When Mothers' Day Is An Impossible Mission

Have you ever tried going to the movies on Mothers' Day? It's not like going to the movies on Christmas day or Thanksgiving, when most people are gathered with their loved ones. On a dreary, unusually cold Sunday, you could find almost every mother, almost mother, mothers with kids in tow, divorced moms with cute boyfriends and mothers-in-law waiting on long lines to see Tom Cruise jump off some more buildings for ten bucks. Unlike other mothers, Tom Cruise is not my ideal fantasy man, so I passed on his latest movie, which was a good thing, because it was sold out at theatres all over the place. I also had no desire to see yet another disaster movie about a sunken ship. Nothing could top 'Titanic'! My kids are too sophisticated (or so they think) for any animated films and a movie about taking a trip in a motor home does nothing for me, unless it's produced by National Lampoon. Instead of all the box office blockbusters, I chose a little-known movie about a young boy named Benjamin, who would soon become a bar mitzvah in 'Keeping Up With The Steins'. Benjamin's parents (aptly played by Jamie Gertz and Jeremy Piven) insist on having their only son's Bar Mitzvah be the most memorable, over-the-top event that ever hit Brentwood, California. They plot and plan to take over Dodger Stadium for the big day, but Benjamin soon develops an alternative plan to bring his dad and estranged grandfather closer together by bringing the party closer to home. In turn, Benjamin soon finds out what it really is to become a man (and no this has nothing to do with sex) by uniting his family for a heart-warming ending. The co-stars in this movie include Garry Marshall as Benjamin's grandfather, Doris Roberts from 'Everybody Loves Raymond' as his grandmother, Richard Benjamin as his rabbi, Larry Miller as his dad's ex-partner/agent and beautiful Daryl Hannah as his grandfather's new, younger girlfriend. This movie is packed with laughs and no, you don't have to be Jewish to get it although it couldn't hurt! For the movie critic who thought his own thirteen year-old wouldn't like this movie, get over yourself! There were lots of kids in the theatre and they could all relate to Benjamin and his friends. This was a lovely family movie with a lot of laughs and a lot of heart!