m12 D ) Without HH H _r ° 11 IA/ LC--7-Ez- 4 1 $85°° (feeds 6-8 people) DINNER INCLUDES to know why the actors have to be so obviously Jewish. "I'm gentile:' he says. "You don't see me going around saying, look at my foreskin:" For Your- Consideration isn't totally in the mock documentary format of Guest and Levy's other films. The Purim film within the film is totally scripted, but the rest is totally improvised, like its predecessors. How did Levy, 59, and Guest, 58, come up with Home for Purim? Levy isn't sure. "It actu- ally was one of the first things that we came up with when we started working on the film. It's on the first page of the notes. I don't know why or how. Maybe it's that thing you were alluding to before — that not too far under the skin, the things you find amusing are closer to home than you think they are. "It is kind of a funny title for a movie. I remember when [we] used to go out to eat [and] had bad ser- vice, someone would say, `I hope I get my meal before Purim:" Ontario-Bred Levy was born and raised in Hamilton, Ont. His father was a fore- man on an automobile assembly line, and his mother was a homemaker. He spent most of his life in an area that had only two other Jewish families. "I grew up in a very gentile world, and that was the world I knew — except that I was different because I was Jewish," he says. He remembers feeling mostly odd that while other kids went out to play, he had to go to Hebrew school after regular school. "It was always kind of odd — well, maybe not overly odd — that what I remember most from Hebrew school is that no one could control the kids in the classroom. There wasn't much they could do to make the kids calm down. They would always threaten. But not in a menacing way. The rab- bis were sweet guys, but they were someone's grandfather who came in to teach." Midway through high school, Levy's family moved to the west end of Hamilton, the city's Jewish sec- tion, and "I found myself in a differ- ent kind of social setting," he says. "My social scene started to get more Jewish in the sense that all the parties I was going to were now all Jewish. Everybody was Jewish. "I don't know that it affected me one way or the other. I don't think it stuck in the sense that I never grew up honestly feeling that I had to date Jewish women or keep my life kosher." Levy attended but did not graduate from Hamilton's McMaster University. He spent lots of time working in the college's film and theater society — and not enough time in class. Among the people he attended school with were Martin Short and film director Ivan Reitman, who cast Levy in his first film. In the end, of course, the time spent on extracurricular activities was well spent. Levy has become one of Hollywood's premier comic actors — not, as he is quick to note, a come- dian. "I have this thing when I'm doing a talk show and I'm introduced as comedian Eugene Levy. There is an expectation that I have to be funny as a stand-up, and I'm not. My comedy comes through characters. People expect me to be funny, and some- times I am, but I always feel pres- sure." Where Levy excels is in bringing comedic gravitas to films that might otherwise be considered stupid. Consider his role in the American Pie movies. In one of the most talked-about scenes, Levy walks into a room and catches his son in a compromising position with a baked good. He turns out to be supportive of the boy, and one of the funniest scenes in the movie is at the same time oddly touching. Similarly, while Steve Martin does his physical shtick in Bringing Down the House, it is Levy who makes believable a love between a small Jewish man and a large black woman (Queen Latifah). Was that the first time he got the girl? "I think that was the first time," he replies. Does that mean he now is up for sex symbol roles? "I don't like to flaunt it." I 1 For Your Consideration, rated PG-13, opens Wednesday, Nov. 22, in Detroit-area theaters. • 10-12 pound turkey oven baked or Cajun Fried • • Mario's Special Salad • Mashed Potatoes • Corn Bread Stuffing • • Sweet Potatoes • Homemade Gravy • Green Beans • • Cranberry Sauce • Mario's Special Pumpkin Pie • • Mention this ad when picking up • Pick up Troy or Detroit and get a free Holiday Gift! RESERVE YOUR THANKSGIVING DINNER NOW! Thanksgiving Brunch Available in Troy 11:00 - 4L0 pm $1 7.95 per person children 12 & under FREE RESTAURANT OF TROY CALL DESIREE 248.588.6000 RESTAURANT OF DETROIT CALL CHRISTINE 313.832.1616 • 4222 Second St • Detroit 1477 John R Rd. at Maple • Troy 184670 DETROIT'S ORIGINAL HOLIDAY TRADITION! DETROIT Homo at Michigan Opera Theatre Joffrey Ballet Robert Joffrey's Glorious Production Gerald Arpino's Thrilling Choreography Tchaikovsky's breathtaking score! November 30-December 3, 2000 Performances: Thu., Nov. 30, 7:30 pm 7:30 pm Dec. 1, Fri., 2:00 pm Sat., Dec. 2, 7:30 pm Sat., Dec. 2, Sun., Dec. 3, 12:00 pm 5:00 pm Sun., Dec. 3, Production Sponsor COMPUWARE ASK ABOUT OUR "FAMILY MATINEE PACKAGE" For Saturday and Sunday matinee performances Includes: ticket, buffet lunch, face painting ft participation in the "Sugar Plum Parade" FOR TICKETS, CALL 313-237-SING or visit www.michiganopera.org For Group Sales Call 313-237-3409 DAIMLERCHRYSLER DalmierChryslor Corporation Fund 2006-07 Dance Series The Sunday, December 3 performance Is sponsored by JPMorganChase 0 (It I trf, Media Sponsor The Detroit News New you know, November 16 • 2006 1165150 41