Something tells me it might have something to do with Adam Sandler. Not only did his Happy Madison Productions produce, he plays the father of protagonist, Stacy, who is also played by his real-life daughter Sunny Sandler. In fact, the whole Sandler clan is featured: Older sister Sadie Sandler plays Stacy\u2019s big sis Ronnie, while matriarch Jackie Sandler plays the mom of Sunny\u2019s best friend (Samantha Lorraine). Idina Menzel, who played Sandler\u2019s long-suffering wife in Uncut Gems<\/em>, plays his less-suffering wife in this one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, it is a nepo-baby extravaganza, with big daddy Adam taking a leisurely backseat (he plays his old man as someone who\u2019d rather die than wear a suit \u2013 much like Sandler himself) while one of his own is front and center. I have a feeling that the elder Sandler may have wanted to shield his kids from any negative criticism (especially from those who\u2019ve had it in for him ever since he began his streak as the king of successful, dumb-ass comedies) before the movie came out. Given how Netflix has been a platform that has let Sandler do whatever, whether it\u2019s silly comedies or dramas that actually show off his skills as a seasoned actor<\/a>, he might have been concerned that people might see this as a Sandler family home movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Based on the 2005 YA novel by Amanda Stern (writing under the pseudonym Fiona Rosenbloom), Mitzvah<\/em> is basically some petty, preteen madness done in a respectfully Semitic fashion. When they\u2019re not learning how to be proper Jewish folk (SNL<\/em> weirdo Sarah Sherman kills it as their \u201ccool\u201d rabbi), Sunny and the rest of the underaged cast play it predictably puerile, trying to act like adults when they\u2019re still trying to figure out how to be teenagers. They may be Jewish, but they\u2019re still self-involved brats, hoping that their bar\/bat mitzvahs will be awesome events, complete with in-demand, balding party-starter DJ Schmuley (Ido Mosseri). But director Sammi Cohen, who did the queer, teen Hulu rom-com Crush <\/em>last year, takes Alison Peck\u2019s script and gives us another endearing story of young girls who love each other \u2013 just not in that<\/em> way.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mitzvah<\/em> plays more like a preteen Edge of Seventeen<\/em>, with Sunny\u2019s harried heroine going through a whole lotta mishegoss before ultimately realizing it\u2019s not all about her. Even if you\u2019re not Jewish, You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah<\/em> will take you back to those bad ol\u2019 days when anxiety fueled your adolescent brain, keeping you obsessed with being cool and popular instead of focusing on the things \u2013 and the people \u2013 that kept you fun and happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitvah” streams Friday on Netflix.<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/you-are-so2-scaled-1024x485.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
As someone who gives celebrity offspring a chance if they actually come with the goods, I was impressed by young Sunny, who goes through an emotional tailspin as she and her BFF try to come up with the best bat mitzvahs. Things get out of whack when her pal starts mingling with the popular crowd and an embarrassing situation in front of her crush (Dylan Hoffman) has her feeling humiliated. Things get even worse when her pal ends up dating her crush, which sends Stacy on the warpath. She not only disinvites her to her bat mitzvah (hence the title), but does some nefarious shit like spread a rumor about her ex-bestie and try to break up their courtship by volunteering at the same old folks\u2019 home her crush goes to see his grandma.<\/p>\n\n\n\nB<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n