There is this weirdly specific comfort one gets when they adamantly believe their family is the most dysfunctional and crazy one out there, but Bad Shabbos grounds that feeling from us, providing everyone with the news flash that every family’s get-togethers evolve into madness.

Bad Shabbos is the stereotypical “easy-watch.” It isn’t critically acclaimed, it doesn’t deserve an Oscar, and the performances aren’t Philip Seymour Hoffman-esque, but it is one of the best films I’ve seen in a while. There seems to be a growing division lately in film production: a movie must be made with the intent of grossing a billion dollars, or it has no other purpose beyond becoming the next Moonlight; there’s no in between. The last time I felt like I was watching a movie that was made for the purpose of making the audience laugh and have a good time, without the production company’s extrinsic motivation of achieving financial success or a big award, seems like such a long time ago, but Bad Shabbos reinstated a part of cinema I love so much. A movie doesn’t have to be this well-thought-out, super detailed character analysis coupled with unique and innovative camera techniques; sometimes it’s okay to make a super simple film that does nothing more than relate bits and pieces of the storyline to the audience.

One of the greatest aspects of this film that made it so easy to watch was the runtime. While I’ll be the first to admit that a relatively longer movie allows for a great time, since you get to learn more about the characters and really see the storyline unfold, I’m also the first to admit that a good shorter film is just as comparable in terms of viewing experience. With a runtime of 84 minutes, Bad Shabbos is definitely on the shorter side, but I found it to be perfect. The pacing was great, everything that needed to be said was said, and the storyline seemed to have everything it needed for it to all make sense. I personally believe that if the movie had ran longer, maybe only ten or twenty minutes longer, than it would’ve just became unnecessary and redundant, but by cutting it off before the hour and a half mark it allowed it to pack a larger punch and satisfy exactly what the audience wanted it too — provide a few laughs and give us a good time. One thing I quickly brushed over, but I think needs a little more discussion, is the pacing. In my honest opinion, this movie is a great representation of what pacing should be. There was rarely any section of the movie that seemed to be stretched out, or parts that seemed smushed together, but instead it was all blocked well with solid transitions in between them. This is typical for comedy movies with a simpler storyline, but I think this movie specifically did a flawless job at doing so.

Despite the fantastic pacing and the interesting, yet simple storyline, the movie definitely wasn’t perfect. I understand it’s a comedy movie whose foundation is the chaos that arises when Abby’s boyfriend Benjamin dies, but I think the movie went a little overboard with the chaos, which was somewhat exhausting. The constant running back and forth, overlapping dialogue, and the redundant “what are we gonna do now?” aspect of the film got very old very quick. If it wasn’t for the short runtime, I definitely think that this critique would’ve led me to give a significantly worse score. Another critique was the predictability. The movie was definitely predictable, and it had its moments that were somewhat disappointing while watching: you were hoping for your prediction to be wrong because there’s nothing better than a sudden switch or action that you totally didn’t think of, but this movie unfortunately didn’t have those moments. I thought it would be a cool concept to have Benjamin wake up at the end, and this family went through all this trouble to protect one another, or they involved Meg’s parents somehow in the strategy on how to fix the situation, but once again, no real sudden twists or turns in this movie. However, I do know that it wasn’t intended to be that type of movie, and at the end of the day, it was made to make the audience laugh, so I didn’t take predictability into account that strongly while determining my score.

To end on a good note, I think I enjoyed this movie slightly more than I would assume the average person would because I am part of the culture, and I do understand the references a bit more; however, I also think that this movie was beautifully executed, as it steered itself away from the more cultural parts and more towards the other aspects of the storyline. There were definitely a lot of references related to the Jewish culture, but their attempt to expand beyond the Jewish demographic was definitely done well.  The elements that allowed for the movie to gain a larger scope beyond Jewish people didn’t just stem from not putting so many references to the culture into the movie, but also other aspects, such as integrating the interfaith couple, as well as including your typical midwesterners, something more people can relate to. Therefore, one of the reasons I love this movie so much is that they were conservative with the amount of “inside jokes” related to Judaism, allowing for a larger audience to find pleasure in watching as well. Overall, I think this speaks wonderfully to the business side of film. This is a representation of branding and demographics. The ability of the film to give itself a larger demographic by making simple tweaks here and there accomplished so much for analytics, not only expanding the viewership and reach but also the financial success of the film.

Overall, Bad Shabbos is a movie I’d recommend to anyone. If you’re at home one day, looking to watch something easy or fun with other people, then I’d highly advise you to turn this film on and give it a shot!

When a family get-together turns into chaos, Wu-Tang Clan’s Method Man is the only one who can save the day. In this review, I dive into reasons as to why this film is one of my favorites in recent years, but also why it is far from perfect.