Iran’s Attack on Israel
7 min read
Sammi Cohen loved being part of a positive, coming of age film that gives viewers insight into what it means to be Jewish.
Director Sammi Cohen was delighted to hear that comedian Adam Sandler and his production company, Happy Madison, was taking the popular 2005 young adult book, “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah,” and turning it into a film for Netflix.
“Adam was looking for a young, Jewish director who could relate to the story, the kids,
the culture, and how it all needed to be told through a modern lens,” Sammi told Aish.com.
“I felt like this bridge between generations. Adam knows how to bring the right people and pieces together. That’s exactly what he did for ‘Bat Mitzvah.’ We met, talked about the movie, being Jewish, and how we both listen to kids because they’re the only people who really know what’s cool. Everything just organically fell into place from there.”
It was important to me to give people a window into the fun, uplifting, happy moments of being a Jew.
In the movie, best friends Stacy (Sunny Sandler, Adam’s daughter in real life) and Lydia (Samantha Lorraine) have long dreamt of their own legendary bat mitzvahs, but when a handsome boy Andy Goldfarb (Dylan Hoffman) and Hebrew school drama comes between them, their epic plans hit a wall. Sandler’s wife Jackie and daughter Sadie are also in the film.
Sammi loved being part of a positive, coming of age film that gives viewers insight into what it means to be Jewish.
Adam Sandler, Sammi Cohen and members of the cast
“It was important to me to give people a window into the fun, uplifting, happy moments of being a Jew. If you look at film history, there are a lot of movies about the Jewish experience; unfortunately, a lot of those really needed to be about a really dark time in our past.”
Sammi’s hope was that the Jewish theme would resonate with viewers, regardless of their religious affiliation.
“It's about educating the world in a gentle way that invites you in as one member of the party. It's not forceful, it's just giving you insight. It's very much a human story. And I think people forget that we're all human beings and we're all so deeply similar. The dressing might be different, but the heart is so similar, you know?”
For anyone who has seen the film so far, the feedback has been “validating and really exciting,” acknowledged Sammi.
“We've shown the movie to some small audiences now, a lot of whom aren't Jewish, and what I'm hearing in those theaters and screenings are things like, ‘oh, we have something just like that!’ ‘Oh, my God, that's cool!’ ‘Oh my god, this is so fun, I want this!’ I really wanted to get behind a movement that showcases how we're similar and how we're all human beings.”
To that end, Sammi and Adam had lengthy discussions about casting and the look of the film, checking out the original book/script.
“We really wanted to make sure this movie felt like today. We're both from California, but we looked at all of these Jewish communities around the country and even in Canada. We wanted the movie to reflect what we were seeing. The film is more diverse – when I was growing up, frankly, it wasn't as diverse but we're seeing more of that now. And so it was important for us to show that authentically onscreen and I think it does add a lot. It's very nuanced; the world is changing, there's more of an acceptance.”
Sammi added: “Even though there’s a lot of antisemitism and non-acceptance, we're showing this window into ‘we're all coming together and things look different and that's beautiful.’”
“This idea of examining, ‘who am I, who do I want to be’ is such a Jewish experience.”
There's also a lot of really specific elements that Jews will relate to. “There's something that's really exciting for kids of all ages to go, ‘Yes, we get a movie where we get to see ourselves!’” Sammi enthused.
“This idea of examining, ‘who am I, who do I want to be’ is such a Jewish experience. And preparing studying for a bar mitzvah, it's so hard. We all put in so much work in!
So overall, I'm excited for Jews to see themselves in a way that is fun. We're the cool kids too! But I also think it's such a universal experience learning about who you want to be in the world. And I think it's fun to see this, as it brings people together.”
While there is currently a controversy with a number of non-Jewish actors being cast in Jewish roles, “You Are So Not Invited” features many Jewish actors.
“I always say whoever is best for the role, and whoever's right for the story and for the character. But it was important for us to cast as many real Jews in roles about Jewish people, because I think there is something so nuanced and so authentic about it. I do think it's important and I think there's plenty of people who can play these parts who are Jewish. So let's do that.”
Reading the script, Sammi was thrilled to be directing a film that brought back so many memories.
“A bat mitzvah movie! Finally! I knew I had to be a part of this. It felt personal and universal all in the same breath; current in tone but still retained a sense of nostalgia. I was so excited that there was a movie being made about this big crazy world. Growing up as a Jew in Los Angeles, I went to more bar, bat, and b’nai mitzvahs than I can count!”
With Sammi’s best friend as an accomplice, the two started crashing bar and bat mitzvahs every weekend!
“What's fun about being Jewish is you get together with people you love, you eat, you dance, you sing. That's so universal. I love that this is a bat mitzvah movie that celebrates Judaism, but in a really gentle way.”
Sammi directing the cast
Sammi’s own bat mitzvah was held in Israel.
“When I was 13, I went to Hebrew school, but I didn't have my bat mitzvah at that time, I was a very anxious, very shy kid. So then when I was older, I went to Israel on birthright and I had my bat mitzvah there!”
The idea of a mitzvah is one theme that Sammi really wanted to get across, because it's very specific to being Jewish and to becoming bar mitzvahed.
“The mitzvah is doing a good deed, something good for your community. When we meet the lead character, Stacy, she's focused on herself, she's a kid, she's a little selfish. She's worried about her own experiences and how the world affects her. And then she gets to learn that life isn't about having experiences. It's about sharing experiences, and fulfillment doesn't come from people affecting you. It comes from how you affect the world around you. That’s the idea of a mitzvah and doing good for other people without an expectation of return. It’s such a Jewish thing, and I feel so lucky to be Jewish because I got that lesson early on. There’s something so human about that and so beautiful.”
Sammi noted that it was “really important” for Adam to make sure that they approach the storytelling authentically and with reverence and respect for the Jewish culture and traditions.
“It was a matter of taking care of the script and all of the Hebrew and making sure everything that was reflected onscreen was accurate. We had rabbinic and bar mitzvah consultants. As he and I are Jewish, we had so much personal experience, but we wanted everything to be accurately represented. So, it was a lot of those kinds of conversations.”
“You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah” premieres August 25th on Netflix.
I found myself repeatedly asking myself what & why Adam Sandler & company find important in Judaism. WHY is it disrespectful for a boy & girl to kiss in front of a Torah scroll? What about in front of the Lincoln Monument? Is it ok to DRIVE to schul to READ from that same Torah scroll? If you drop a copy of the US Constitution, do you have to kiss it? Is stepping on a Torah scroll disrespectful, too? If so, WHY? What about on a copy of the US Constitution? It's only paper, why would it make a difference? What is INSIDE that Torah scroll that makes it so special? Is there a LIST of MITZVOS somewhere so we can know what to do, or does everyone just get to make up whatever they want (like Sandler's daughter suggesting she flush the floaters around her school!)? Something's missing
I really wanted to see and like this movie. Alas, After 10 minutes i had my fill and moved on.
I watched the movie on Netflix, and I was not impressed. It shows as usual Jews being shallow, and of course rich, being so out of touch what Judaism is all about. The Parscha reading was great, but it shows the most important point of the whole day was the party afterword's. I would like to have seen more scenes about mitzah projects, which they are very much involved at Reform and Conservative shuls. Also I was not pleased, really disgusted about the kissing scene in the Aaron Hakodesh. This was even disrespectful for the Reform community. It was funny but not really my cup of tea. I am sure there a better movies out there that can be featured.
Premières leil Shabbat… bravo Netflix