Category Archives: Jewish

Eight Nights of Hanukkah, Eight Entertaining Jews: Night #8

This is what I found when I Googled “Adam Sandler Jewish.”

The old insult goes, “Jews run show business.” To that I say “thanks.”

Jews make up about 0.2% of the world’s population yet they have always been a loud (emphasis on the loud) and prominent voice in film, television, music, and comedy.

The next eight days are Hanukkah, which is not the most important Jewish holiday, but we do get presents. For each night of Hanukkah, I will share one Jewish entertainer who has had a big impact on me. For the eighth and final night of Hanukkah, let’s talk about Adam Sandler:

Out of all of the possible candidates (there were way too many), Adam Sandler seemed like the only possible choice for the final Jew of Hanukkah.

It would probably be easier to write about how far Sandler has fallen. His last movie was “Grown Ups 2″ and “Jack and Jill” possibly set Jews back about 50 years. 50 years is nothing. We can recover. Instead, I want to talk about the Sandler I know, the one that I grew up with.

I recently purchased the Best of Adam Sandler which compiles some of his best sketches on “Saturday Night Live.” Watching it today seems almost surreal. I wonder if those live audiences knew while watching it that they were witnessing a future comedy superstar in the making. Yes, Opera Man still holds up. It’s hard to have a verdict on any sketch that also has Chris Farley in it though; he is pretty impossible to compete with.

After leaving “Saturday Night Live,” Sandler launched an extremely successful movie career consisting of a string of films that were panned by critics yet loved by every teenager and Paul Thomas Anderson. I am beyond proud to say that I can recite nearly every line from “Billy Madison” by heart. Despite the fact that Sandler is loud and obnoxious, the other characters still manage to be funny and produce some of the movie’s best lines (“If peeing in your pants is cool, consider me Miles Davis”).

I could possibly understand why some people might be annoyed by “Billy Madison,” especially if it wasn’t one of their first introductions into comedy. Maybe you might consider “Happy Gilmore” juvenile, too if you are a bad person who hates fun. But “The Wedding Singer” is an undeniably great romantic comedy, a movie that is even more rewarding than getting paid in meatballs. In addition, “Big Daddy” is also more moving than it has any right to be. More importantly, his performances were good enough to get him cast in “Punch Drunk Love,” where all of that rage was targeted towards building something deeper. It really is a shame he hasn’t been in more movies like that since.

Since this is Hanukkah we are talking about here, I have no choice but to mention Sandler’s contributions to the holiday. He helmed “Eight Crazy Nights,” which to date is still the only mainstream Hanukkah movie that I can think of. Years before that, he made the holiday way cooler than it had any right to be with “The Hanukkah Song” (to date, three versions of it exist). A key line in the song is “so if you still feel like the only kid in town just like you and me/here are some people who are Jewish/just like you and me.” Sandler captures the sad feeling any Jewish kid might feel during the Christmas season (and I am guessing he experienced it, too, seeing as he grew up in New Hampshire). But the song is heart-warming and shows this sense of connection every Jew feels for another that is so hard to explain. To see another Jew succeed gives one a great sense of pride like they would for a close family member. And Sandler, during his best years, was our rock star. He is the real reason I felt like I needed to make a list for myself.

So while everyone else gets to decorate a Christmas tree, we get to sing “The Hanukkah Song.” I can live with that.

Eight Nights of Hanukkah, Eight Entertaining Jews: Night #7

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Image via Wikipedia

The old insult goes, “Jews run show business.” To that I say “thanks.”

Jews make up about 0.2% of the world’s population yet they have always been a loud (emphasis on the loud) and prominent voice in film, television, music, and comedy.

The next eight days are Hanukkah, which is not the most important Jewish holiday, but we do get presents. For each night of Hanukkah, I will share one Jewish entertainer who has had a big impact on me. For the seventh night of Hanukkah, let’s talk about Stanley Kubrick:

Stop the presses! Stanley Kubrick was Jewish?

Yup.

