The Samuel Project

The movie The Samuel Project directed & written by Marc Fusco is about Grandfather Samuel ( Hal Linden) , his son Robert ( Michael Silver.. from TV Royal Pains)and his 17 yr old grandson Eli( Ryan Ochoa). Eli lives with dad and has typical teenage mannerisms . Eli is an artist and loves to draw. Robert works as a realtor and is always busy buying and selling houses and has average fathering skills. But Robert is a good listener and talks to his son about the significance of education and value of academic degree. Eli's mom left when Eli was a baby. Grandfather Samuel lives alone and has his own dry cleaning business. Robert makes it a point to visit Samuel regularly and tells his son about the importance of visiting dad. Eli does not particularly like spending time with granddad Samuel because they have nothing much in common and nothing to say to each other. But Eli is a good son and a very nice human . Eli is interested in everything he sees and listens. He realizes his granddad Samuel was born in Germany and lived through the war and landed in San Diego years back. Eli chooses his grandfather's life to be the project for his class and works with his teammate Kasim (acted by Mateo Arias) who is obsessed with rock music and has no interest in working with his dad who works as a butcher in his own shop. The movie is directed very well. Excellent acting. It is nice to see clean teenagers focused on their hobbies and ambitions. Ryan Ochoa is perfect for the role of Eli and his acting is Oscar worthy.

I've seen TSP twice on the big screen and let me tell you, it's beyond amazing! It's inspirational, heart warming and it's for the entire family. The Samuel Project was beautifully written, I laughed, I cried and yes both times, it tells a story about Eli who has to do a art project for a class and he chooses his Grandfather Samuel which he learns that he was born in Germany and lived through the war. I can relate to Eli in so much especially that both our grandfathers names are Samuel, both times I've seen it, it reminded me of how much I miss hearing my grandparents stories and just being with them. The second time I went to go see it at the San Diego International Film Festival I went with my dad and my two Nephews, I loved seeing them three watch this incredible story together melted my heart, it couldn't be more perfect for a grandfather and his two grandchildren. Mikey (3 in a half years old) and Aiden (almost 2 years old) loved it as well as my dad did, Hal Linden is phenomenal as Samuel and Ryan Ochoa is phenomenal as Eli and they both gave a excellent performance. So what are you waiting for? Grab a box of tissues, purchase a ticket, buy some popcorn and enjoy this Oscar worthy film with Oscar worthy actors.

The film was beautifully written and the script was well acted. When a piece of art can evoke so much emotion, you know you've got a winner! I don't know if I cried more or laughed more because I was all over the place. The Samuel Project looked like it had a multi-million dollar budget. Hal Linden is a great actor and the younger cast members were great as well.Loved it and would definitely see again.

It was reminiscent of an after school special, but with profanity. I was mostly bored by it. If the subject matter appeals to in particular then go see it. Otherwise, there are other ways to spend 90 minutes.

This movie was OK, but it had all a feel of after school movie. At times, too, I wondered if it was an advertisement for Apple, displaying the interaction between an iPhone, an iPad, and a Mac computer. Almost a Disney feel to the movie. Nothing objectionable, just not anything that interesting. The plot has been done before, too.