What I watched last night.....

From its website: "When Do We Eat?" is the story of the "world's fastest Seder" gone horribly awry. It's about an old school dad (Michael Lerner) who's as tough on his sons as his father (Jack Klugman) is on him. On this night, however, one of the boys (Ben Feldman) slips Dad a dose of special, psychedelic Ecstasy in order "to give him a new perspective."

Meanwhile, Mom (Lesley Ann Warren) brings a handsome stranger to dinner and the kids take sides. By the end of the night, however, Dad's visions turn him into a modern day Moses intent on leading this hungry group to the promised land of family forgiveness.

Of course they're all so stubborn, it'd be easier to part the Red Sea.

I know it is out of season, but as I was looking for an 'on demand' movie this title jumped out at me. I had never heard of it, I am not sure it made it into major release, but since I have been writing a play about a seder for a couple years now, I said what the hell and ordered it.

This is a great movie. Even if you have never been to a seder, you would be able to get the underlying message-- no matter how disfunctional, families are what connect us all and us to God.

THis movie does a great job of showing how seder is about freedom from bondage, the bondage of material things, emotional hurts, sins, slavery, genocide, and even our own self-doubts. It also does a great job of making the point that seder is for everyone, and that seder is outside linear time.

Just like seder it is layered with meanings. On the surface it is a screwball comedy, in the middle it is a universal heartwarming family story, and underneath it all it is a wonderful theological statement about own human connection to God.