By MICHAEL ELKIN
Phila. Jewish Exponent

Uncle Arthur is a gentle Jewish giant, a meek man who pulls life's detritus from his pockets, offering wads of wastepaper as gifts -- his legacy to the world.

Uncle Arthur is a wizard of the unsung in "Unstrung Heroes," a bittersweet, sadly hopeful, heartfelt film now playing in the Bay Area.

The film details the relationship between a youngster and his two loony but lovable uncles, with whom he stays while his parents deal with the mother's terminal cancer.

"Unstrung Heroes" is a life-affirming comic drama based on a true story by Philadelphia-area writer Franz Lidz.

Actor Maury Chaykin is reaping great reviews as Arthur, the affable uncle whose pants pockets are stuffed with odds and ends. "What do I have in my pockets today? My pockets are bare," he chuckles.

Chaykin is an accomplished actor with 50 films to his credit, including "Dances With Wolves," "Twins" and "My Cousin Vinny." The actor relates to the role of uncle -- he plays the role in real life to nieces and nephews who consider him eccentric, too.

"My guess," says Chaykin, 46, "is that they think like that because here I am, not married, I'm single and traveling all over the world, and their parents are homebound with a different kind of lifestyle."

But don't mistake Maury for Arthur. The film version dwells in a 1950s-era apartment overwhelmed by piles of newspapers blaring old, forgotten headlines. ("We haven't had time to read them," says Arthur.) He shares life and memories with his more outgoing, more outlandish brother, Danny (Michael Richards, Kramer in "Seinfeld").

Their obsessive passion for discarded rubber balls -- culled from the sewers of the city because Arthur says they echo the sounds of children laughing -- is a reminder that luck has never bounced in the direction of these two sweet but sorrowful soulmates.

Into their everyday routine, filled with paranoia and terror, comes nephew Steven (Nathan Watt), a reminder of normalcy.

But instead of changing their perspectives, Steven goes through his own changes. He takes on a new, mysterious name (Franz, as in Franz Lidz) and becomes more aware of his Judaism while living with his odd but observant uncles.

(At one point, Uncle Danny says the campaign slogan "I Like Ike" is a code for "I hate kikes.")

Steven/Franz's metamorphosis is complete when he demands a bar mitzvah over the objections of his puzzled father, an unemotional inventor and confirmed atheist.

Chaykin believes in "Unstrung Heroes" and its power to illustrate the big picture of life: Families -- like heroes -- come in all shapes and sizes -- and neuroses.

So if the uncles of "Unstrung Heroes" are a little unstrung, does that make them less heroic in their ability to introduce Steven to a brave new world?

So what if they're a little crazy, laughs Chaykin. "Whose family isn't?"

It's all relative, notes the actor, who cites his own uncles as examples of the unconventional. "When I was a kid, they seemed to be living normal lives, but as I look at them now, they seem more eccentric."

What triggers that new outlook?

"Well, the fact that they carried guns," says Chaykin, adding that they lived in Brooklyn.

As did the young Chaykin, whose family was rooted in traditional Jewish values.

"My father was president of the synagogue and my mother was active in Hadassah," he says.

Chaykin was educated from kindergarten through high school at his synagogue's Hebrew school. That education offered lessons for life. What Chaykin learned "is still is a big part of me," he says.

Uncle Arthur is the actor's biggest part yet, in a career that started some 30 years ago in high school plays.

At the State University of New York at Buffalo, Chaykin formed a theatrical company with his buddies that caught worldwide attention.

Swamp Fox, named after the American Revolutionary hero, took a radical approach to drama. Its members produced, wrote and directed the productions.

Eventually, the company disbanded and Chaykin wound up in New York after graduation.

"I wasn't fond of the New York scene," says the actor. He remembers "working constantly but not making any money."

Chaykin found opportunities and some northern exposure by moving to Toronto, where he still lives.

Given his origins in theater, Chaykin never pictured himself a movie actor, but certainly enjoys that role now.

"I am extremely lucky in the kinds of roles I've been able to get," including parts in the just-released "Devil in a Blue Dress" and the upcoming "Cutthroat Island."

Carving out a niche for himself in the business has earned Chaykin respect. Among his admirers is at least one interested observer of "Unstrung Heroes."

"I met the actual Uncle Arthur, who came to the New York premiere," says Chaykin.

And what did he have to say?

"His reaction was, `So many scenes. One after another.'"

The real Uncle Arthur was wary of meeting Chaykin. "He thought he would have to pay me money for playing him," says the actor.

The real payoff for Chaykin is on the screen, in his tender performance of a man lost in time.

"I am very happy with my portrayal," says Chaykin. "I feel I have captured him -- although we look nothing alike."

The real Arthur "is about 81 and weighs about 80 pounds. He's a tiny man. He looks like a little elf."

And the chunky Chaykin, whose towering performance helps make "Unstrung Heroes" such a worthy film to watch?

"Me? I'm a big elf!"

San Francisco Jewish Community Publications Inc., dba Jewish Bulletin of Northern California