(Glass Shatters)

That image of a quiet, reclusive Englishman may have now disappeared. This is precisely why I wanted to include Stanley Kubrick on this list: he does not fit the normal characteristics of a Jew in the film industry. He doesn’t parade around and declare that he’s Jewish. Even those who didn’t grow up religious (like Apatow) still incorporate Judaism into their work. If Kubrick ever did it, it was in a subtle way.

Like any good Jew though, Kubrick had a dark sense of humor about everything. Even in his most harrowing works, he still kept his sense of humor. After all, he did direct “Dr. Strangelove,” one of the most famous black comedies of all time. Black comedy is something that Jews seem specifically good at. Jewish history is marked by tragedy and bleak events. Besides work ethic, having a sense of humor was key to survival.

Even though he released so few films. Kubrick was as hard a worker as any director who releases a film every year. He just spent all of his time meticulously researching his projects. He is the complete opposite of Woody Allen: instead of putting out something new every year, Kubrick took extra long on each of his projects, which is probably why almost all of them were so masterful.

If anybody was lucky enough to catch the Kubrick exhibition in Los Angeles (its traveling to other cities, if you can catch it you have to), then you would have been floored at the amount of thought and research that went into every film he made, as well as every film he worked tirelessly on that ultimately never got made. Among those were a Napoleon project (which will soon be a miniseries on HBO) and a very unique take on the Holocaust.

Kubrick was intensely private, but that does not mean that he was this oddball hermit as many seem to think. I think he just liked to let his work speak for him. And while he doesn’t seem like somebody who’d be on a list of the most important Jews, I think it is important to have him on here. While he had no religious upbringing and no mention of Judaism in his works, boiled down, he was a Jewish kid from the Bronx who loved “Seinfeld,” boxing, and (American) football.

Eight Nights of Hanukkah, Eight Entertaining Jews: Night #6

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The old insult goes, “Jews run show business.” To that I say “thanks.”

Jews make up about 0.2% of the world’s population yet they have always been a loud (emphasis on the loud) and prominent voice in film, television, music, and comedy.

The next eight days are Hanukkah, which is not the most important Jewish holiday, but we do get presents. For each night of Hanukkah, I will share one Jewish entertainer who has had a big impact on me. For the sixth night of Hanukkah, let’s talk about Judd Apatow:

And the fourth face on Mount Rushmore of Jewish Comedians is Judd Apatow.

Unlike Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, and Larry David, Apatow’s work is done almost exclusively behind the camera. Yet, he is one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood. That is most likely because he is so good at what he does.

As discussed with Sarah Silverman yesterday, Judd Apatow endured a string of brilliant “failures.” Most notably, both “Freaks and Geeks” and “Undeclared” were cancelled after just one season a piece. Now, “Freaks and Geeks” is in the pantheon of greatest TV shows of all time and “Undeclared” is slowly making its way there.

Judd has had a long history of comedy. You could call him the original podcaster, as he used to get private interviews with comedians for his high school radio station. He interviewed such big names as Steven Wright, Garry Shandling (whom he would later work with), and Jerry Seinfeld.

Since his early years of struggle, Apatow has become the go-to writer/director/producer of good comedy in Hollywood. His first two efforts in the director’s chair, “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up,” were master classes in free flowing hilarity. They turned two possibly unlikable leads into lovable anti-heroes. He made the Jewish Schlub into an archetype, made Seth Rogen a star, and thought of some genius one-liners along the way (“well you still have a tiny dick, Cartman”). Apatow has received mixed reviews for “Funny People” and “This is 40,” but I give him all the credit in the world for his insatiable ambition.

Part of comedy is about helping others, and Apatow has made a career of just that. Some of the people he has helped propel to stardom include Seth Rogen, James Franco, Steve Carell, Kristen Melissa McCarthy, Jason Segel, and Lena Dunham. This is just a few of the many names. Apatow simply has an eye for talent unparalleled in the comedy world (except maybe for Lorne Michaels). There is something special about having an eye for good talent, and then using your own power to help that person out. It takes a lot of self-confidence to know that you have found someone good, and a lot of heart to dedicate that much time to a person. Judd is a mensch of the finest order.

