Stolen Summer (2002)

First of all, I am not Jewish. I am not Catholic. I am not from Chicago. That having been said, I have no personal prejudices concerning this movie. It's about a little Jewish boy who is very ill. His Catholic friend believes that Jews cannot go to Heaven and wants to help his friend achieve that goal. The way they go about it is a lot of fun. The Jewish boy has problems with his parents. The Catholic boy has problems with his father. I'll say no more. See it for yourself. I have watched this movie at least four times and have never tired of it. The story is funny, sad, angering and loving. It will never win any awards but you will thoroughly enjoy it if you have any heart at all.

I came to this film with no previous knowledge and no expectations, and I only knew about the involvement of Ben Afleck and Matt Damon when I saw their names in the opening credits. The film is generally harmless which uses the premise of a young catholic boy misguidedly trying to convert some Jewish people to Catholism. In the end the religions do not matter as the message is a message of togetherness and unity which can only be commended, however it is presented in a pretty saccharine way that Americans seem to love, and as usual in this manner even the poor do not seem that poor. The lead to boys are both okay in their roles as the main star of the film 'Patrick' is a bite ti cutesy for my liking but he handles the coming of age element okay. Other people have commented that there is an anti-Semitic element to this film but I did not see that and if anything I though the Jews came across better than the Catholics in the move. With nothing great to recommend it or nothing bad to put you off this film really is just mediocre. Would I watch it again, I do not think so but you may want to spend a rainy afternoon watching the film for the first time.

The movie may not be the best quality in its artistic concept but when you view the film for its contents, (honestly, there are lapses in the plot but I would like to understand the director) the movie has its magic spell for viewers who likes religious-themed films.The movie explores the facet not everyone would like to traverse - Christian and Jews and faith explained - through the heart and mind of an eight year old boy. When you watch the film, Christians are dazed and maybe, Jews too. Well, there's a bunch of good acting. The lead and the supporting acts are classic. There are short cuts in the story, but it doesn't matter. And the artistry, never mind, except that the director pointed out his message just right - not in the eyes, but in the heart. For film critics, this isn't your movie.

I thought Stolen Summer was competently done. The director, Pete Jones, was blessed with great performances from well known performers like Bonnie Hunt, Aidan Quinn, Kevin Pollak, and Brian Dennehy. The film explores the differences between Catholicism and Judaism seen through the eyes of a child. The child protagonist takes on the challenge of making sure a Jewish child goes to heaven. The story is set on the South Side of Chicago in the mid-70's and since I grew up in roughly that time I enjoyed the talk about the White Sox of that era. The authenticity overall is accurate, but the film lacks a spark. Watching an 8-year-old try to figure out some of the intricacies of life is a great idea for a story. I just think that the plot lacked any real surprises.