Bad Shabbos: A Delicious Dinner With Mayhem On the Menu

By Laura Goldstein

Two Jews walk into a New York bar… Oops, no, I meant two Jews are walking down a Manhattan street and from out of nowhere a body, hurtling through the air drops at their feet. So begins the farcical comedy, Bad Shabbos starring matriarch, Kyra Sedgwick (yes, she’s even Jewish in real life,) a host of recognizable character actors and rapper, Method Man (not Jewish in real life.)

This eclectic group has come together at a Shabbat dinner arranged to meet the prospective Catholic parents of the bride-to-be who has converted to Judaism. Mayhem is on the menu.

Bad Shabbos concludes the 2025 Victoria International Jewish Film Festival, Thursday, October 23 at The Vic Theatre, 808 Douglas Street.

Co-writer and director, Daniel Robbins speaking from New York’s Upper West Side, is waxing poetic about his favourite comedic influences: “Oh my God, Christopher Guest is inspirational in general especially for our previous mockumentary, Citizen Weiner but I’d say Mel Brooks, Woody Allan and a combination of the greats growing up. For Bad Shabbos we wanted something that was modern and current with a lot of energy like My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Meet the Parents,” he explains.

And, you don’t have to be Jewish to appreciate the satirical humour, according to Daniel. While the classic 1967 romantic dramedy, Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner was set against the turbulent ‘60s, and starred the late Sidney Poitier and Katherine Hepburn, it focused on liberal parents confronting an interracial marriage. The comedic Meet the Parents revolved around class distinctions amid embarrassing encounters. Bad Shabbos tackles issues surrounding the conversion of the bride ( played by Meghan Leathers) and her conservative Catholic parents with an unexpected twist of fate. “We tested the film with a mixed audience and it went on to win the Audience Award at Tribeca. At the Cordillera International Film Festival at Reno, Nevada there were almost no Jews and it won the Audience Choice and Grand Jury Award there. Even if you’re not Jewish, the audience can relate to the family dynamics,” he adds.

“Actually, someone asked me ‘why didn’t you make the non-Jewish parents, Italian in the film?’” “I said no because they get along too well. Too many similarities like a strong matriarch and emphasis on food!” Daniel laughs.

Kyra Sedgwick’s participation was a big boon to the film. “I wish I could say that we kidnapped actor, Kevin Bacon (her spouse) but that didn’t do it,” Daniel explains. “We sent the script to her agent and she read it and thought, ‘this guy may not be that experienced but it’s a great piece of writing’ and she trusted us, which is so nice.”

“We used a real Upper West Side apartment for the shoot and the tenants were walking back and forth all day long,” Daniel recalls. “Method Man, who in real life is a very famous rapper and plays the doorman so brilliantly in the film, would open and close the doors all day and even received packages from deliveries and no one recognized him. They just thought the building had a new doorman!”

I asked Daniel if any parts of the film were based on his own family. “There’s an elderly woman who walks through the lobby past the doorman with these big sunglasses on. My grandmother, who passed away just before shooting, was that type of woman – a big personality- so that was kind of an homage to her.”