Reuniting the Rubins

Grandmother Rubin has bought the family home where they all grew up. She wants her four grandchildren to come for Seder. When they finally show up for their grandmother and for their father, they don't rise to the occasion. They fight non stop. These kids are 40 something. They grew up in a lovely house, but none of them took care of it. The house is a wreck. The two other sons are religious fanatics; one an obsessive rabbi, and the other a guru who gives people words of wisdom. One great-grandchild is neglected and offers his father money to spend time with him. After witnessing her grandchildren fight, she blesses each of them. She goes upstairs to bed and by morning she has died. The guru's wife goes into labor. The father, keeps repeating, "They are too different to get along." No, they are too selfish to get along. They all want to do what they want to do and will never change. All situations in this film are depicting unpleasant people being themselves. I call that a documentary.

This is definitely one of my favourites of the year - a good. classic comedy with stonkingly good performances particularly from Tim Spall who always was good at social comedy.

The plot has Jewish mother and Grandmother (a feisty Honor Blackman) wish to see her son's four children reunited for Pesach - Passover. Of course, they're not on talking terms with each other - one's a career fanatic, the other a Chasidic Rabbi, the third has rejected his roots and become a Buddhist monk, and finally, a daughter, who works in Africa and is intent on saving the world.

The only thing that was slightly off-kilter was the subplot about the mining and the display. Otherwise this is a terrific comedy with some real laughs, a few tears, and even some spirituality. Above all though, this is a very fine social comedy about family.

A fun film with good performances.

I took my family to watch this movie and all of us left the cinema feeling positively uplifted and that much closer as a family unit. I have to say that this is not the type of movie I would usually go to watch so I was pleasantly surprised by this thoroughly enjoyable movie. It is a great performance all round from the whole crew, the film was very well casted and has some fantastic actors, the soundtrack is really good and I am looking forward to watching Yoav Factor's next film. All in all the movie promotes fantastic family moral values in a highly entertaining and humorous way. I thoroughly recommend this film to all audiences, especially families and will most likely watch it a number of times myself.

Reuniting the Rubins places itself very much in Woody Allen territory, with one disaster after another striking Lenny Rubins as his unruly children and matriarchal mother reek havoc upon his travel plans. Yet all is resolved amidst much joviality and after numerous twists in which these endearing characters play out their various "missions" until, like a good tragic comedy, order and harmony are restored. Reuniting the Rubins is well written and beautifully observed slice of Jewish family life, and one doesn't have to be Jewish (I'm not) to appreciate the subtleties of character and the playfulness and fun that went into the making of this film.

Possibly the worst movie I've ever wasted almost 2 hours of my life watching. It is clearly a film made for a Jewish audience (yes my family is too!) and I can't see any other people considering this as comedy!

I do not normally watch a film because of the cast members but this was one such occasion - what a mistake. Why would an actor like Tim Spall be associated with this garbage - money I suppose!

The whole concept is quite ludicrous, and Spall seems completely wrong for the part - his character is simply Tim Spall! Honor Blackman as an elderly Jewish mother is a little more plausible.

I think the director, Yoav Factor, might have done better with a Jewish cast but preferably a different topic altogether!