Family dinners can be killer.

In Bad Shabbos, David (Jon Bass) and his fiancée (Meg (Meghan Leathers) are anxious. Not about their future together. No, their stress comes from the fact that it’s time for them to attend his family’s traditional Shabbat dinner on New York’s Upper West Side. As he reconnects with his aggravating siblings and overbearing parents, David knows that he’s in for a rough night. But things spiral entirely out of control when an accidental (or is it?) death takes place within the home. With Meg’s mother and father coming over to meet David’s parents for the first time, the family scramble to figure out how to handle this otherworldly situation while trying not to spend life in prison.

Directed by Daniel Robbins, Bad Shabbos is an unapologetically funny dark comedy that thoroughly swings for the fences in moments. Keeping the film in (mostly) one location, Shabbos feels a little like a stage play but still manages to keep the energy high. It’s funny, feverish and feels so absurd that it’s somehow almost believable.

Still, what’s most impressive about Shabbos though is how well the cast gels together. This is the sort of circus where dialogue flies rapidly, requiring each member of the team to be one their comedic toes. But, led by Sedgwick and Paymer, the entire family remains on the same page, even if they’re not on the same page. Even Bass works well as the proverbial straight man, tasked with trying to keep his parents’ home from entirely unravelling before our very eyes.

Even so, it’s Cliff ‘Method Man’ Smith who steals the show.

As Jordan the doorman, Smith shows off his comedic skills in ways that we haven’t seen before. It’s not that he hasn’t been funny before. But it’s the way that he embraces this character that makes him pop onscreen. Obsessed with learning about his friends’ Jewish heritage, Jordan is simply one of the family. He is heartfelt and humble. But, after things unravel in the apartment, Smith blends his natural charm with a frenetic energy that fuels the film. (In fact, his arrival in the dinner scene was one of the funniest moments I’ve seen this year.)

In this spirit, Shabbos is ultimately a film about navigating the minefield that can be the family dynamic. In this home, everyone matters… but not everyone’s opinion. In essence, every person present will fight on behalf of their family, while they’re fighting them as well. Hopes and dreams are up in the air as kids try to manage parents who believe they know what’s best for them. Characters are afraid to share what matters most to them out of fear that it will drive a wedge into the family unit.

But a dead body in your bathroom changes everything.

Faced with potentially life-altering decisions, the family must decide to come together—or risk coming apart entirely. It’s interesting in some ways that Robbins uses Biblical stories to help speak to the plight of his characters. Stories such as ‘Joseph’s brothers’ aren’t exactly the most encouraging of narratives but seem strangely appropriate as David’s family attempts to decide what’s best. Despite the frustration that exists between them, these stories provide some context for them to try and become ‘angels’ for one another, no matter the circumstances. (That is, if they don’t kill each other in the process.)

Though it’s that same fire that keep the film firing on all cylinders. Dark and silly, Robbins manages to get comedy gold out of his cast while still keeping the family dynamic at its centre. In short, one can’t deny that this Bad Shabbos makes for good comedy.

Bad Shabbos is available in theatres on Friday, May 23rd, 2025.