Stolen Summer MPAA Rating: PG Entertainment: +3 Content: +2

Eight-year-old Pete OMalley (Adi Stein) ends the second grade in the Catholic school with warnings from the nun that he should spend his summer deciding whether to choose the devil or choose Jesus. That remark sends young Pete on a quest to redeem himself by saving the Jews in the neighborhood synagogue. Rabbi Jacobsen (Kevin Pollack) befriends Pete and even allows him to give away lemonade on the temple steps as a way to win Jews over to Christianity. Soon Pete meets the rabbis son, Danny (Mike Weinberg), who is fighting leukemia and wanting to be sure he is going to heaven. Petes Irish parents (Aidan Quinn and Bonnie Hunt) and the Jewish Jacobsens find themselves in the center of an awkward religious dilemma. But Danny and Pete devise their own plan to assure a place in heaven. STOLEN SUMMER, set in Chicago in 1976, will bring laughs and tears as these two innocent young boys steal your heart.

The question, . . .and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?, from Micah 6:8 or even John 3:16 might have helped Pete in his quest to save Dannys soul. But 8-year-old Petes misguided, heartfelt tests designed for his frail friend to prove his worthiness, and Dannys determination to pass the tests would, no doubt, put a smile on Gods face. The OMalleys are a loving family but Dads Irish temper and beer drinking, trigger arguments with Patrick (Eddie Kaye Thomas), his teenage son who wants to go to college. Although some may find her discipline objectionable, Mom is the no-nonsense referee, who smacks her kids on the mouth when they say bad words and supports Patricks dream of becoming a doctor. The PG rating reflects the use of two strong profanities, along with a few obscenities and crudities; however there are no f- or s-words spoken. The good news about STOLEN SUMMER is that, ultimately, the boys embody the message of Micah 6:8 without even knowing it. With a warning about some crude langauge, the more mature story in STOLEN SUMMER can be enjoyed by ages 12 and older.

Preview Reviewer: Mary Draughon
Distributor: Miramax Films, 375 Greenwich St., NY, NY 10013