‘Jack the Bear’

Marshall Herskovitz’s 1993 film of the 1972 Dan McCall novel tells the story of a 12-year-old (Robert J. Steinmiller Jr., right, in the title role, with Miko Hughes, center) whose father (Danny DeVito) is the host of a late-night monster movie TV show. The film is essentially about how Jack comes to realize the real monsters in life. In moments of stress, Jack’s memories of his mother (Andrea Marcovicci), killed in a car accident, haunt him. The film, scripted by “Schindler’s List” Oscar winner Steven Zaillian, focuses on the boy’s pain without apology, and while DeVito is miscast, this flaw is not fatal because the movie really belongs to Steinmiller’s portrayal (Cinemax Sunday at 8 p.m.; Wednesday at 3:15 p.m.; Saturday at 6:15 p.m.).