I don't know if this would be classified as a spoiler, but the scene at the funeral where Leo is speaking about his father and starts breaking down was absolutely a genuinely superb acting job by Mr. Riegert. I lost it there. Being an actor myself, you sometimes reach for associated accounts in your life to use in your role, and that is what appeared to be the case in that scene. If I were a producer, I would look for properties that I could suggest to Mr. Riegert. Many fine roles were filled with very competent actors. I was impressed by the perfection of casting. This is a finely written and directed film and Mr. Riegert should be very proud of his achievement here. I have always been impressed with his work, but I shall now look forward to his next venture.

It wasn't perfect but it was enjoyable, and contained many situations that we could identify with. It's a shame that Peter is having such a hard time getting this film widely distributed when there's so much garbage out there. Eli Wallach was wonderful. On a negative side, I thought casting Bogosian as a Rabbi was a horror although it was meant to be satiric and Harris Yulin was perfect as his boss. My wife and I thought that the idea of having Leo ( or Peter Riegert) admit to Betsy's husband that they had just had sex was kind of ridiculous --- no one in his right mind does that and Leo was not nuts, he was just a little mixed up. You can see how bright he was when he was in his focus groups, and the security phone with Gregory Peck's voice was a riot.

the film is excellent. based on a great book of short stories "bad jews and other stories" which i read and enjoyed in 2003. the film combines elements from two of those short stories into a compelling drama which is both really really funny, and poignant. if you have a father, or a daughter, or a wife, or a job, it will resonate with you. if you have none of the above, it will still resonate with you. great characters and performances by a top notch cast. and a hilarious Gregory Peck bit. bogosian is maybe the best rabbi on film since the frisco kid. the only reason i don't give it a 10 is because that rating is reserved for Xanadu and Xanadu alone.

Looking into the life of a man in his 50's is always fascinating and seldom done in movies (think About Schmidt) because it isn't considered marketable. This movie avoids clichés, stereotypes, etc., with respect to resolving conflicts. It's based on a compilation of two great short stories and the screenplay is equally intelligent. I want to go buy the book of short stories now. A great cast of actors who will do a film for low dough because the material is so good. Peter Riegert, especially, is always someone who can give depth and humanity to any performance, and it really comes through here. (Why this guy can't get a reading/screen test these days when they are casting f%*&g Paris Hilton in feature films is beyond me. I guess Hollywood moguls really operate like the slime balls in 'Player.' Most of all, this film is hilarious! I don't think I've laughed so hard in a long time. I can't go into details on the humor because it will spoil the movie for those who haven't seen it. Check it out!!!!