Bad Shabbos Set for Nationwide Release After Film Festival Success

NEW YORK, NY — The film “Bad Shabbos” will be released nationwide this weekend after winning the Audience Award for Best Narrative at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival. Set entirely on the Upper West Side, the film features a Thanksgiving-themed Shabbat dinner gone awry as a matriarch, played by Kyra Sedgwick, meets her son’s non-Jewish fiancée’s parents for the first time.

The film’s plot revolves around Sedgwick’s character, Ellen, who hosts the dinner in her UWS duplex, bringing together her squabbling children, their partners, and an unexpected guest, the building’s doorman, portrayed by rapper Method Man. The colorful cast includes Josh Mostel, son of the late Zero Mostel, and Theo Taplitz, who was a Columbia University student during filming.

Directors Zack Weiner and Daniel Robbins, who co-wrote the screenplay, shared insights on the film’s creation during a phone interview. They drew inspiration from their own upbringing in observant households, hoping to reflect authentic Upper West Side culture.

“We shot entirely at locations in the UWS, including the 93rd Street and Riverside Drive apartment, known from the movie ‘You’ve Got Mail,'” Robbins explained. “It was crucial for us to capture the essence of the neighborhood in the film.”

The duo plans to participate in pop-up Q&A sessions at select screenings throughout the release weekend, engaging audiences with behind-the-scenes anecdotes. “Bad Shabbos” has already attracted attention for its humorous take on Jewish traditions and family dynamics, making audiences both laugh and relate to its characters.

“We wanted to create a story that resonates with family experiences, especially during significant cultural gatherings,” Weiner noted. As audiences prepare for the film’s wider release, feedback from previous screenings indicates that it is both relatable and entertaining, appealing to a broad range of viewers.

As the film opens in theaters this weekend, it aims to replicate its festival success, bringing the hilarity of family dysfunction and cultural collisions to a larger audience.