Stolen Summer (2002)

Pete, an eight-year-old Catholic boy growing up in the suburbs of Chicago in the mid-1970s, attends Catholic school, where as classes let out for the summer, he's admonished by a nun to ... See full summary »

Director:

Pete Jones

Writer:

Pete Jones

Stars:

Aidan Quinn, Bonnie Hunt, Kevin Pollak

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Aidan Quinn	...	Joe O'Malley
Bonnie Hunt	...	Margaret O'Malley
Kevin Pollak	...	Rabbi Jacobsen
Eddie Kaye Thomas	...	Patrick O'Malley
Lisa Dodson	...	Mrs. Jacobsen
Mike Weinberg	...	Danny Jacobsen
Adiel Stein	...	Pete O'Malley (as Adi Stein)
Brian Dennehy	...	Father Kelly
Peggy Roeder	...	Sister Leonora Mary
Martin Hughes	...	Jimmy
Ryan Kelley	...	Seamus O'Malley
Lindsay Light	...	Katie O'Malley
Will Malnati	...	Eddie O'Malley
Kristie Kelley	...	Marie O'Malley
Etel Billig	...	Esther

Storyline

Pete, an eight-year-old Catholic boy growing up in the suburbs of Chicago in the mid-1970s, attends Catholic school, where as classes let out for the summer, he's admonished by a nun to follow the path of the Lord, and not that of the Devil. Perhaps taking this message a bit too seriously, Pete decides it's his goal for the summer to help someone get into heaven; having been told that Catholicism is the only sure path to the kingdom of the Lord, Pete decides to convert a Jew to Catholicism in order to improve their standing in the afterlife. Hoping to find a likely candidate, Pete begins visiting a nearby synagogue, where he gets to know Rabbi Jacobson, who responds to Pete's barrage of questions with good humor. Pete also makes friends with the Rabbi's son, Danny, who is about the same age; when he learns that Danny is seriously ill, he decides Danny would be an excellent choice for conversion. When the priest at Pete's church informs Pete that all will be tested before they pass the...

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Plot Keywords:

summer | rabbi | catholic | catholicism | school | 

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Taglines:

All the fighting. All the drama. Now, the end result is coming to theaters. You be the judge.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 July 2003 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Ellopott nyár

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$18,288 (Hong Kong) (18 October 2002)

Gross:

$18,288 (Hong Kong) (18 October 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

All Nighter Inc., LivePlanet, Miramax Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was the result of "Project Greenlight," the first-time-director competition launched by Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Miramax, and was the subject of the HBO documentary of the same name, which aired in Winter 2002. The documentary revealed many behind-the-scenes snafus, which led to the mid-production firing of co-producer Jeff Balis.

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Goofs

When Pete O'Malley and Danny Jacobsen are in Pete's room after Pete gets into trouble, Danny's hat repeatedly changes position between shots.

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Quotes

Margaret O'Malley: Lord's name in vain! Come here! Come here!
[smacks son on head]
Margaret O'Malley: Don't talk like that, you little son of a bitch. We're on our way to church, for Christ's sake!

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Connections

Spun-off from Project Greenlight (2001)

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Soundtracks

"FRIEND"
Written by Rick Butler and Kristin Mooney
Performed by Kristin Mooney
Published by Hookmeister Music (ASCAP) and Moonward Music (ASCAP)
Courtesy of Static Music

User Reviews

Childhood innocence on the South Side of Chicago

I thought Stolen Summer was competently done. The director, Pete Jones, was blessed with great performances from well known performers like Bonnie Hunt, Aidan Quinn, Kevin Pollak, and Brian Dennehy. The film explores the differences between Catholicism and Judaism seen through the eyes of a child. The child protagonist takes on the challenge of making sure a Jewish child goes to heaven. The story is set on the South Side of Chicago in the mid-70's and since I grew up in roughly that time I enjoyed the talk about the White Sox of that era. The authenticity overall is accurate, but the film lacks a spark. Watching an 8-year-old try to figure out some of the intricacies of life is a great idea for a story. I just think that the plot lacked any real surprises.