‘There are just these beautiful little moments that feel so slice-of-life’
He’s an A-list star and one of the biggest names in comedy.
But Adam Sandler only got his latest role in You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah after his daughters were cast.
The movie, out on Netflix now, follows high school best friends Stacy (Sunny Sandler) and Lydia (Samantha Lorraine) who are both about to have their bat mitzvahs. As they prepare for their coming-of-age ritual, their friendship reaches breaking point.
Sandler plays Stacy’s dad and his on-screen wife, Bree is played by Idina Menzel, who also played his partner in Uncut Gems. His real wife, however, is also in the movie, but as Lydia’s mum, Gabi.
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The movie’s director Sammi Cohen told Variety that the Billy Madison star came onboard after Sunny, 14, and Sadie, 17, were cast.
“Sunny and Sadie were attached when I came on board, I knew I’d be working with them – that was part of my excitement, getting to work with the girls – and then we built out the cast from there,” she told the publication.
“It was only then that ‘Adam came on board to play Danny’ as the director put it, although really there would be few better choices to play the father of two girls than their actual father who has had a long career as an actor.
Cohen said she “built the world around” the family unit, and added that it wasn’t much trouble to direct an actual family to play a fictional one as the family was “able to detach” from their real-life relationship and create a different dynamic.
Indeed, the director said there was a “beautiful natural chemistry” to the Sandler family which translates onto the big screen.
“There wasn’t a huge struggle for me in terms of working with them,” Cohen told Variety.
“Adam plays dad to his daughters, but they’re able to detach. When we enter the Friedman house and we’re making the movie, it’s its own thing. I think there’s such a beautiful natural chemistry you get — I love that moment in the car when Adam fake-spills the coffee on her.
“There are just these beautiful little moments that feel so slice-of-life. But Adam gave the girls space to do their own thing. Everyone had space to do what they do best, but there’s also support when you needed it.”
Sandler’s new flick is currently smashing it on Rotten Tomatoes where it has a 96 per cent rating – the highest of his career.
Read the Variety interview with director Sammi Cohen here.
