CHICAGO - MOVIE REVIEWS: KEEPING UP WITH THE STEINS

Will Keeping Up With the Steins be the Jewish counterpart at the box office of My Big Fat Greek Wedding? Many critics seem to think it may very well be. John Anderson in Newsday finds the movie "good-natured and as broad as a barn door." To Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times, it's "fresh and lovable." Claudia Puig in USA Today concludes that it "blends humor with heart for a satisfying, if predictable, experience." Writes Elizabeth Weitzman in the New York Daily News: "Cultural comedy is a tricky thing. You can end up offending people familiar with the culture and pushing everyone else away. So, mazel tov to Scott Marshall for creating an endearing portrayal of familial lunacy that ought to charm as many Smiths as it will Steins." Scott, by the way is the son of veteran sitcom creator Garry Marshall, (nee Marsciatti) who has a leading role in the movie. As with Greek Wedding, Steins leaves several critics cold. Among them is Michael Phillips, who writes in the Chicago Tribune: "The poster slogan errs. 'Something's not quite kosher' is not the problem. Something's not quite funny is the problem." And Bob Strauss remarks in the Los Angeles Daily News: "Everyone's a little too decent for the family conflict to register much impact, and the comedy is too timid to really make much of a satirical statement."


12/05/2006