Keeping Up With The Steins (2006)

37% of critics liked it
(82 reviews)
33% of users liked it
(89,838 ratings)

The competition heats up as a young man on the cusp of adulthood in Brentwood, CA, prepares for his upcoming bar mitzvah, and his father strives to outdo the gargantuan coming-of-age bash recently thrown by his number-one nemesis, in a madcap tale of Hebrew rivalry from actor-turned-director Scott… More The competition heats up as a young man on the cusp of adulthood in Brentwood, CA, prepares for his upcoming bar mitzvah, and his father strives to outdo the gargantuan coming-of-age bash recently thrown by his number-one nemesis, in a madcap tale of Hebrew rivalry from actor-turned-director Scott Marshall. Benjamin Fiedler (Daryl Sabara) is about to become a man, though the prospect of reciting a language he doesn't even really know in front of a temple full of strangers is so daunting that it makes him wish he could just stay a boy and write the whole thing off. As if his personal peccadilloes weren't enough to rack Benjamin's nerves, his father, Adam (Jeremy Piven), and mother, Joanne (Jami Gertz), are determined to send Benjamin into the adult world in true style. Recently, Adam's rival agent, Arnie Stein (Larry Miller), threw down the gauntlet for his own son's bar mitzvah by hosting a no-holds-barred bash that made New Year's Eve in Times Square look like cake-and-coffee day at the retirement community, and ultra-competitive Adam is determined to prove that he can top that now-legendary party. When Adam's aging, hippy-dippy father, Irwin (Garry Marshall), rolls into town in a broken-down RV with his dizzy young girlfriend, Sandy (Daryl Hannah), however, it appears as if all of his plans to out-class Arnie Stein may have been for naught. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Scott Marshall
Written By: Mark Zakarin
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: May 12, 2006 Wide
On DVD: Oct 31, 2006
Studio: Miramax Films

Critic Reviews

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
It's not meant to be uproarious. But even as comfort food, Steins can't keep up.
Michael Booth, Denver Post
By the time the Fiedlers are getting serious about their arguments and their hugs, we've grown to like them.
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle
A winningly sincere and warmly humorous film about an ancient Jewish milestone in the time of Martha Stewart.
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
It's not the kind of comedy that makes you laugh till your face hurts, but it'll give your smile muscles a good workout.
Peter Howell, Toronto Star
Had Scott Marshall and screenwriter Mark Zakarin honed their knives sharper, they could have made genuine mirth out of this.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
The tribute to an aging parent is moving and gives this routine comedy an extra something.
Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media
So-so comedy about over-the-top bar mitzvah.
Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope
Pleasant little comedy with some good performances.
Ted Murphy, Murphy's Movie Reviews
Will it all turn out? What do you think? Part of the fun is in watching how, although one's enjoyment of the movie will depend on many factors. Comedy, of course, is a very subjective medium; what some find hilarious, others won't. At the screening I atte
Ryan Cracknell, Calgary Movies
One of the most disappointing films I've seen this year. Unfortunately the DVD doesn't do much to change that fact.
Bob Strauss, Los Angeles Daily News
... the comedy is too timid to really make much of a satirical statement.
Norm Schrager, Filmcritic.com
a stiff would-be comedy filled with talented stars and very few laughs.
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
Entertaining on all three levels: as Jewish comedy, as Jewish satire and as universal comedy
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...benefits greatly from the mere presence of Jeremy Piven...
David Cornelius, eFilmCritic.com
A long slog of family cliché and idiotic coming-of-age yuks thrown at us with the subtlety of a naked Garry Marshall.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...it's awfully hard to care about any of the characters because they are all such innocuous caricatures.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
Although there is nothing offensive about the film, there is nothing particularly amusing or enlightening about it, either.
Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)
Aside from the first 15 minutes and the last five or so, the film just isn't very funny.
Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle
Keeping Up With the Steins isn't a bad film -- it just devolves into the limp sort of schmaltzy conclusion you keep hoping it will avoid.

Read all 19 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

erika b

Keeping Up with the Steins is about trip to his bar mitzvah party with his dysfunctional family in one house. Good plot and good acting most of the time Its kind of a cult, spoof and comedy mix into to one. This film is making fun of how too many Jewish families see a bar mitzvah or… More
Keeping Up with the Steins is about trip to his bar mitzvah party with his dysfunctional family in one house. Good plot and good acting most of the time Its kind of a cult, spoof and comedy mix into to one. This film is making fun of how too many Jewish families see a bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah not as a coming of age for their son or daughter, but rather as an excuse to throw outrageously lavish parties. It had one good song at the very end. Cons Lacking acting sometimes Lacking good music some times. Weird
jay n

much better then expected
William G

Resoundingly artificial and rarely amusing.
Jason R

Not bad. Pretty forgettable movie though.
Sunil J

Maybe a bit repetitive but it's funny and pretty interesting.