Greetings again from the darkness. Of course, it is a comedy ... Neil Diamond is the musical guest at the bar Mitzi's! Talk about a stretch - Jeremy Piven is playing a Hollywood agent. Oh wait, that happens every Sunday night on HBO. What about Jami Gertz as a slightly off-center mom? No, that happens once a week on TV as well. OK, how about Doris Roberts as the butt-in-ski grandma. You got it. That happened every week on TV until "Everybody Loves Raymond" went off the air. Last try ... Larry Miller as the wise cracking, arrogant nosy neighbor. OK, that happens a lot as well, but he always seems to be hilarious.
The point is this is all very familiar ground, but nonetheless, remains pretty funny and a very cute, light-hearted film. Piven and his dad (played by Garry Marshall, dad of director Scott Marshall) have their bitter moments, but for the most part it is played pretty straightforward as a coming of age comedy with more adult roles than usual.
Daryl Sabara plays 13 year old Benjamin Fiedler, who is preparing for his bar Mitzi's, the rite to manhood in the Jewish religion. "Helping" him are Richard Benjamin as his Rabbi and his long lost grandfather played by the charming Garry Marshall, who shows up with his significantly younger hippie girlfriend played by Daryl Hannah (the second "Kill Bill" reference of the film). Benjamin is a wreck as his parents compete with the Stein's over the size of the party, while he dreads the chants that must be performed in front of the audience.
The best scenes are between Marshall and Sabara, but Piven delivers his usual fine work as the bitter dad/grown-up son. You definitely don't have to be Jewish to "get" this movie or to enjoy it. It doesn't aspire to be much more than a cozy couple of hours at the theatre and that front it succeeds.
The point is this is all very familiar ground, but nonetheless, remains pretty funny and a very cute, light-hearted film. Piven and his dad (played by Garry Marshall, dad of director Scott Marshall) have their bitter moments, but for the most part it is played pretty straightforward as a coming of age comedy with more adult roles than usual.
Daryl Sabara plays 13 year old Benjamin Fiedler, who is preparing for his bar Mitzi's, the rite to manhood in the Jewish religion. "Helping" him are Richard Benjamin as his Rabbi and his long lost grandfather played by the charming Garry Marshall, who shows up with his significantly younger hippie girlfriend played by Daryl Hannah (the second "Kill Bill" reference of the film). Benjamin is a wreck as his parents compete with the Stein's over the size of the party, while he dreads the chants that must be performed in front of the audience.
The best scenes are between Marshall and Sabara, but Piven delivers his usual fine work as the bitter dad/grown-up son. You definitely don't have to be Jewish to "get" this movie or to enjoy it. It doesn't aspire to be much more than a cozy couple of hours at the theatre and that front it succeeds.