Simpson479

Working with only 1.5 million dollars, being a first time director, and the added pressure of a TV crew filming every move he made, Pete Jones' Stolen Summer is a gem. The story of an Irish child named trying to convert a young Jewish friend in 1970's Chicago is familiar territory for Pete Jones. Jones grew up in Chicago in the 70's as well and this is transparent. He beautifully catches the mood and setting of the time from the rainbow dixie cups to the electronic baseball it really sets the scene. The movie could have easily been a cheesy after-school special, but really excels into an earneset movie. The child actors play their parts well enough, but the film is carried by the strong acting of the adults. Irish parents, Bonnie Hunt and Aidan Quinn are perfect as is Kevin Pollak as the rabbi and father of the jewish child. Young Pete plaed by Adiel Stein learns in Catholic school, that he must finish certain obstacles to get into heaven, and feels that if he converts Jewish children to Catholics, they will get into heaven along with him. He decides that Danny the rabbi's son will be the one to convert. Against his fathers wishes he goes along with his training under the watchful eye of the rabbi who finds it amusing. They go through an "decathalon" to get into heaven. The movie goes into the racism of irish families in 70's Chicago not being too sugar coated. The film was well made, acted, and is a great sign of things to come for Pete Jones.

This movie is so bad there are not words to describe it. If I got a video camera of a monkey dancing for an hour and a half it would be a heck of a lot more entertaining than this. The plot is so dull and unimaginitive it is not even worth mentioning. The best part of the movie was when the credits roled and I got a chuckle out of knowing the lead actors name was James Bond III. Just trust me and stay far away from this trash heap!

What can I say? I am a HUGE Kevin Smith fan, and expected another instant classic from the writer/director of Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, and Dogma. I was not disappointed. What makes Kevin Smith's movies so good is that he doesn't rely on cheap sight gags like other teen comedies, he writes brilliantly clever dialogue that leaves everyone rolling in the aisles with laughter. Along with the rest of the fans at the sneak preview, I laughed for two hours straight. In this road comedy, every scene is packed with laughter and one great cameo after another. This movie follows two stoners, Jay and Silent Bob, on a trek to stop a movie about them from being made. With unforgettable stops along the way, especially smoking up in the Scooby Doo Mystery Van, this is the funniest movie in years! The cast in this movie is so packed, its hard to think of anyone that isn't in it. With EVERYONE from all of Kevin Smith's past movies there are so many great characters that are woven into the story. Thankfully many loose ends are tied up from past movies, like the monkey in the end of Mallrats. If you are a fan of Kevin Smith's movies or just like a great comedy, see this movie as soon as you can!