July 8, 2000 -- Bruce Willis' latest movie finds him once again working with a child actor in another movie with a supernatural element, but while his last movie, "The Sixth Sense," was creepy, this one is warm and sentimental.

Willis stars as Russell Morley Duritz, a spin doctor who does damage control for people whose public images have been tarnished. He's stressed out, ill-mannered and unhappy with his life. He begins seeing things, like an old bi-plane that buzzes his car. Then, he sees a young boy, which he also thinks is an illusion. Chasing the young intruder one night, he finds himself at a mysterious airport diner which seems very out of place.

The young boy, Rusty (Spencer Breslin), turns out to be Duritz himself as he was 32 years ago. Duritz is forced to confront his painful childhood memories. He sees himself as a chubby little loser. Rusty is not impressed with the grown up version of himself, either. He sees a big, trim loser with no family, no dog and a job he is not proud of. It is not what he wanted to be when he grew up.

Duritz, it turns out, was ashamed of himself as a child, so he made himself over as a man. Bullied by the other kids at school, he repressed his memories of childhood. He grew up mean and tough and smart, but in doing so, he cut himself off from his own feelings and from his own family. He became cynical and unfeeling, a jerk that no one could stand.

Duritz finally realizes that he and his younger self need to work out some unresolved issues from his childhood before his younger self can go back to his own time. He also realizes that he needs to change his own life as well, that it is never going to be easy and that no superficial makeover will suffice.

Bruce Willis is excellent as the stressed-out grown-up Duritz, showing that he is a very talented comedic actor, not just an action hero. Breslin does a good job as kid with more than his share of problems. Lily Tomlin ("Tea with Mussolini") is very funny as Duritz's all-knowing secretary, Janet. Emily Mortimer ("Scream 3") plays Amy, who works with Duritz. She's O.K., but why did they cast a person with an English accent for this part? It seems a little out of place. The musical score sounded a lot like the music from "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial." The final song is a classic, the late Jackie Wilson's "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher," which runs into the credits.

The name of this movie makes it sound like it is a movie for kids. It really is not. It is a movie aimed at adults. Kids will no doubt find parts of the film amusing, but most of it will go over their heads. It is a sophisticated psychological comedy with some complex plot twists. Willis plays a character who is inherently repugnant, but he plays it in such a way that we start to have some sympathy for him. That is no mean feat. This film rates a B.

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