Oy Vay, a comedy about a Bar Mitzvah! Well, you don’t have to be Jewish to see the foibles about family life in this funny movie.
Zach Stein (Carter Jenkins) has just had the Bar Mitzvah party to end all Bar Mitzvah parties. The shindig was planned by Arnie (Larry Miller) and Raylene (Sandra Taylor) Stein to be the most enviable party ever. Well, they hired party planner extraordinaire Casey Nudelman (Cheryl Hines). The party is a humdinger. It’s held aboard an ocean liner and the theme is the movie Titanic (Titanic – the Bar Mitzvah! I’m king of the Torah!).
It works because Adam Fiedler (Jeremy Piven) is green with envy. Adam is Arnie’s ex-business partner and Adam has to one up the party. Benjamin Fiedler (Daryl Sabara) is Adam’s son and soon to have his Bar Mitzvah. Adam wants to outdo the Steins, but his wife Joanne (Jami Gertz), mother Rose (Doris Roberts), and even his own son can’t get into the competition. Benjamin has an idea – he’ll invite his estranged grandfather Irwin (Garry Marshall) and invite him a week early.
His plan is that his father will be distracted by dealing with his issues with his dad and not be driving Benjamin insane with his party planning. Irwin shows up in his beaten up camper with his new, much younger girlfriend Sacred Feather (Daryl Hannah). Soon Adam is going crazy trying to avoid his father, while Irwin begins to gradually insert himself into the lives of the family that he’s never met.
It probably helps, but you really don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy Keeping Up with the Steins. It’s all about family and any family can appreciate the situations that come up in this film - though the storyline is a tried and true one (estranged family member returns and makes up with family).
The cast is fine with special kudos going to Jeremy Piven, Daryl Sabara (of Spy Kids fame – who knew he was Jewish?), and Garry Marshall (who’s not Jewish by the way, neither is director Scott Marshall). There are also cameos by Richard Benjamin (as the Rabbi who’s more interested in hawking his book and television appearances) and Neil Diamond. The film was very enjoyable and I would recommend it for family viewing if not for the PG-13 rating. Families might want to think about it (Irwin skinny dips with Sacred Feather) before letting the family watch it.
Three generations of Fiedlers
Keeping Up with the Steins is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features include a commentary with director Scott Marshall and his father Garry Marshall. There is another commentary with director Marshall and writer/producer Mark Zakarin.
There’s also 7 minutes of deleted scenes with optional commentary by Marshall and Zakarin, including an alternative ending. Next is the 8 minute “Keeping Up with the Steins: Behind the Scenes” featurette. It has interviews with Scott Marshall, Daryl Sabara, Cheryl Hines, Jeremy Piven, Jami Gertz, Doris Roberts, Garry Marshall, Carter Jenkins, and Brad Freeman (whose house was used in the movie).
Keeping Up with the Steins is a funny family movie that both delivers on the laughs and the sentimentality with wonder performances all around. Mazel Tov!
Keeping Up with the Steins is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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