Unlike so many recent movies, 'Returning Mickey Stern' doesn't telegraph how things are going to turn out -- and that's refreshing.
Comment
04/09/03
Returning Mickey Stern (2005)
31
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:13
Fresh:4
Rotten:9
Average Rating:4.4/10
Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Mickey Stern travels to Fire Island--the place where he met his sweetheart 50 years ago--in this sweet-natured comedy. Looking to revive his ailing fortunes, Mickey discovers that the island hasn't... [More]
Starring: Joseph Bologna, Tom Bosley, Connie Stevens, Renee Taylor
Director: Michael Prywes
Reviews for Returning Mickey Stern
1 - 15 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
Aptly billed as 'a new old movie' ...proof that sentiment and saccharine need not necessarily go hand in hand.
04/28/03
Those who are looking for something a little old-fashioned will be greatly rewarded.
05/15/03
The always-watchable Bologna is the adhesive holding together this slight and gentle romantic comedy, lending it perhaps more conviction and authority than the material warrants.
04/25/03
Returning Mickey Stern is a sweet, well-intended picture, but like its title character, it is not quite good enough for the big leagues.
04/25/03
Top CriticFor all of its complex exposition and brimming biographical detail, it feels more like a cheaply shot film-class project than a real movie.
04/26/03
A sweet "new old comedy" that is heavy on nostalgia and light on making waves.
03/24/03
A would-be magical romantic comedy whose execution doesn't live up to the cleverness of its central conceit.
05/07/03
Top CriticHigh shtick content: Enter these waters at your own risk.
04/25/03
Far from being charming, there's something grotesque about a desperate older man playing matchmaker to a pair of young would-be lovers, then peering at them from behind bushes and pumping each for the intimate details of their trysts.
04/24/03
A bland romantic comedy that comes up short on both laughs and love.
04/24/03
Top CriticReturning Mickey Stern barely gets off first base, although the quaint Fire Island setting makes it easy on the eye.
04/25/03
The notion of grievingly happening upon your dead beloved, young and lovely again, is simple and potent, but the film's airless amateurism, belabored ethnicism ('Oy gevalt!'), and trite dialogue kill it in the water.
04/22/03
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05/15/03
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04/23/09
Top Critic1 - 15 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
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