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But now - you simply can't make a joke about the guy - because he's got
industry cred up his sleeve these days, which is why it's so surprising
he would take on a role that's so utterly... unadventurous.
In
this Jewish-Bar Mitzvah family based comedy (you don't hear that phrase
thrown around to often do do?) all hilarity breaks loose 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! Looking to mine the tradition of My Big Fat Greek
Wedding, Keeping Up With The Steins
stars "that guy" Piven as the competitive father of a young boy about
to "become a man" and his quest to throw the biggest and best Bar
Mitzvah party ever. Add to this the return of Piven estranged father -
and you've got yourself all the ingredients of a pretty
colour-by-numbers affair.
While there is really nothing wrong with Keeping Up With The Steins
(it is a perfectly serviceable family comedy), there is just something
that just didn't sit quite right. I'll go out on a lib and blame it on
the opening titles (I'm of the opinion that the one thing that
separates a "film" from a "TV Movie" is the font used during the
opening titles sequence). And in that regard, Steins
plays to much like a TV movie and not enough of a Disney flick worth
forking $37.98 for (I'm not kidding, I saw it for that price in a store
the other day - craziness!!).
The flick saving grace is some
fine performances from it's core cast. Piven plays a nervous wreck to
perfection (interestingly enough, he is playing a movie agent - he is
literally taking Ari Gold to the big screen), Garry Marshall (father of
the films director) is simply fantastic: delivering both humour and
wisdom, while Darryl Hannah is a surprise packet as Marshall's bimbo
hippie wife.
It's obviously going to resonate with Jewish
viewers more than it did for me (but, it's refreshing to see a flick
like this from a different religious angle) which may limit it's
overall audience appeal, but the core values & relationships at the
heart of this story is what you're ultimately tuning in for.
Not
likely to win any awards for originality, but certainly worth checking
out if you have to fill in an afternoon with the Grand kids.
EXTRAS
There's
a few deleted scenes as well as a fairly fluffy behind the scenes
featurette which talks to the director and some key cast members.
Again,
nothing outstanding - and certainly not worth the $30+ asking price I
saw in the store (heck, you can get 2-Disc Special Editions for under
$20 these days).
Include it in a double pack with PCU Pit Party - and you've got me sold! Conclusion:
Movie 65% Extras: 50%
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