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Movies / On DVD / Stolen Summer
Stolen Summer

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Stolen Summer (2002)

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Reviews Counted:57

Fresh:20

Rotten:37

Average Rating:5/10

Consensus: Stolen Summer feels like a sugary after-school special stretched out to feature length.

Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: After being selected as the winner of the PROJECT GREENLIGHT screenwriting contest, Pete Jones got the chance to make his script, STOLEN SUMMER, into a film while an HBO crew taped the process for... After being selected as the winner of the PROJECT GREENLIGHT screenwriting contest, Pete Jones got the chance to make his script, STOLEN SUMMER, into a film while an HBO crew taped the process for a reality TV series. The film tells the story of an Irish Catholic boy, Pete (Adi Stein), growing up in 1976 Chicago. Pete becomes concerned that, as one nun at school has repeatedly told him, he's going to go to hell. He decides that the way into heaven is to convert Jews to Catholicism and makes that his mission. The understanding Rabbi Jacobsen (Kevin Pollak) appreciates Pete's interest in religion and encourages Pete on his "quest." Their lives are further intertwined when a fire breaks out at the rabbi's house, and Pete's father, Joe (Aidan Quinn), a fireman, saves the life of the rabbi's son, Danny (Mike Weinberg). Danny and Pete become friends and think up ways for Danny to be accepted into heaven. STOLEN SUMMER demonstrates Jones' genuine talent as a filmmaker, particularly in the strong performances, while his moving script captures a boy's perspective on friendship and religious belief. STOLEN SUMMER was produced by actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, co-creators of PROJECT GREENLIGHT. [More]

Starring: Adi Stein, Mike Weinberg, Aidan Quinn, Kevin Pollak

Starring: Adi Stein, Mike Weinberg, Aidan Quinn, Kevin Pollak, Bonnie Hunt, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Brian Dennehy, Ryan Kelley, Lindsay Light

Director: Pete Jones

Director: Pete Jones
Screenwriter: Pete Jones
Producer: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Chris Moore, Patrick Peach
Composer: Danny Lux
Studio: Miramax Films

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Stolen Summer

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1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

The young stars are too cute; the story and ensuing complications are too manipulative; the message is too blatant; the resolutions are too convenient.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
12/31/02
Ryan Cracknell
Ryan Cracknell
Apollo Guide
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
08/23/02
Arizona Republic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Blunt Review | comment Comment
04/07/02
Emily Blunt
Emily Blunt
Blunt Review

Plays out with a dogged and eventually winning squareness that would make it the darling of many a kids-and-family-oriented cable channel.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
03/22/02
Jay Carr
Jay Carr
Boston Globe
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
03/24/02
Boston Phoenix

Jones has tackled a meaty subject and drawn engaging characters while peppering the pages with memorable zingers.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
03/08/02
Annlee Ellingson
Annlee Ellingson
Boxoffice Magazine

A delightful surprise because despite all the backstage drama, this is a movie that tells stories that work -- is charming, is moving, is funny and looks professional.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
03/22/02
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Stolen Summer is no disaster, though. It's merely one more misfire fortunate enough to attract actors like Bonnie Hunt and Aidan Quinn, who almost make it work.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
01/30/02
Michael Wilmington
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed

Ultimately ... the movie is too heady for children, and too preachy for adults.

Full Review Source: Citysearch | comment Comment
03/22/02
Justin Hartung
Justin Hartung
Citysearch

Nearly all the fundamentals you take for granted in most films are mishandled here.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
06/27/02
Tom Maurstad
Tom Maurstad
Dallas Morning News
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News | comment Comment
08/09/02
Robert Denerstein
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News

Ill-considered, unholy hokum.

Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
05/03/02
Terry Lawson
Terry Lawson
Detroit Free Press

It's earnest, if weighed down by drippy sentiments.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
03/21/02
E! Online

Stolen Summer isn't a home run, but it's a solid line drive up the middle.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
03/19/02
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper

Pete’s screenplay manages to find that real natural, even-flowing tone that few movies are able to accomplish.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
03/20/02
Erik Childress
Erik Childress
eFilmCritic.com

Not nearly as entertaining as the behind-the-scenes stories.

comment Comment
04/03/05
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
eFilmCritic.com

The background and conditions under which this film (part of HBO's Proejct Greenlight) was produced and documented (with step-by-step accuracy, humor, and cynicism, and self-importance) overshadow by far its underwhelming artistic merits; it's a clunker

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
02/09/07
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Taken on its own, Jones' first feature is a small thing, and no indicator of what he might do in the future with the TV lights turned off.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
03/21/02
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
09/18/02
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
all

Latest News for Stolen Summer

September 19, 2005: Fox Demands to See Farrellys "Hall Pass"
Pete Jones' spec script for the comedy "Hall Pass" has been picked up by Fox, and the moviemakers are looking to hand it over to professional yuksters Peter &... More...

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