Editor’s note: this review ran last summer after the Tribeca Film Festival.
In Bad Shabbos, winner of the Tribeca Film Festival’s Audience Award in 2024, it’s Friday night on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, where the Jewish, recently engaged, people pleaser David (John Bass) is about to introduce the visiting parents of his non-Jewish fiancée Meg (Meghan Leathers) to his assembled family. Longstanding tension between the very particular, exacting Ellen (Kyra Sedgwick) and her exceedingly patient, future daughter-in-law (over Meg not being of the faith despite the fact that she’s converting) is just one of the conflicts going on.
Tightly wound daughter Abby (Milana Vayntrub), is fighting with her obnoxious boyfriend Benjamin (Ashley Zukerman), a guy she should have broken up with weeks before. He constantly harasses her maladjusted and socially awkward brother Adam (Theo Taplitz), Ellen and Richard’s (David Paymer) youngest child. Adam lives at home, coddled by Ellen (she reserves her sharp criticisms for her other children while Adam benefits from rationalizing) and easygoing David, who prefers to parent and resolve disagreements via lessons he’s picked up from the latest books he’s reading. Into the mix is Jordan (Cliff “Method Man” Smith), the beloved building doorman, friend of the family and pals with “the man”, Richie.
Before the guests are due, there’s an accidental death, followed by escalating, comedic frenzy as each person discovers the body and then, tries to create and carry out a plan to get rid of the body ahead of Meg’s parents John (John Bedford Lloyd) and Beth’s (Catherine Curtin) impending arrival. While everyone is panicked, both about body, trying to conduct a Shabbos meal and make a good impression, the unruffled Jordan (Method Man hilariously acquits himself in the role) goes really beyond his duties.
Directed by Daniel Robbins and co-written by Robbins and Zach Weiner, it’s a murder mystery almost as frothy as a vanilla egg cream. It’s breezy and a little too slapsticky, but the strong comedy ensemble elevates it. It’s great to have Sedgwick leading a movie again and seeing Paymer reminded me that I really wish he worked more regularly. I appreciated that there were actual Jewish actors playing the stereotypical, judgey and nebbishy Jewish parent moments.
Bad Shabbos opens Friday, August 8, at the West End Cinema in St. Louis Park.