Judd Apatow has always been my gateway into comedy. In 2007, the magical year in which both “Knocked Up” and “Superbad” came out, comedy nerdom came full swing. I also didn’t even realize that he was influencing me from such a young age: Judd Apatow wrote “Heavyweights.” Yes, you heard me correctly. That movie where a bunch of Jewish kids (ex: Josh Birnbaum) from Long Island (“never heard of it!”) go to sleep away camp. If anyone gets the humor of the Jewish identity, it is Judd Apatow.

Fun Fact: Judd Apatow was born in Flushing and raised in Syosset. He probably knows your cousin.

Eight Nights of Hanukkah, Eight Entertaining Jews: Night #5

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Image via LA Times

The old insult goes, “Jews run show business.” To that I say “thanks.”

Jews make up about 0.2% of the world’s population yet they have always been a loud (emphasis on the loud) and prominent voice in film, television, music, and comedy.

The next eight days are Hanukkah, which is not the most important Jewish holiday, but we do get presents. For each night of Hanukkah, I will share one Jewish entertainer who has had a big impact on me. For the fifth night of Hanukkah, let’s talk about Sarah Silverman:

Of all of the best living comedians, Sarah Silverman might be taken for granted more than anybody else.

Silverman is basically a household name at this point, yet she has been plagued by some brilliant “failures” as well as a long history of being underrated. That’s okay, though, because she keeps doing what she just does best: providing laughs, as well as offense to those who feel the need to fall into that trap.

The phrase “Female Jewish Comedian” seems to go hand-in-hand with Sarah Silverman. This is true despite the fact that Silverman always says that she never grew up religious. Yet, as she says herself in her wonderful new special “We Are Miracles,” she just cannot separate herself from that image. Without her Jewish side, her sense of humor would never be the same.

Along with “Female Jewish Comedian,” the words “dirty” “vulgar” and “offensive” get tossed along with Silverman, too. However, she is the most misunderstood dirty comic out there. Those who claim that she is offensive for the sake of being offensive are unfortunately the overwhelming majority, and they seem to miss just how layered her act is. In her act, she’ll drop the c-bomb followed by a huge smile as if she’s a child who just figured out how to swear for the first time. Everything she says is delivered with the subtlest of winks.

On her brilliant but short-lived “Sarah Silverman Program,” Silverman took her stand-up act into scripted territory and constantly redefined what it meant to cross the line. In one episode, she bets a black man that being a Jewish woman is even more difficult, so the two switch lives for a day. When she puts on blackface, she thinks that people are booing her because she is black but in reality it’s because, well, she’s wearing blackface. Silverman has found a way to turn offensive jokes into self-deprecating humor. She is clearly playing a goof much different than who she really is. The joke is always on her. Silverman can make this work because when speaking candidly, she comes off as so kind and sincere. Just read her heartwarming memoir “The Bedwetter,” which I hope is one day turned into a movie.

In addition to her comedic sensibility, Sarah Silverman is also a model cultural Jew. She shows that being a Jew is about much more than believing in God or the Ten Commandments (downgraded from fifteen). If someone is born Jewish, they remain Jewish so long as they feel that way and choose to continue to identify with it. Silverman represents every friend you have ever had who cannot help but bring up Jewish things constantly in conversation because their sense of identity is so overwhelming.

The point is that you can Anglicize your name as much as you want (*cough* Winona Ryder *cough* where’s my inhaler?), but your Jewishness does not simply disappear. Sarah Silverman, like any good comedian who finds something funny, embraces it and then owns the hell out of it.

Haha, the 90s! It’s funny because they dress funny because it’s a different year!

Eight Nights of Hanukkah, Eight Entertaining Jews: Night #4

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This is one of my favorite pictures ever taken.

The old insult goes, “Jews run show business.” To that I say “thanks.”

Jews make up about 0.2% of the world’s population yet they have always been a loud (emphasis on the loud) and prominent voice in film, television, music, and comedy.

The next eight days are Hanukkah, which is not the most important Jewish holiday, but we do get presents. For each night of Hanukkah, I will share one Jewish entertainer who has had a big impact on me. For the fourth night of Hanukkah, let’s talk about Larry David:

The next face on Jewish Mount Rushmore would be the ever-present scowl of Larry David. He is the spirit animal of just about every Jew you could ever meet, old man or not, from Brooklyn or not.

