An old school dad is as tough on his sons as his father is on him. On this night, however, one of the boys slips dad a dose of special, hallucinogenic ecstasy in order "to give him a new perspective."
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Honestly I'd rate this closer to about an 8.5 but since they don't offer halves here on IMDb I'll round it up, it's just that great. It's rare that I find movies that have such a positive effect on me, and I've been fortunate enough to find two within a week of each other - first was THE MAN FROM EARTH, and then came this wonderfully quirky little film.THE MAN FROM EARTH, although completely different in story and plot, shares many similar areas with WHEN DO WE EAT?, in that they both cover a lot of spiritual ground. I'm not personally religious but was born Jewish, so even though I never sat through an "actual" seder I can relate to a lot of the humor and even recognize some of the stereotypes presented among my extended family.I can honestly say I've never seen ANY movie quite like WHEN DO WE EAT?, although I agree with the comparisons to MY BIG FAT Greek WEDDING, I personally found it most similar to BIG NIGHT, one of my all-time favorites, particularly in the massive preparation of a meal, all the family struggles, and just the general emotion and tone of the two films. But WHEN DO WE EAT? also brings in two other great subjects, neither of which are usually handled too well in other films: DRUGS and RELIGION. Regarding drugs, I definitely appreciated the subtle humor throughout and all of the winking references to marijuana and psychedelic culture. The whole segment where the father was "rolling" on ecstasy was just priceless, and the way he used the experience to repair his personal problems within his family was just beautiful and really moved me. The father's spiritual awakening (or re-awakening) as a result of this experience, and the entire last half of the film felt incredibly genuine and truly inspired me (again, similar to THE MAN FROM EARTH).As another reviewer said, the humor was flying fast and furious throughout this movie with barely any breathing room. This frenetic pace did (at times) feel a bit TOO forced but overall I really enjoyed this movie, and will definitely watch it again (and again) as I share this with my friends and try to appreciate all that this movie has to offer. To the crew that put this one together: Thanks for creating something really different!
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?
'When Do We Eat?' has what all the great comedy films have, at least in my opinion...a great ensemble cast. That's what really works in great situation comedy, be it a theatrical film or in television. You can visit the When Do We Eat web site for a great trailer, so I won't go into the details or premise of the film, as I'm sure many others here have. Suffice to say, if you want great laughs, and a 'go away feeling good' film go and see When Do We Eat. Oh (minor spoiler), loved the 'halucination' scenes and oh yeah great sound track! As I think someone else said, it was good to see 'ol Jack Klugman gravely voice and all. He still has it!
One would think that watching a Jewish family celebrating a Seder in America would be rather dull but "When Do We Eat" is anything but dull. It is very well written with lots of that great Jewish humor spread all the way through. "When Do We Eat" does a great job within the ninety minutes of developing in some detail each character in the family, and there definitely are some characters within this family. The actors seemed to have had a lot of fun doing the filming and it shows in the great performances they turned in. There are a lot of different twists and turns as the action unfolds all the way through the film. My only faulting of this movie is that it is over to soon. I could see "When Do We Eat" as being the start of a funny, lite-hearted comedy series on television. If you enjoy lite-hearted comedy and want a good laugh.... this is a must see.