Captivating Comedy: New Netflix comedy “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah” is a lighthearted and cringey comedy that creates a unique aspect of Judaism

While I used to indulge in multi-season dramas like “Greys Anatomy” or “Gilmore Girls,” I’ve found Netflix-original comedy movies to be far more entertaining. So when I heard about “You are so not Invited to my Bat Mitzvah” — a film that portrays the stress and excitement of being a 13-year-old Jewish child, starring Adam Sander and his family — I hopped on my couch and grabbed the popcorn.

This movie follows the story of young Stacy Friedman — played by Adam Sandler’s youngest daughter Sunny Sandler — who’s life goal is for her and her best friend, Lydia Rodrigues — played by Samantha Lorraine to have the best Bat Mitzvahs yet.

The plot captivated me with the frequent scenes of humorous popularity feuds, though a little predictable. Just like any other Netflix middle school-based comedy, Stacy and Lydia fight for popularity leading to the destruction of their friendship. As their Bat Mitzvahs, which they have been planning for years, draw closer, their friendship seems to pull further apart. 

It was ammusing to watch the two girls fight over what had to be the cringiest guy  I’ve ever seen in a Netflix comedy — Andy Goldfarb — with his awkward love life going from girl to girl. They sabotage each other with rumors and share their deepest secrets— like Lydia’s addiction to smelling her shoes. Fighting over self-absorbed Andy who can’t seem to care for anyone but himself and manages to interrupt the intriguing plot with his jerky persona.

But in the end, their efforts to make each other appear worse end up making them both look like genuine bad people, and left me with an uncomfortable amount of second-hand embarrassment. 

Though the plotline was expected, I loved the movie’s focus on how hard preparation is for Bat Mitzvahs, whether you are having one or helping plan one. Stacy’s parents are working hard to get her everything she wants under a budget while Stacy spends hours learning prayers and songs, informing me more about Jewish traditions and culture. One of the most common settings is in a Hebrew school where they prepare for their Mitzvah projects and sing songs in Hebrew.

However, the things Stacy and Lydia do to each other in an attempt to ruin each other’s personas are rather unlikely and overall they just make themselves look like terrible friends. It left me hoping they would continue fighting over Andy so I could get more of their teenage drama. 

The mix of comedic drama with Jewish traditions made the movie enjoyable to watch alongside the cringey, Andy Goldfarb filled scenes.

I rate the movie a ⅗ stars for its unique twist on romantic comedy and captivating scenes of Jewish heritage.