Robert Schwartzman is the nephew of Francis Ford Coppola, cousin of Nicolas Cage, Sofia Coppola, Roman Coppola and Christopher Coppola, and grandson of Italia Coppola (née Pennino) and Carmine Coppola (the source of his old stage name) and his niece, Gia Coppola. His brother is Jason Schwartzman, lead singer of the band Coconut Records (also an actor and former drummer of the band Phantom Planet) and his half-siblings are Stephanie Schwartzman and cinematographer John Schwartzman. Schwartzman is of Jewish descent on his father's side and of Catholic Italian descent on his mother's side. Schwartzman attended Windward School in Los Angeles, California and
Francis Ford Coppola the movie. He had been friends with Robin Williams for many years and had always wanted to work with him as an actor. When Williams was offered the screenplay for "Jack", he said he would only agree to do it if Coppola agreed to sign on as director. The last film Coppola directed in the 90s, "The Rainmaker", was based on the 1995 novel of the same name by John Grisham. An ensemble courtroom drama, the film was well received by critics, earning an 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Roger Ebert gave "The Rainmaker" three stars out of four, remarking: