Goyband

Last updated
Goyband
Goyband.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Christopher Grimm
Written by Christa McNamee
Dan Bar Hava
Christopher Grimm
Produced by Christopher J. Scott
David Schiavone
Red Sky Pictures
Starring Adam Pascal
Amy Davidson
Natasha Lyonne
Tovah Feldshuh
Cris Judd
Edited by Glen L. Scott
Music by Dan Bar-Hava
Release date
  • December 13, 2008 (2008-12-13)(Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival)
Running time
99 minutes
CountryUnited States
Languages English, Yiddish

Goyband or Falling Star is a 2008 American independent comedy film directed by Christopher Grimm, starring Adam Pascal. The film premiered at the 2008 Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival. [1]

Contents

Plot

Fading from the spotlight of his late 1990s mega-fame, boy-band icon Bobby Starr (Adam Pascal) is clinging to days gone by and begging his agent Murray to land him a decent gig. What Murray does land for Bobby is a full week headlining the grand opening of the world's first glatt kosher hotel-casino, Mazel Hotel.

As it turns out, the real force behind Bobby Starr's curious invitation to this "Orthodox otherworld" is the hotel owner's persuasive daughter Rebekka Hershenfeld (Amy Davidson), who has harbored a huge crush on Bobby since childhood. Rebekka's world is guided by her arranged betrothal to Haim (Benjamin Bauman), the son of Grand Rabbi Sheinman (Joel Leffert), who is supposed to issue the casino's all-important kosher certificate.

Rebekka's only release from the pressures of preparing to be a future rebbetzin (rabbi's wife) comes from singing along to Bobby's songs with her best friends Hani and Fani (Natasha Lyonne). They keep their practice session a secret, since their religion bars them from singing in public.

From the moment Bobby arrives at the Mazel Hotel, he goes through culture shock: his TV goes dark at sundown on Fridays, his beloved cell phone is confiscated during the Sabbath, and his Grey Goose vodka is replaced with Manischewitz. All of this is set against the backdrop of an alien world where "kosher enforcers" drag gamblers from their slot machines at prayer time; late-night treyf smugglers sneak non-kosher contraband like cheeseburgers and fried shrimp into the hotel; and where slot machines display Shofars, Menorahs and Stars of David instead of lemons, cherries and dollar signs, and chime "Hava Nagila" for lucky winners.

Arranging for Bobby Star to play at her father's hotel might have started out as an act of rebellion for Rebekka, but when infatuation blossoms into romance, Bobby offers Rebekka a once-in-a-lifetime ticket to freedom from the constrictive life that threatens to hold her back.

Cast

ActorRole
Adam Pascal Bobby Starr
Amy Davidson Rebekka
Natasha Lyonne Fani
Zoe Lister-Jones Hani
Tovah Feldshuh Leah
Dean Edwards Ty
Cris Judd Elliot
Erik Liberman Marvin
Joel Leffert Grand Rabbi Sheinmann
Glenn Wein Isaac
Larry GoldsteinRaziel
Benjamin Bauman Haim Sheinmann
Bern Cohen Jeremiah the Gambler
Wendy Diamond & Lucky Wendy Diamond & Lucky
William Wise Manny

Name change

On September 14, 2009, MarVista Entertainment announced both their distribution rights to the film Goyband and their choice to rename the movie Falling Star (note the one "r", which is different from the name of the title character).[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<i>Casino</i> (1995 film) 1995 film directed by Martin Scorsese

Casino is a 1995 epic crime film directed by Martin Scorsese, adapted by Scorsese and Nicholas Pileggi from the latter's nonfiction book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas. It stars Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, Don Rickles, Kevin Pollak, and James Woods. The film was the eighth collaboration between director Scorsese and De Niro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Pascal</span> American actor, singer, and musician

Adam Pascal is an American actor, singer, and musician, known for his performance as Roger Davis in the original 1996 cast of Jonathan Larson's musical Rent on Broadway, the 2005 movie version of the musical, and the Broadway tour of Rent in 2009. He is also known for originating the role of Radames in Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida, for playing the Emcee in the 1998 revival of Cabaret, for playing Freddie Trumper in Chess at the New Amsterdam Theatre and Royal Albert Hall, and for playing Huey Calhoun in the Broadway company of Memphis. More recently, he played William Shakespeare in the Tony Award-winning musical Something Rotten!

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amy Davidson</span> American actress

Amy Davidson is an American actress. She is known for playing Kerry Hennessy in the ABC sitcom 8 Simple Rules.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casino Rama</span>

Casino Rama is a large casino, hotel, and entertainment complex located in the town of Rama, Ontario on the reserve land of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation. It is jointly owned by the Chippewas of Rama First Nation and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, with operation of the casino contracted to Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sands Hotel and Casino</span> Historic hotel and casino in Nevada, United States

The Sands Hotel and Casino was a historic American hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States, that operated from 1952 to 1996. Designed by architect Wayne McAllister, with a prominent 56-foot (17 m) high sign, the Sands was the seventh resort to open on the Strip. During its heyday, it hosted many famous entertainers of the day, most notably the Rat Pack and Jerry Lewis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hanukkah menorah</span> Candelabrum lit during Hanukkah

A Hanukkah menorah, or hanukkiah, is a nine-branched candelabrum lit during the eight-day Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Eight of the nine branches hold lights that symbolize the eight nights of the holiday; on each night, one more light is lit than the previous night, until on the final night all eight branches are ignited. The ninth branch holds a candle, called the shamash, which is used to light the other eight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shmuley Boteach</span> American Orthodox rabbi and writer (born 1966)

Jacob Shmuel Boteach, known as Shmuley Boteach, is an American rabbi, author, and media host.

<i>Vegas Vacation</i> 1997 family comedy film by Stephen Kessler

Vegas Vacation is a 1997 American comedy film directed by Stephen Kessler in his feature directorial debut. It is the fourth installment in National Lampoon’s Vacation film series, and was written by Elisa Bell, based on a story by Bell and Bob Ducsay. The film stars Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Randy Quaid, Wayne Newton, Ethan Embry, and Wallace Shawn. It tells the story of Clark Griswold taking his family to Las Vegas to renew his vows to Ellen as the series' usual hilarity occurs. The film opened at #4 at the box office and grossed over $36.4 million domestically. Vegas Vacation is the first theatrical Vacation film not to carry the National Lampoon label or a screenwriting credit from John Hughes. Also, this is the only National Lampoon film to be released in the 1990s and the final film released before National Lampoon magazine folded. this was also the last Vacation movie to be released until New Line Cinema, a production company of Warner Bros, produced a reboot that was released 18 years later in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tovah Feldshuh</span> American actress, singer and playwright

Terri Sue "Tovah" Feldshuh is an American actress, singer, and playwright. She has been a Broadway star for fifty years, earning four Tony Award nominations. She has also received two Emmy Award nominations for Holocaust and Law & Order, and appeared in such films as A Walk on the Moon, She's Funny That Way, and Kissing Jessica Stein. In 2015–2016, she played the role of Deanna Monroe on AMC's television adaptation of The Walking Dead.

"The House Always Wins" is episode 3 of season 4 in the television show Angel. Written by David Fury and directed by Marita Grabiak, it was originally broadcast on October 20, 2002 on the WB television network.

Tibor Feldman is an American actor, having played roles in movies, television shows, television commercials, and stage plays. He has appeared in television dramas including: Law & Order, Conviction, The Sopranos, Third Watch and New York Undercover.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Sandler</span> Musical artist

Tony Sandler is a Belgian singer who was half the vocal duo Sandler and Young, which was popular from the 1960s to the 1980s.

