Adam Sandler’s Latest Movie Will Give You Smiles And A Few Tears
It’s rare that I actually sit down to watch a movie, but last night I watched Adam Sandler’s latest on Netflix, and I’m glad I did. ‘You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah’ is an excellent coming of age story that will give you all the feels of being 13 again. Being Jewish, I related to the movie but everyone, no matter what their religion, will enjoy this flick.
Growing up in Gastonia Jewish was interesting. There were only a few Jewish kids in town, and you knew them all. Attending Sunday School as a kid, I was the only girl in my class. All the other Jewish people my age were boys. As a tomboy, I didn’t really care as a kid, and most of my friends were boys. As I got older, it was different. There were girls older and younger than me, but I was the only girl in my age group, so when it was time to study for my Bat Mitzvah, I wasn’t in a class. It was just me learning with the Rabbi.
This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but my girlfriends that weren’t Jewish didn’t really understand the process and importance of reading from the Torah. When you’re 12/13 years old, you’re awkward. At least I was. Being the only Jewish girl, was stressful at times. My friends didn’t understand the whole Bat Mitzvah thing. To make matters worse, I started a new school in 7th grade, not knowing lots of people. Luckily, I met a friend in homeroom, and then met her group of friends. And those are the girls I’m still friends with today.
Back to the movie! Watching ‘You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah’ took me back to being 13. A Bat Mitzvah is one of the most important days in the life of a Jewish girl, but there’s a lot of pressure. In this film, Sandler’s actual daughter’s play his kids in the movie, and the connection is amazing! Both girls did a great job bringing you back to a time of uncertainty. The movie is centered around a Jewish girl preparing for her upcoming Bat Mitzvah, but it also explores how relationships with friends and family change as you get older.
The pressure of trying to fit in, to be popular, to impress people, and to honor your parents’ wishes is a lot. With all this pressure, relationships are strained. Best friends, Stacy and Lydia, are at the center of the movie. Both grils are preparing for their Bat Mitzvahs when their friendship blows up over a boy. Classic scenario! As the movie progresses, young Stacy, realizes what’s truly important in life.
I don’t want to give too much away, but this coming-of-age movie is worth your time. One thing that floored me in the movie was the number of Jewish kids at the school. I guess since I grew up in Gastonia, I just never really thought of a huge group of kids dealing with the same issues in regard to Judaism. I mean, there was me and five guys in my Hebrew class. Seeing so many kids attending lessons for their Bar/Bat Mitzvah was so cool! My small town experience was so different!
Adam Sandler as the laid-back father was great! He was funny, but he let his girls be the stars in the movie. And both of them shinned! Watching the movie not only took me back to middle school, it also made me appreciate being Jewish. It also made me think that I may need to go back to Temple once in a while. As a kid, we went to services every Friday night. As I got older, I stopped going to Temple. I’m not the most religious person, but as I’m getting older, I’m beginning to feel like I need to re-visit my faith.
Stacy's Bat Mitzvah is going to kick ass ✨
— Netflix (@netflix) August 25, 2023
Happy Madison's new comedy, You are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, is now streaming. pic.twitter.com/0cQkG0OBI0
