Keeping Up with the Steins (2006)

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

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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): When Benjamin is reading his Haftorah at his Bar Mitzvah, he fails to say the required prayer that precedes it. Instead, he goes right into the Haftorah portion itself.

Quotes:

Rose Fiedler: Shamu is Jewish?

Movie Connections:

References Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

Soundtrack:

Funky Cold Medina

Thaddaus Hill: Hey, I'm running too!

Ah, how is it like to "keep up with the Steins"? The answer is that it is much like keeping up with the Joneses, except this competition is more Jewish. Well, if you call attempts at reading Hebrew "Jewish".

The Fiedlers are trying to one-up the Steins post-Bar Mitzvah party. Their son doesn't much want it, but instead wants to see the grandfather he didn't know. Combine that with the fact that his dad doesn't like grandpa for an obvious reason leads to an interesting confrontation.

There are a few funny things. Yes there is nudity, but not many people go for old man nudity in a pool. Also his cane is a nice addition because of its usefulness with annoying drivers.

The downside is that is comes off like a quasi-false documentary. While that is nice, knowing the soon-to-be man's thoughts, it doesn't play out too much further.

Overall, it had some entertainment value. "C+"