“And everyone knows an iconic adult life hinges on how it starts.”

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Were you familiar with the 2005 book before signing on to direct?

It’s kind of this magic.

You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah

Idina Menzel, Samantha Lorraine, Adam Sandler, Sunny Sandler, and Sadie Sandler in ‘You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah’.Courtesy of Netflix

I don’t think I’ll ever experience something quite like this [again].

It’s almost surreal because, first off, the Sandlers just made me a part of the family.

I never felt like the outsider, I never felt like a guest.

You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah

Sunny Sandler, Samantha Lorraine, Sadie Sandler, Zaara Kuttemperoor, Idina Menzel, and Adam Sandler in ‘You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah’.Courtesy of Netflix

And what’s incredible to watch is they do that with community.

And there’s this sense of ease and show up as you are.

When you feel like you’re around family, you might just be more yourself.

You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah

Samantha Lorraine, Sunny Sandler, and Dylan Hoffman in ‘You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah’.Courtesy of Netflix

And that, I think, elicits just funnier jokes and there’s less of a filter on everything.

you’re able to kind of just drop your shoulders and relax and have fun.

Adam is doing everything right.

You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah

Sunny Sandler and Adam Sandler in ‘You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah’.Courtesy of Netflix

He’s producing, he’s acting, he’s being a dad.

And Sadie and Sunny in particular were really interested in the filmmaking…. What preparation went into the big fight scene between Danny and Stacy?

I love those real grounded, dramatic scenes.

But she’s clearly gotten the Sandler gene.

to make them feel real yet palatable for a younger audience?

Sunny and the actress who played Lydia, Samantha Lorraine, had such great on-screen chemistry as best friends.

Did they know each other before filming this movie?

They were not friends before, but they quickly became best friends.

But what was interesting was after the scene when they were just engaging as people.

It was really kind of the off-screen moments that sealed the deal.

It’s hard to find that, it’s rare.

Was Sarah Sherman’s Rabbi Rebecca written into the script exactly how she’s portrayed in the movie?

How much of that was Sherman’s own flair?

We definitely wanted Sarah in this movie to bring Sarah to the table.

We’re all big fans of hers.

Originally in the first draft I read it was a male rabbi.

So Sarah was top of mind.

How important was it to you to include Jewish humor in the script?

Alison Peck is an incredible writer.

So it just kind of grew.

We’re Jews, we wanted to add as much of that in there.

I would’ve loved this movie as a kid.

Why is now the right time for a movie like this?

On a lighter note, I think it’s fun to say “Hey, Jews can have fun.

We know how to throw a party.”

Us Jews, we eat, we dance, we love music.

There’s something really exciting about getting to show the world that.

You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvahis streaming now on Netflix.

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