I could have chosen Jerry Seinfeld for this slot, but Larry David resonates much further. Maybe its because his sense of humor goes beyond merely observational, or maybe because he at first did not get all of the public spotlight during the “Seinfeld” years. That is not even a problem now, as David is now the star of his own show. Every year seems like it is going to be the last year of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” But then, it always comes back for another season.

Good. Let’s keep it that way. I feel like everyone needs “Curb” in their lives. Larry David is like a social cop, always making everyone aware of what social standards are complete B.S. Essentially, society as we know it would crumble without Larry David.

It still amazes me how popular Larry David is, because on television he portrays a cynical curmudgeon (who, let’s face it, is essentially what he is in reality). Larry doesn’t try and get anybody to like him, which is also why he is ultimately so likable. There is something dangerous in David’s sense of humor. He doesn’t try to play it safe. He revels in the art of calling people out. And it would be meaner if all of his observations weren’t so true. All of us would love to elevate small talk to medium talk and tell that woman in line in front of us at Ben & Jerry’s that she’s a sample abuser. Larry David simply says the kind of things that we are all thinking, but never blurt out because, you know, social standards and politeness. Larry David is a free and uninhibited man.

There is something about Larry’s sense of humor that is ultimately very Jewish. The Jewish state of mind can best be summed up by non-Jew John Mulaney, who once said that “Jews don’t daydream because folks are after them.” Larry David is overly present, enough so that he can spot everything going on around him, process it, and then call out whoever he wants. Whether he likes it or not, this is how Larry David became a modern Jewish icon.

Yet, Larry David is not just an idol to the Jews. “Seinfeld” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” are both touchstones of American comedy. I guess that close-talkers and chat-and-cutters are a universal problem after all.

Favorite “Seinfeld” Word: Shrinkage

Favorite “Curb” Moment: Larry leaves a Bar Mitzvah early because he wants to go home to take a shit. “This project demands I return to base!”

Eight Nights of Hanukkah, Eight Entertaining Jews: Night #3

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THIS GUY GOT TO DIRECT A FREAKING DINOSAUR.

Spielberg is my first non-comedy Jew of the list so far. Although “1941,” “Catch Me If You Can,” and Jeff Goldblum’s poses in “Jurassic Park” are equally hilarious.

Spielberg’s inclusion just seems like a given. Few directors have achieved the kind of financial, cultural, and critical success that Spielberg has had over his long career, which shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Think about it. Just think about it. This is the guy who brought Indiana Jones, E.T., and “Jaws” to life. He could retire now and maintain an amazing legacy. Yet, Spielberg never stops. Besides directing movies, Spielberg also runs Dreamworks as well as a television production company.

Like any director with a huge creative output, Spielberg has his off days (wait? You’re saying there was a fourth “Indiana Jones” movie?). However, his ambition is always there. “A.I.” was a bit of a mess, but directing a film that Stanley Kubrick was supposed to direct is basically a thankless job. And while I wasn’t a fan of “Lincoln” (even though I might one of the few), it was an admirable film, and sooner or later Daniel Day-Lewis (also a Jew, by the way) was bound to play Honest Abe.

Along with creating some of the most iconic pieces of entertainment of all time, Spielberg’s forays into more dramatic cinema have often been astounding. “Saving Private Ryan” is a stark, realistic portrayal of war. The D-Day sequence is one of the best battle sequences ever portrayed on film. How “Shakespeare in Love” beat it for Best Picture that year is still beyond me. Then, of course, there was “Schindler’s List” Spielberg’s piece of Holocaust remembrance and his ultimate gift to the Jewish community. Besides making such a vivid portrayal of cruelty that is ultimately about life, Spielberg donated every cent he could to Jewish charities. Tzedakah as many would call it. Portraying real life tragedy on film is always tough and controversial. Spielberg did it right by turning it into a purely selfless act.

