Keeping Up with the Steins (2006)

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

Director:

Scott Marshall

Writer:

Mark Zakarin

Stars:

Daryl Sabara, Jami Gertz, Jeremy Piven

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
Britt Robertson	...	Ashley Grunwald (as Brittany Robertson)
DJ Quik	...	Himself
Doris Roberts	...	Rose Fiedler
Garry Marshall	...	Irwin Fiedler
Sky Bear Aguilar	...	Native American Boy

Storyline

In toney Brentwood, Benjamin Fiedler prepares for his bar mitzvah; trouble is, he understands neither its meaning nor the Hebrew, and his parents (particularly his successful-agent father) are planning the most lavish party possible. Benjamin wants his dad to give him some space, so he gets an idea: to invite his grandfather, who left the family years ago and for whom Benjamin's dad has an intense dislike, to come two weeks early. Thanks in part to grandpa - and to the immediate family's love - Benjamin may have a shot at figuring out what it means to be a man.

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Plot Keywords:

bar mitzvah | party | hebrew | rite of passage | millionaire | 

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Taglines:

Something's not quite kosher.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

BV Entertainment [us] Miramax [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Hebrew

Release Date:

28 December 2006 (Israel)

Also Known As:

Lucky 13

Filming Locations:

Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$653,723 (USA) (12 May 2006)

Gross:

$4,328,294 (USA) (28 July 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax Films, A Road Picture, Winsome Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

While shooting this movie, Daryl Sabara was also studying for his own Bar Mitzvah. The Haftorah portion that his character chants in the movie was Sabara's actual Bar Mitzvah portion.

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Goofs

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".

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Quotes

Irwin Fiedler: You gotta try things, Benjamin... once. Once, a philosopher. Twice, I tell.

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Crazy Credits

The filmmakers would like to thank: ... Elissa, Sam and Ethan ...

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Connections

References Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

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Soundtracks

"Dance with Me"
Written by Todd Bozung (as T. Bozung), Peter Plath (as P. Plath)
Courtesy of With The Quickness

User Reviews

Keeping Up with the Fielders!

The Steins had an over the top Titanic themed Bar Mitzvah for their son. In this film, Ben Fielder is studying for his Bar Mitzvah in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California. His father is played by Jeremy Piven and his mother is played by Jami Getz. His paternal grandmother is played by the wonderful Doris Roberts and his paternal grandfather is played by Garry Marshall who is just as wonderful. His grandfather left his son and wife for another life where he teaches on the Navajo Indian reservation in New Mexico with his new younger girlfriend played by Daryl Hannah. Everybody is perfectly cast in this film. This film should have aired on television than in cinema. Anyway, the story about the coming of age and how unconventional grandfather relates to his conventional son and his family is worth watching. I enjoyed the film and would love to see it again. I saw it on television last weekend and I liked it.