JIFF launches with a deadly dinner party in “Bad Shabbos”
The Jewish International Film Festival has opened with a lively farce in Bad Shabbos, a sharp, fast-paced comedy that turns a well-intentioned Shabbat dinner into complete mayhem.
After the last few years, we all need a laugh, and Bad Shabbos provides plenty of them. Directed by Daniel Robbins (best known previously for the 2018 horror film Pledge) and co-written with Zack Weiner, the film follows David (Jon Bass, Baywatch) and his non-Jewish fiancée Meg (Meghan Leathers) as they host a Friday-night dinner to introduce their families. When a guest dies in the middle of preparations, panic sets in. As Meg’s Catholic parents approach the door, the Jewish hosts scramble to hide the evidence while preserving some sense of dignity.
Trailer for Bad Shabbos
The story plays out almost entirely within an elegant Upper West Side apartment, keeping the action tight and the dialogue quick. Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer, Brooklyn Nine-Nine) brings a mix of warmth and exasperation as the family matriarch, while veteran David Paymer (City Slickers, Mr Saturday Night) is pitch-perfect as her neurotic husband.
Cliff “Method Man” Smith (Garden State) almost steals the show as the wisecracking doorman drawn into the family’s cover-up. Supporting turns from Milana Vayntrub (This Is Us), Ashley Zukerman (The Lost Symbol, Succession), and Theo Taplitz (Little Men) round out a strong ensemble that balances hysteria with genuine heart.
Scene from “Bad Shabbos”
Winner of the Audience Award at the Tribeca Film Festival, Bad Shabbos borrows the structure of a classic dinner-party disaster film such as Death at a Funeral or Meet the Parents but infuses it with Jewish texture and humour. The rituals, the interruptions, the layered family tensions, and the tug between religious tradition and modern chaos all feel authentic.
There are moments where the tone moves quickly between heartfelt and hysterical, and the one-location setting sometimes feels rather stage-bound. Yet the film’s rhythm, wit, and affectionate portrayal of its characters carry it through.
As an opening-night choice for JIFF, Bad Shabbos delivers what a festival audience wanted: a clever story with a few twists rooted in cultural truth, performances that sparkle, and laughter that occasionally hits uncomfortably close to home.
The Jewish International Film Festival (JIFF) is screening nationally until 26 November, featuring 50 new films. The festival is running across six major Australian cities, including Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart, and Perth. For more information, see: https://www.jiff.com.au/
