You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah
★★★ 1/2
As a father of an almost teenage girl, this movie hit close to home. I have to give screenwriter Alison Peck and director Sammi Cohen a lot of credit because they really bring the middle school experience to life. From the crushes, to the friend frights, to the TikTok dances, it was similar to watching my daughter's life on the screen (except for the fact that we aren't Jewish). Sunny Sandler is a natural as the lead and she does a great job carrying this film. We truly believe that her character Stacy is going through this fight with her best friend Lydia (the also talented Samantha Lorraine). Although she is the protagonist of this film, I liked that she is the antagonist to a lot of the things that happen. She's a teenager, so of course she is going to make mistakes, and I love how her support system makes her atone for her actions.
You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah does take some risks that don't quite work. I never found the DJ character funny or interesting and Stacy's sister's (played by real-life sister Sadie Sandler) schtick of watching horror movies with her best friend grows old. Idina Menzel is totally wasted as Stacy's mom and makes a decision that no mom would ever make. If it wasn't for these tiny faults, I would have rated this movie much higher because I enjoyed watching it that much. Some people may be upset that Adam Sandler doesn't appear more in the film, but I loved how he is slowly turning the reins over to his obviously talented family. This is a film that made me laugh, almost tear up and that I found was surprisingly realistic to emotions that are currently surrounding my house.
