Review of The Hebrew Hammer (2003) by Jamie T — 07 Jan 2013

A little late to the party on this one. Originally a 5-minute student film, at 85 minutes it strains to fill its running time, not helped by the rather feeble story (the Jewish Atomic Clock plot seems to have been improvised on the spot) and the shaky timing.

The acting is disappointing as well, with Adam Goldberg, as the title character, rather uneven (he seems at times as frustrated with the script as I was), and Andy Dick, as the villain, displaying a lack of acting ability (he also seems to have improvised a fair amount of his dialogue).

Mario Van Peebles, however, seems to be having a blast as the head of the Kwanzaa Liberation Front, as does Sean Whalen as a demented Tiny Tim. The gimmicks come thick and fast, with some scoring (like the Hammer's ultra-Jewified Cadillac and the parody of SHAFT) and some decidedly not (the J.

A.C.; the diapered old cat owned by the Hammer's mother). For all this, it has its share of entertainment value, and pared down to an hour, say, with the weaker points removed, it could be a minor classic.