<i>West Bank Story</i> 2005 American musical short film

West Bank Story is a 2005 American musical comedy short film directed by Ari Sandel, co-written by Sandel and Kim Ray, produced by Pascal Vaguelsy, Amy Kim, Ashley Jordan, Ravi Malhotra, Bill Boland, and featuring choreography by Ramon Del Barrio. The film is a parody of the classic 1961 musical film West Side Story, which in turn is an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. The film follows the rivalry between falafel restaurants, one Israeli and the other Palestinian, respectively named the "Kosher King" and the "Hummus Hut," and the romance between the latter's cashier and an Israeli soldier in the West Bank. The film stars Ben Newmark as the IDF soldier, Noureen DeWulf as the Palestinian cashier, A.J. Tannen as the Israeli restaurant owner, and Joey Naber as his Palestinian rival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Grimm</span> American screenwriter

Christopher Grimm is a New York City-based writer-director and actor. He wrote, produced, directed and starred in a series of TV promos and movie trailers for the Independent Film Channel based on The Bystander from Hell, a character he created in a 3-minute short shot on one roll of Super-8 film. The Bystander persona was a compilation of onlookers he dealt with while working crowd control as a production assistant on films and TV shows in Los Angeles and New York City. The Bystander From Hell played at over 50 film festivals, including Sundance and Toronto. Prior to that, he co-starred, co-wrote and co-produced Two Boneheads, which won an award at the Szene Salzburg Festival and aired on a PBS series hosted by Jeffrey Lyons.

<i>The Well-Diggers Daughter</i> (2011 film) 2011 French film

The Well-Digger's Daughter is a 2011 French Romantic Drama film. Daniel Auteuil makes his directorial debut as he stars alongside Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey, Kad Merad, Sabine Azéma, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, and Nicolas Duvauchelle.

<i>Cilla</i> (2014 TV series) UK TV miniseries

Cilla is a British drama serial about the early career of Cilla Black. It was broadcast in three parts on ITV, and began on 15 September 2014 with Sheridan Smith playing the starring role. Smith was highly praised for her performance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seal-K</span> Kosher certification organization

Seal-K Kosher is a kosher certification organization. The organization provides kosher supervision and certification for commercial kitchens, in addition to certifications for food production and shaatnez testing. The organization has its office in Chicago in 2021.

<i>Sandy Wexler</i> 2017 American film

Sandy Wexler is a 2017 American comedy film directed by Steve Brill and written by Dan Bulla, Paul Sado and Adam Sandler. The film stars Sandler, Jennifer Hudson, Kevin James, Terry Crews, Rob Schneider, Colin Quinn, and Lamorne Morris, and follows a talent manager in 1990s Hollywood. It also featured Richard Lewis in his final film acting role before his death in 2024. The film was released on Netflix on April 14, 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hashgacha Pratit (organization)</span> Israel-based Organization with both female and male clergy

Hashgacha Pratit (השגחה-פרטית) is an independent, Israel-based organization with both female and male clergy that self-describes as providing an alternative form of Orthodox Rabbinical authority and social activism group dedicated to challenging the monopoly of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel over religious ceremonies and practices, through the provision of private religious ceremonies. Founded in 2012 by Rabbi Aaron Leibowitz in Jerusalem, Israel, it offers alternative halachic services in life-cycle events, rabbinical training, and other courses in religious education. It has provided private kashrut supervision for restaurants, worked on raising public awareness and finding loopholes in the laws to circumvent the Chief Rabbinate's monopoly, first regarding Kashrut, by leading the movement to open the kosher food market to competition, and today regarding Orthodox wedding ceremonies.

Yisroel Bernath is an American Hassidic rabbi, actor, screenwriter and podcaster active in Canada. Bernath is spiritual director at Chabad of NDG and the Jewish Chaplain at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Coined by the Montreal Gazette as the "Love Rabbi" and the "Hipster Rabbi" by Viceland, he is a well-known matchmaker and relationship coach. He is the subject of the CBC Documentaries Kosher Love and its sequel, Meet, Pray, Love: Return of the Love Rabbi.

References

  1. "Cinefile: Totally tribal". The Jerusalem Post - JPost.com. Retrieved 1 July 2020.