You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah Review
Streaming Movie Review - Netflix
I grew up in Adam Sandler’s heyday, when it was hard to go to the movies without a Sandler comedy gracing the big screen. He didn’t always get critical acclaim, but his movies resonated with audiences. In the past decade, he has shifted toward more dramatic roles that have had more critical success, but have had less connection with more general audiences. This time, he is starring in Sammi Cohen’s latest movie, “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah,” streaming on Netflix right now.
Stacy Friedman (Sunny Sandler) is preparing for her Bat Mitzvah with her best friend Lydia Rodriguez (Samantha Lorraine). They have been making plans since they were young, picking out themes, thinking about dresses, figuring out what it means to be a woman. In the midst of preparing for this major ceremony, they are also navigating middle school crushes, friendships, and figuring out what it means to be a woman. When Lydia starts dating Stacy’s crush Adam Goldfarb (Dylan Hoffman), the girls have to find a way to make everything in their life fit beyond the neat little boxes they have. With the help of her parents Bree (Idina Menzel) and Danny (Adam Sandler), as well as Rabbi Rebecca (Sarah Sherman), maybe they can find a way to repair the rift that has opened between them.
This was a genuinely sweet movie. There has been a lot of talk about nepo-babies, or people who have a career because of a family member, and this is a prime example, but Sandler using his real daughters as his stage daughters works. They are able to create a sense of family that is authentic because it is, and it works.
The performances from the young actors in this movie are all quite good, particularly from Sunny Sandler. The bulk of the story falls to her and she brings both humor and heart to her characterization. While this movie relies heavily on its young cast, the older actors help ground the story. They hit a nice balance of out of touch without being cartoonish, something that often happens in teen movies.
The story itself is very grounded in its Jewishness in both its cast and the story, while also being relatable to a wide audience. Sometimes films try to appeal to everyone by making the story more generic, but a well-told niche story can find its way to a broad audience, and writer Alison Peck does a nice job of showing the way that this story is accessible to anyone, regardless of their background.
It is always interesting to me to watch the trajectory of actors I have watched most of my life. Watching Adam Sandler hand the reins over to his daughter in this movie feels like a big moment, and I’m glad that we all got an invitation to the party.
This review originally appeared in The Dominion Post on September 2, 2023.
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