Even in the ones where you least expect it, I have always have Spielberg’s films to be very Jewish because they about the value of family, something which I happen to tie very closely to Judaism. I don’t know if this is how everyone feels about it, or it is just the way that I was raised. But Spielberg’s works, from “E.T.” to “The Last Crusade” to “War of the Worlds” are all about families being drawn apart and then coming back together. Some might call it cheesy or overly sentimental, but there is something beautiful in finding family in the most unexpected places. In the end, that is what movies are all about: creating a communal experience and an unexpected family out of that.

My Favorite Spielberg Film: This is such a tough call, because most of Spielberg’s earliest films could qualify as his best. “Raiders of the Lost Ark” is close, but I would say that “Jaws” is Spielberg’s most masterful film on so many levels.

His Most Underrated: “Munich.” “Inglourious Basterds” isn’t the only film about Jews kicking ass. “Munich” is a great thriller that has sadly gone under the radar.

Yes, this is a terrible clip to exemplify Spielberg’s career. But it’s hilarious and Jeff Goldblum is Jewish so back off!

Eight Nights of Hanukkah, Eight Entertaining Jews: Night #1

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The old insult goes, “Jews run show business.” To that I say “thanks.”

Jews make up about 0.2% of the world’s population yet they have always been a loud (emphasis on the loud) and prominent voice in film, television, music, and comedy. The next eight days are Hanukkah, which is not the most important Jewish holiday, but we do get presents. For each night of Hanukkah, I will share one Jewish entertainer who has had a big impact on me. Let’s start off the festivities with Mel Brooks:

If a Mount Rushmore of Jewish comedians were ever to be constructed, Mel Brooks would most definitely be the biggest, most prominent face on there. To this day, Mel Brooks’ presence remains indistinguishable from Jewish comedy.

At the ripe old age of 87, Brooks remains as hilarious and relevant as ever. That is partly because he is as funny as ever, but also because he simply refuses to fade from the spotlight. Unfortunately, Comedy is often susceptible to aging (Cracked did a great podcast on the subject). Even classics like “Dr. Strangelove” and “Bringing Up Baby” have shown their age. Not Mel Brooks, though.

Just listen to “The 2000 Year Old Man.” Or watch “Blazing Saddles.” Both have barely aged. In the case of “Blazing Saddles,” it is still a shock that something like that could have been made when it was. In fact, it probably would have had a lot of trouble with the PC crowd of the present as well. Brooks seems to find that mixing the past into the present, as well as speaking in a ridiculous Yiddish accent, is universally hilarious.

Which Mel Brooks movie is the best depends on who you are speaking to. Brooks is one of Hollywood’s best genre satirists, and everyone from Edgar Wright to Quentin Tarantino to Dan Harmon probably owe a great thanks to him. Brooks said that he was never a big science fiction fan, yet the merchandising scene from “Spaceballs” is one of the sharpest bits of commentary on the movie business that there is.

While Brooks might not be religious, he is openly Jewy, letting every bit of the culture inform his works. That odd and exaggerated accent is a staple of nearly all of his characters. Comedians exploiting the languages and cultures that they grew up with was common when Brooks was coming of age in the comedy world (see: Sid Caesar). Brooks is just one step closer to the Old Country traditions than most people, and clearly he has never lost sight of them.

There is a reason that most Jews can recite quotes from Mel Brooks. He embodies the idea of Jewish humor: every dark place can be conquered with a good joke. The Jewish experience has always been an uncertain one, and I believe this is where all of the great Jewish comedy truly stems from. In “Blazing Saddles,” Brooks laughs in the faces of racists. In “The Producers,” he makes the Nazis look like absolute fools. In “History of the World: Part I,” he turned the Inquisition into a giant musical number. Making fun of evil is a great way to make evil less frightening.

Mel Brooks is what I think of whenever I think of the idea of an old Jewish man. He seems like the kind of person who you would see at a deli and then he would pull you over to the side and chew your ear off for hours with hilarious stories from the past. Now, if I ever were to run into Mel Brooks at Katz’s or Canter’s and he were to be so generous, I would immediately cancel all of my plans for the day, and then shut up and listen.

Fun Fact: Mel Brooks has also produced many serious films in his career. Among them are David Cronenberg’s “The Fly” and David Lynch’s “The Elephant Man.”

Come back to The Reel Deal tomorrow night for Jew #2.