’s nothing original under the sun, it is said, and King Jack will certainly feel familiar to many. Felix Thompson’s picaresque tale of two boys in smalltown America can trace its ancestry right back to Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.

And yet it works because it feels so disarmingly genuine. Thompson’s script perfectly captures that indescribable malleability of teenage time, where days can last eternities while the summer disappears in a flash. The cast is also surprisingly excellent; in particular, newcomer Charlie Plummer shines in the lead role, stuck somewhere in the valley between boy and manhood.

Sometimes originality is overrated. King Jack walks a well-worn road, but thanks to a nuanced script and likeable characters it walks it well. Expect big things from Thompson in the future.

RATING: 4/5

INFORMATION

CAST: Charlie Plummer, Cory Nichols, Christian Madsen, Danny Flaherty, Yainis Ynoa

DIRECTOR: Felix Thompson

WRITER: Felix Thompson

SYNOPSIS: A 15 year-old in a small town must look after his young cousin for the weekend.