SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Pluskylang Great Film overall

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

AztecQueen2000 Ah, Passover! The holiday that nearly every Jewish family celebrates in one form or another--including, unfortunately, the Stuckmans. The characters are a silly mishmash of stereotypes--the paranoid Holocaust survivor, the neurotic, money-obsessed uber-assimilated (Dad makes Christmas ornaments), the neurotic, resentful Jewish mother, the "born-again" schnorring Hasid brother (whose ethics are less than sterling when it comes to his mom's glamorous cousin), the slut sister, the resentful lesbian half-sister and her black lover, and just for kicks, the secular, anti-religion Israeli guest . Add in the junkie, the idiot savant (more savant than idiot) and a tab of Ecstasy slipped into Dad's antacid, and we're on a strange, unenlightening trip through flashbacks and hallucinations that will leave you checking your watch long before the meal is served. The Four Questions, Stuckman-style 1. Who were the three bearded dudes supposed to represent? 2. Was it necessary for the black character to bring in Jesus every fifth scene? If the Hasisdic brother could bring his own mezuzah, why didn't he just bring the matzah? 4. And, last but not least, why did the "world's fastest Seder" feel longer than the whole eight-day holiday?

magicpaul-2 Along with Adam Goldberg's Shaft-parody, "The Hebrew Hammer," the marvelous indie "When Do We Eat" is one of the two finest contemporary comedies with Jewish themes -- a far cry from the traditional Jewish cinema pantheon of "Fiddler," "Crossing Delancy," "Yentl" and "The Chosen." Uproariously funny, sexy and occasionally profane, yes -- but it's also deeply affectionate as "When Do We Eat" pokes fun at the righteousness of the orthodox, Passover traditions, and maddening family members from stoners to sex workers and Moshe Dayan look-a-likes. The script is sharp, the acting terrific ("Quincy" alum Jack Klugman is a riot as the Holocaust-surviving grandfather), and the hallucinogenic production values - inspired by legendary Hagadah books - is brilliant. An antidote to anyone who laments the laundering of authentic Jewish content from ostensibly Jewish TV sit-coms and films. Bravo!

ambimom This is possibly the worst movie since Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton graced the screen in "The Sandpiper." What a mess! It has a politically correct roundup masquerading as Passover celebrants. You have your lesbian and her Afro-American lover; you have your Hasid; you have your flighty mother; you have your wayward daughter; you have your handicapped child; you have your Holocaust survivor; and you have your bellowing businessman...You get the idea.Jack Klugman is the best thing in this movie but even he can't elevate the maudlin, pointless, 'stoopid' script. Funny to see Klugman in this piece of crap because I recall him in "Goodbye Columbus," the movie version of Philip Roth's novel, in which Klugman played father to a luminous Ali McGraw. That movie made me uncomfortable, because it rang true. This is anything but true. "When Do We Eat" just made me cringe with embarrassment.The worst thing about this movie is that the filmmakers (and I use that term very loosely in this case) actually go "art-y" at various times; attempting to equate 40 years in the desert and the Passover saga with the journey of these execrable people. They should live so long!

Tom Parker I really wanted to like this movie and, in the right hands, it could have been great.The concept is one of my favorites - a large dysfunctional family has one of those "crazy gatherings", where all the baggage is brought out, fights ensue, hilarious lines are offered up, and, ultimately, old grudges are resolved, and the family comes together, providing hope for the future.Unfortunately, I think this one missed the mark in a big way. It was miscast - the actors are all too pretty and polished (should have gone lower budge). The comedy borders on slapstick, followed up by one too many "serious" moments (bad combination). Plus, it's about 30 minutes too long (it's like a slasher flick - every time you think it's building to a resolution, it starts over again).Most importantly, the characters felt contrived and none of them are terribly likable. So ultimately, after suffering through this crazy night of fights and yelling and all around twisted zaniness, you really don't care that they all love each other at the end.In a nutshell - Contrived, miscast, poorly edited, and too darn long. Come to think of it, it was just very dysfunctional, just like the Stuckmans themselves.