Director and writer Daniel Robbins was looking for a different kind of comedy when producer Adam Mitchell had an idea that he had never seen done on screen before. Robbins, who is a Modern Orthodox graduate of the Ramaz day school on Manhattan’s Upper East Side and Westchester Day School in Mamaroneck, N.Y., was hooked when he heard an idea.
“Co-writer Zack Weiner has these very crazy lively Shabbat dinners on the Upper West Side with his family,” Robbins told JNS. “His mom—to keep things light when entertaining—will sometimes prank a guest. So, the producer, Adam Mitchell, heard about these pranks and asked what would happen if one of these pranks ended up with someone dying. Zach said that could be a pretty funny movie. I agreed.”
He said some pranks of Weiner’s mother included serving soup in shot glasses and courses on very small plates.
“Bad Shabbos” stars Milana Vayntrub, who many will recognize from the AT&T commercials as Lily Adams. Here, she plays Abby, a woman who has some issues with her boyfriend, Benjamin, played by Ashley Zukerman, who made his presence felt on Max TV’s “Succession” and the Netflix trilogy “Fear Street.”
Abby’s brother, David (Jon Bass), is rather anxious since he is engaged to Meg (Meghan Leathers), and her Catholic parents are coming over for Shabbat dinner. Abby and David’s brother, Adam, supports the Israeli army but has to take medication to help with a particular issue. Parents Richard and Ellen (David Paymer and Kyra Sedgwick) exhibit more than a few idiosyncrasies, including Richard quoting the Talmud in a manner that may or may not be correct. The mostly Jewish cast is quite able to pronounce the guttural Hebrew “ch” sound without a problem.
While a point of worry about such a substantial meal, especially when meeting new relatives, might be about an overcooked kugel or a brisket that’s too tough, in this case, somebody dies … and chaos ensues.
The nearly 90-minute movie debuted at the Tribeca Film Fest last June, where it won the Audience Award, and has also picked up prizes from festivals in Miami; Boston; and Sedona, Ariz.
It’s being screened at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan on April 15 at 7 p.m. and is showing this spring in theaters nationwide.
‘A real tightrope’
Why hasn’t there been a Shabbat comedy before?
“It’s such a good question,” Robbins said. “I don’t know, but that was part of the impetus of making it. We just wanted to make an authentic depiction of Shabbos in a Modern Orthodox house and show what that energy is like. We know it’s so well. If we could mix that with a dead-body thriller, we knew it could be a funny movie.”
He added that “I don’t know why Shabbos movies don’t exist. It seems like some would be leaning into it as an excuse—you know, you can’t use phones, and there are other restrictions. So far, we stand alone in the genre.”
Robbins said his goal was to make a positive Jewish movie that had to be balanced against the fact that in a comedy where most of the characters were Jewish, there would be exaggerations and wacky things happening.
“That was a real tightrope,” Robbins said. “There are some negative depictions of Jews. I love Judaism and the traditions.”
Robbins said while he enjoyed other related ethnic-centered films like “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” and “Meet the Parents,” some comedies he has found forced and inauthentic.
As for his movie, “I shot it in a real apartment on the Upper West Side,” Robbins said. “I feel like a lot of comedies feel fake. The more real it is, the funnier it is. Every item and person had to go up one elevator. Even a big New York City apartment is pretty small when you have to fit 30 people.”
Robbins added that he knew Vayntrub before her commercials and was aware of her comedic talent, and that since she is Jewish as well, “it was an obvious choice.”
Some may be surprised to see rapper Method Man, whose real name is Clifford Smith, playing a doorman who is much more helpful than most. “I didn’t think we’d be able to get him,” Robbins said. “We sent him the script, and he was down to make the movie. He killed it.”
In a rare sighting, Adam (Theo Taplitz) lifts weights while wearing an Israel Defense Forces T-shirt, although he is a character who likely would never get through basic training.
‘A battle worth fighting’
“Bad Shabbos” features characters who correctly recite the blessings made for lighting the Shabbat candles, and, donned in yarmulkes, the blessing over the wine, which is more than can be said for many Hollywood films.
The film, which won the Audience Award at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival, consistently gets laughs for one scene where Paymer and Bass ad-libbed part of a scene, explained Robbins. In the script, he wrote that in an effort to distract Meg’s parents from not seeing something incriminating, Paymer makes up a fake blessing. He said Paymer sold it well, as did Bass, who on the spot mimicked it to give the feeling that they’d done it before.
The director hopes that people are entertained, but he says he would also be happy to generate interest in the Sabbath after seeing the film.
“It would be great if people could learn about Shabbos through the movie,” Robbins said.
The late chief rabbi of England, Jonathan Sacks, he said, noted that “it’s the best tradition in Judaism and has kept us around for so long. Just the idea of the whole family gathering together and turning their phones off would be nice. I don’t like to comment too much thematically, but I guess I would say a takeaway is getting along with your family could be a battle sometimes, but it’s a battle worth fighting.”
Thank you for this piece!
I grew up in Mamaroneck, NY and attended Westchester Jewish Center until I was about 16. I had my bat mitzvah there, was in the Junior choir and attended Hebrew and Sunday school there regularly. Can’t wait to watch all of the episodes of “Bad Shabbos” and thanks for sharing.