Cry nepotism all you like, but “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah,” now streaming on Netflix, transcends its Sandler family affair roots. What was clearly meant to be a showcase for comedian Adam Sandler’s youngest daughter Sunny, is, in fact, strengthened by the alleged nepotism.
A funny and heartwarming look at growing pains and friendship, the movie is made more relatable by its family vibe and a breakout performance from the so-called “nepo-baby.”
Adapted from Fiona Rosenbloom’s 2005 young adult novel of the same name, “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah,” stars Sunny Sandler and Samantha Lorraine as Stacy Friedman and Lydia Rodriguez, 12-year-old best friends navigating school, first crushes and their impending Bat Mitzvahs. Stacy spends her time practicing her Torah readings and prayers, planning her elaborate Bat Mitzvah (she wants a virgin mojito bar) and thinking about her secret, but all-consuming crush, on Hebrew school tween heartthrob Andy (Dylan Hoffman).
“Do you realize that one day he will be mine and you’ll have a cool boyfriend too,” Stacy says to Lydia, “and then we’ll have a joint wedding and move to adjoining lofts in Tribeca?”
“In Taylor Swift’s building!” adds Lydia excitedly.
Their girl-power bond is strained when Lydia’s reaction to Stacy’s failed attempt at impressing Andy only makes the humiliating situation worse. Their lifelong friendship is further tested when Lydia begins hanging out with the cool crowd and is cleaved into pieces when Stacy catches Lydia playing kissyface with Andy at a party. The lip-lock changes everything, including their long-held plans for their Bat Mitzvahs.
“You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah” is a charming coming-of-age story that breathes the same air as “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.” Like Judy Blume and John Hughes, director Sammi Cohen avoids any hint of nostalgia. This is a timeless, yet of the moment look at the all-or-nothing anxiety of adolescence, a time of heightened emotions, tight-yet-tenuous friendships and hard life lessons.
The film’s biggest strength are the leads, Sandler and Lorraine. Both hand in natural, effortless performances that capture the depth of their character’s friendship and fall-out. It’s often very funny and sometimes over-the-top, but every eye-roll and heartfelt moment feels authentic. It’s a breakout role for Sandler, who, after some small roles in her father’s films, proves she is capable of carrying a movie. Stacy changes over the course of the story, morphing from selfish preteen, to selfless friend. It’s not a new arc in young adult film, but Sandler pulls it off with humor and relatability.
The movie doesn’t break much new ground, the break-up-and-make-up story beats are somewhat predictable, but the sweet and sassy performances (including great supporting work by Sarah Sherman as the rambunctious Rabbi Rebecca) and genuine family vibe make “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah” a welcome addition to the Sandler Family catalogue.
“The Padre,” a neo-noir starring Nick Nolte, Tim Roth, Luis Guzmán and newcomer Valeria Henriquez, is the story of a trio of opportunists all headed to the same place, all searching for something different.
Henriquez is Lena, a young determined Columbian girl trying to find a way to get to Minnesota. “First God takes her parents, “ says a friend, “and then a family in Minnesota takes her sister. Like they bought her on the internet.” Lena sees the Padre (Roth), a white man with some money, as her ticket to the United States and being reunited with her sister. She becomes his apprentice, a toughie with an attitude and an aptitude for grifting. Hot on their heels are retired U.S. Marshall Nemes (Nick Nolte) and local cop Gaspar (Guzmán). For Nemes the hunt is as much personal as it is professional. “He needs to pay. Then I die happy. I lashed my hate to a spear I aimed at his heart,” he grumbles.
“The Padre” ambles its way through the lives of the main players, slowly closing the gap between the hunters and the hunted. The three above the title stars, Nolte, Roth and Guzmán, deliver in familiar roles—Nolte is once again the grizzled face of law enforcement, Roth is another skeevy character while Guzmán plays a convincing second fiddle—but it is Henriquez who steals the show. She is at once gritty and vulnerable, a girl born of poverty who has had to survive by her wits. Henriquez pulls it off and emerges as the film’s most interesting character.
Shot in Colombia, “The Padre” is beautiful looking, a sun-dappled noir that pops with colour. Director Jonathan Sobol has an eye for the locations, it’s just too bad the story isn’t as colourful as the setting.
Take one part “Key and Peele,” add the appeal of an internet cat video and you have “Keanu,” the new kitty caper comedy from Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele. The big screen debut of the sketch comedians isn’t purrfect but it has some furry funny moments.
At the beginning of the movie the Allentown Brothers (the heavily made-up Key and Peele) shoot up a drug lab, killing everyone inside. The only survivor is a kitten who makes a run for it, escaping the carnage and who, after a trek across Los Angeles, ends up at the doorstep of stoner photographer Rell (Peele). It’s fortuitous for both of them. The kitten needs a home and Rell, who was just dumped by his girlfriend, desperately needs a companion. By the time Rell’s pal, family man Clarence (Key) stops by, the lonely guy has bonded with the cat, now named Keanu. When Keanu is stolen in a burglary these two button-down guys take a walk on the wild side, tracking down Keanu’s new owner, gang leader Cheddar (Method Man). Taking the street names Shark Tank and Techtonic they infiltrate the gang, take drugs (“It’s like you’re smoking crack with God!”), get shot at and rescue the cat. “We in the market right now for a gangster pet.”
The SPCA is going to love “Keanu.” The cat hero isn’t exactly the main character, he’s more of an excuse for the action, but he may be the most memorable film feline since Blofeld’s cat. The stars of the show are Key and Peele who bring the strengths of their sketch show to the movie. Key’s facility with voices and words coupled with Peele’s elastic face keep things interesting in what is essentially a skit stretched to feature length.
Unlike me, who couldn’t resist some terrible cat puns while writing this review, K&P don’t go looking for the “purrpatrator” of the crime or anything like that. Instead the movie is a mix of down ‘n dirty jabs—for instance, the local strip club is called Hot Party Vixens or HPV—fish out of water gags, a brilliant celebrity cameo and a fixation on George Michael that borders on the pathological. Throw in a few shoot outs and some quirky characters—thanks to Will Forte as Rell’s pot dealer and Jason Mitchell as gang member Bud—and you have a movie that aspires to be a spiritual cousin of 80s action comedies like “Beverly Hills Cop” or “48 Hours.” It doesn’t quite scale those heights but there are enough laughs to keep things interesting, especially if you are a cat lover.
