The Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival is in full swing. We hope you’ve some of our great films and have left the theater with feelings of laughter, inspiration, sadness and overall a great experience.
One of my favorite films being shown this weekend is Bad Shabbos. David and Meg – an engaged interfaith couple – plan to introduce the bride’s Catholic parents from Wisconsin to the groom’s Jewish neurotic family at a Shabbat family dinner in New York. That is, until an accidental dead body gets in the way of introductions! What else could go wrong?
I had the pleasure to speak with the films director Daniel Robbins and discuss what inspired this hilarious story about a Shabbos gone terribly wrong.
Andrew – What initially inspired you to direct this film?
Daniel – Adam (producer) and Zack (co-writer) came up with the initial idea, and it felt like it had the potential to be the bullseye for the type of film we want to make:- A genuinely laugh-out-loud comedy- A film with real heart and authentically funny performances (e.g. Meet The Parents, The Birdcage, My Big Fat Greek Wedding) – A film that portrays religion (in this case Judaism) as something that’s positive and can add warmth and meaning to one’s life
Andrew – What is your favorite scene from the film and what makes it special?
Daniel – The Shabbos dinner scene because we had nearly all of the actors together in one room. Each member of the cast is the best possible person to play their role and seeing them together was like watching a private Broadway play
Andrew – Did anything in your personal life help shape the scenes in Bad Shabbos?
Daniel – I think going to Yeshiva for 12 years shaped the authenticity of the Shabbos dinner in the film. The whole team was really committed to getting it right. And there’s one joke in the film that my Dad has said at the dinner table a few times
Andrew – What’s the funniest thing that’s happened to you during a family Shabbos dinner?
Daniel – Probably seeing Zack (the co-writer)’s Mom prank one of her guests. I can’t talk about the prank because the statute of limitations is still in effect
Andrew – Do you have anything on your Shabbat table that others may not? Something special to eat or drink that’s not the norm?
Daniel – My Dad has one of those grape juice fountains. Where he pours the grape juice into the top and it disperses evenly into 8 smaller cups. Since my sisters had kids, he upgraded to a 12-cup fountain so there aren’t any arguments. Which ended up helping the film because we were able to borrow the smaller fountain to put on our table in our dinner scene
