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SYNOPSIS:
All hilarity breaks loose in this heartwarming coming-of-age
comedy when three generations collide in a crazy family reunion
. . . and then begin to see that they are much more alike
than they'd originally thought! Providing nonstop laughs In
the tradition of MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING, KEEPING UP WITH
THE STEINS stars Jeremy Piven (TV's ENTOURAGE), Jami Gertz
(ALLY MCBEAL), Daryl Hannah (KILL BILL) and Garry Marshall
(A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN). Also starring Doris Roberts (TV's
EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND), Cheryl Hines (TV's CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM),
and Larry Miller (THE PRINCESS DIARIES).
MOVIE REVIEW:
If you don’t remember this movie making its
way to the big screens here, you’re right. While there
are some critically-acclaimed films which didn’t make
it because of distributor’s unwise decisions, there
are also flicks which didn’t make it because, well,
to put it nicely, there are movies which are meant to be watched
at home on smaller screens. And this 2006 movie is definitely
one of them.
The
90-minute movie has a tried-and-tested formula of family comedy:
A young Hebrew boy who is clueless about the religion is preparing
for his coming-of-age ceremony, known as the “bar mitzvah”.
Not wanting to be outdone by another family, his parents plan
for a lavish party. Chaos ensues when his grandfather, who
has long left the family for a hippie chick, is invited.
To
the uninitiated, the whole Hebrew culture may seem interesting
at first, especially seeing the traditional ceremonies carried
out in the ceremonial halls. That is before you realize that
this family comedy is using the convenient sitcom formula
to milk laughs from you. A trouble-making old man causing
disorder and unhappiness in the family? Check. A dorky kid
trying to invite his crush to his party with disastrous results?
Check. A happy ending you saw 10 minutes into the show? Check.
While
there are some decent jokes (we didn’t see that NC-16
rating for sexual references coming), they are not enough
to sustain. However, credit goes to the decent casting. Jeremy
Piven (Smokin’ Aces) is a charming Dad, Jami Gertz (Ally
McBeal) is a pleasant Mum and Daryl Sabara (Spy Kids) is a
likeable geek. Also, watch out for Daryl Hannah’s (Kill
Bill) hippie chick, who has a scene where she goes skinny-dipping
with the old man (Nope, the last time we checked, we saw nothing
you’d like to see).
You
have to admit there are just some shows you won’t pay
money to watch in a theatre, and unless it’s peer pressure,
this movie is likely to be one of them. But the comedy is
still a decent one to be kept at home; you never know when
you’d encounter one of those boring nights when you
need to kill time by watching something on your small screen
at home.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
This Code 3 DVD contains eight minutes of six “Deleted
Scenes”, with optional director/screenwriter
commentary. In here, you’d find an alternate ending
where the hippie chick runs off with another man at the end
of the movie – you go, girl. Then there is an eight-minute
“Keeping Up With The Steins: Behind the Steins”
feature where you’d learn that director Scott
Marshall is not a Jew himself, and the geeky boy played by
Sabara used this shoot as an opportunity to learn more about
his “bar mitzvah”. Included in the disc are also
“Sneak Peeks” of Blu-Ray discs
and the Wild Hogs DVD.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The visual transfer is decent enough (there aren’t computer
generated effects and landscape sceneries for you to ogle
at after all), while there are 5.1 Dolby English and Spanish,
together with 2.0 Sound Portuguese audio tracks for you to
choose from.
MOVIE RATING:
 
DVD
RATING :
Review
by John Li
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