Keeping Up with the Steins (2006)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

Scott Marshall

Writer (WGA):

Mark Zakarin (written by)

Release Date:

28 December 2006 (Israel)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Something's not quite kosher.

Plot:

A 13-year-old boy uses his upcoming bar mitzvah to reconcile the strained relationship between his father and grandfather.

Plot Keywords:

Bar Mitzvah | Party | Rite Of Passage | Male Full Back Nudity | Male Nudity

Cast

Daryl Sabara	...	Benjamin Fiedler
Jami Gertz	...	Joanne Fiedler
Jeremy Piven	...	Adam Fiedler
Cheryl Hines	...	Casey Nudelman
Marc John Jefferies	...	Tim (as Marc John Jeffries)
Tom Hines	...	Master of Ceremonies
Carter Jenkins	...	Zachary Stein
Sandra Taylor	...	Raylene Stein
Larry Miller	...	Arnie Stein
Miranda Cosgrove	...	Karen Sussman
Brittany Robertson	...	Ashley Grunwald
DJ Quik	...	Himself
Doris Roberts	...	Rose Fiedler
Garry Marshall	...	Irwin Fiedler
Sky Bear Aguilar	...	Native American Boy

Also Known As:

Lucky 13 (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some crude language, nudity and brief drug references.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Hebrew

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:PG | USA:PG-13 (No. 41523) | South Korea:12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Canada:PG (Canadian Home Video rating)

Filming Locations:

Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Miramax Films

Trivia:

The working title for this movie was "Lucky 13."

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In the scene where Zachary is talking to Benjamin at Hebrew school about his fear of reading the Haftorah in front of a crowd, Zachary can be seen mouthing the words Benjamin is saying, "...cool up there at your Bar Mitzvah".

Quotes:

Joanne Fiedler: Adam, get in the friggin' chair.

Movie Connections:

References The Passion of the Christ (2004)

Soundtrack:

Climb These Walls

Interesting Things...

Interesting thing about having seen 'Keeping Up with the Steins' on a Sunday at Fallbrook in the Valley - there was a fieldtrip of some school that had seen fit to come see the film as a group, then hold a sort of Q&A in the lobby. Ages of the folks in attendance ranged from 12 to about 60 and over. I love being in a full theatre when going to a film, particularly a comedy as you'll get laughs out of people that become infectious and actually make seeing the film that much better of an experience.

Another interesting thing about the 'Steins' film: while Jeremy Piven and the young hero of the film are the driving characters, the lasting memories of a film-goer actually belong to Gary Marshall & Doris Roberts. The backstory of their relationship, how it affected Piven, and how they've let by-gones be by-gones while Piven clutches to his old grudges is beautifully and deftly handled by the director. Marshall delivers the father figure as likable to an audience as the characters he created on network television back in the 70's.

One more interesting thing about the 'Steins': you don't have to be Jewish to appreciate the humor, you just have to recognize the strengths and failings of every human being represented in these characters.