- Film Review
- Reviewed By Jamie Russell
-
3 out of 5
One boy's bar mitzvah turns into a nightmare of one-upmanship in this good-natured comedy. Daryl Sabara (SPYkids) is Benjamin Fielder, whose coming of age is being ruined by his parents' need to keep up with the Joneses - or rather, the Steins, who threw their son a hugely expensive Titanic-themed party. While shy little Benjamin can think of nothing worse, his Hollywood agent dad (Jeremy Piven, playing a less spiky version of his Entourage character Ari Gold) wants to beat the Steins whatever the cost. Breezing along with an easy charm, this frothy farce springs few surprises, but provides likeable laughs. Director Scott Marshall (son of Garry Marshall, director of Pretty Woman) keeps it brisk and even ropes in his real-life dad as Benjamin's superannuated, but young-at-heart, grandfather, who arrives with a hippy girlfriend half his age (Daryl Hannah) and dispenses some much needed pearls of wisdom.
Plot Summary
Comedy starring Jeremy Piven, Larry Miller and Garry Marshall. Two Jewish families compete with each other to stage the most elaborate bar mitzvah for their sons. The Fiedlers' planned event at the Dodgers baseball stadium is up against the Steins' recent Titanic-themed celebrations, complete with icebergs and a Kate Winslet lookalike. As the Fielders' big day arrives, things are thrown into chaos by the arrival of a free-spirited grandfather and his young new-age girlfriend.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Arnie Stein
- Larry Miller
- Adam Fiedler
- Jeremy Piven
- Irwin
- Garry Marshall
- Benjamin Fielder
- Daryl Sabara
- Joanne Fielder
- Jami Gertz
- Casey Nudelman
- Cheryl Hines
- Tim
- Marc John Jefferies
- Arnie Stein
- Larry Miller
- Sacred Feather
- Daryl Hannah
- Rose
- Doris Roberts
- Rabbi Schulberg
- Richard Benjamin
Crew
- Director
- Scott Marshall
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