As the monster-host of a late night horror show, John (Danny DeVito) delights the neighbourhood kids with his silly ghoulish antics - but his embarrassed 12-year-old son, Jack the Bear, is not amused. The other dysfunctional lunatics on the block - and his monster crush on the cute girl at school (Reese Witherspoon) - don't make things any easier for Jack. But when a family crisis hits, will Jack's dad be able to lift the grown-up burden from his young son's shoulders? Oscar nominee Gary Sinise and Seinfield's Julia Louis-Dreyfus co-star in this funny, bittersweet look at the joys and pains of growing up.