When Do We Eat?

Finally--a true-Jew sitcom made into a feature film. Salvador Litvak has taken Salvador Dali's acid trip painting "The Last Supper" and made it into a heimish, full-length film. Think "The Hebrew Hammer", but for Pesach instead of Chanukkah. "When Do We Eat?" has all the essential elements and then some. Part comedy and part tearjerker, part ultra-Orthodox and part porno. A neurotic, Jewish Beverly Hills family--think "Clueless"--making shalom, but with spirituality and holiness. A cathartic message of repentance and spiritual return for all time. And Moses' cameo hallucination role was played by a Moses of our time, Rabbi Shlomo Schwartz.

When do we eat is spectacular. I left this movie immediately wanting to see it again. The film takes you on an intense journey of a family coming together for passover. At first, family members treat each other as always, bickering and not truly communicating. With the help of some touch g-d ecstasy, the family moves from moments of raw truths to warm conciliations to absolute hilarity. What I loved most about this movie were the layers of what was happening at the same time. Characters evolved, forgiving each other and coming to terms with their own demons. Spiritual questions were raised in the context of Judaism, but which apply to any religion. Outlandishly funny moments kept everyone laughing at just the right time. I wish more movies were made like this.

Really. This is a gem of a movie. Don't be fooled by the naysayers here. If you want to laugh and have a good time, go and see this film. Don't let the overly sensitive overly critical 'can't ever have a good time at the movies' crowd deter you from seeing this. Even most of the so-called professional movie critics don't get it right. What counts in the end is what the majority of film goers think. And with a 7.1 out of 10 rating (at this juncture) here at IMDb, you get the idea. A great ensemble cast...some great effects scenes...some great music...and a 'good to see him' appearance by Jack Klugman. Don't miss it!

OK Here is a little synopsis they had about When Do We Eat in the booklets we received at the Boston Film Festival. "When Do We Eat? is the story of the "Worlds fastest Passover Seder" gone horribly awry. It's about an old school dad who's as tough on his son as his father is on him. On this night, however, one of the boys slips dad a does of LSD in order "to give him a new perspective." Meanwhile, Mom brings a handsome stranger to dinner and the kids take sides. By the end of the night, however,Dad's visions turn him into a modern day Moses intent on leading his hungry group to the promise land of family forgiveness. Of course they are all stubborn, it would be easier to part the Red Sea." I found the movie to be hysterical and very touching as well. The special effects were stunning and the director Salvador Litvar even said they wanted to do something different when it came to the special effects even though it cost a lot he felt they were worth it. All of the music in the film is very interesting as well. It is all traditional Hebrew music but has a modern sound to them. One of the reason why the director Salvador Litvar wanted to do this movie is because it was a type of movie that has never been done before and how he was scared at first being it dealt with religion and he was saying how religion and Hollywood don't really mix but he was glad he took the challenge and so far everyone who has seen the film has loved it. He also wanted to show how important traditions are in families no matter what your cultural back ground or religious tradition is but how these traditions help us remember where we came from and bind us as a family. Another element that helped was that many of the actors and actresses in the movie were of the Jewish tradition so they could relate to the back ground of the film. The director said at one point the family sings together and how it was very moving because it wasn't the family singing it was the whole cast and how much they all bounded over this film. He was very moved and touched with how everyone was really excited about the project and how it came out. He even commented on how they had so many talented actresses try out for the part of Nikkie that Shiri Appleby played. He said When Shiri Appleby tried out there was something unique about her and she played the character in a very different way then what they were expecting. They thought Shiri Appleby did an excellent job and another factor that was in her favor was she really could really relate to the material being she is Jewish and grew up with the tradition of Passover. Over all Shiri Appleby's performance was excellent! She is a very talented Actress and her talent really shinned through in this film. Over all the movie was wonderful. It is coming out to theaters in either March or April of this year. So look for it they made it in the tradition of my Big Fat Greek Wedding so right away you know it has to be good. I am so happy I got to see this movie. It was great and I enjoyed it very much! Hope this review helps. Love, Erin

In my life, i have seen a lot of bad movies, and out of those, about three handfuls of movies i never managed to finish. And "When Do We Eat?" is one of the movies i never was arsed to finish. To be straight out honest, this movie is crap. I watched as much of this movie as I could (which was about two thirds of the movie), and during that dreadful hour, I laughed once. For a movie that is supposed to have "about a joke every minute, and sometimes too many jokes for one to swallow", that's not a really good thing. The jokes aren't really good, makes very little sense, and is about as funny to me as it would be pulling my toe nails out. The plot, which I must say didn't seem so bad, actually turned in to a big pile of junk without sense after a while. The whole "crazy family holiday gone wrong thing" is, fair enough, overused, but the dinner part is new. Unfortunately, it isn't presented in a way which I enjoyed. It's messy, it's crappy, and it's boring. From the moment the dad in this movie found out he was drugged and until I turned it off, i was bored. I thought that was gonna be the funnier part of the movie, but it wasn't. I really can't come close to explain how bored I was. Go watch it yourself if you do not believe me.

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.

If this is your "typical" Jewish family getting together for a Seder, then I am glad my family isn't "typical". This movie was an excuse to show neurotic Jewish people sitting around table and they saved it to show at Passover. My friends and I are all Jewish and we saw nothing we could relate to in the movie. Period. Even if the throw the word "matzoh" around another 100 times, and throw in some Biblical passages about Elijah, this movie does NOT represent anyone or anything I have ever seen at a Seder. C'mon folks. Please save your money and see something you can stay awake to. I know I couldn't. The only redeeming aspect of this movie is the occasionally whimsical Klezmer music combined with some Rasta. I read all the reviews before I went to see it and thought I was going to be entertained. Instead, I took a nap and for that, I didn't have to spend money in the middle of the afternoon. Attend a real Seder. This (to me) was nothing but slapstick with a Haggadah thrown in for good measure. Terrible.

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!

I got lucky and was able to sneak into a screening in Hollywood of this yet to be released film. What a great couple of hours it was! Most indie movies today aren't worth the film they are shot on. This one is a great exception. Starting with a terrific script, great performances and direction...the film also has knock out production values including some great visual effects...it's hard to believe this film was done on such a small budget. "When Do We Eat" is very funny, painfully real and has great comedic performances by Jack Klugman, Michael Lerner , Ben Feldman, Lesley Ann Warren (as good as her performance in "Victor, Victoria") and Max Greenfield. "When Do We Eat?" should be required viewing for all indie producers and directors on how to do an indie right!

Very cute film! Was not sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised from start to finish. I laughed (so did the whole audience!!) - lots of great moments and lines thru the whole film. Music was fun and different but fit well. Kudos for getting Jack Klugman! I love Lesley Ann Warren & Micheal Lerner! The rest of the cast was wonderful & I look forward to seeing them in future projects. I hope this film will show the amusing, warm, loving and crazy side of being Jewish... Like most religions & cultures, we all have our nuttiness! However, anyone will be able to relate to this family and the evening they share. Great little film! I will tell others to see it!