The first time I ever saw Jesse Eisenberg in a movie came when I went to see "The Squid and the Whale" in 2005. Coming out of the theater, I was impressed with the young star's obvious talent, and, just a few years later, he'd be up for an Oscar for his leading role in "The Social Network." But as it would turn out, that wasn't my first time being entertained by a member of the Eisenberg clan. It happened once before, though not on the big screen; instead, the venue was my living room, circa 1990.
With a little brother whose birthday is just a few days earlier than mine on the calendar, my parents would always double up our parties. In those early days, that meant small out-of-the-box get togethers at our suburban New Jersey house, with entertainment imported to keep kids busy long enough to distribute cake and party favors with a minimum of screaming and catastrophe. One year, we had a magician named Bruce Bray (who I sadly learned passed away this summer), and another year, it was a clown charged with the task of corralling minds yet to be dulled by public education.
That clown's name was Bonabini. She wore two different color shoes and had various goofy objects attached to her red jumpsuit. And while I've always hated clowns, this one was alright by me.
Of course, her real name wasn't Bonabini (though that'd also be good justification for wearing a disguise); it was Amy Eisenberg. Inevitably, my parents would end up, after the party, talking to Amy about their respective young children. She had a son, she said, named Jesse.
Quoth Jesse, now a 27-year old movie star, talking to reporters in August while promoting "30 Minutes or Less."
"She was really good. She has a really good command of how to entertain kids," he said. "She had a sweet quality when she was performing and it made the kids like her."
It's true. And I have photographic proof. Also, take note of just how dreadfully 80s that living room is, with the brown carpet and gigantic wooden box set television (sorry mom!).
