Absurd, bizarre, and decidedly politically incorrect, Donny’s Bar Mitzvah (written, produced, and directed by Jonathan Kaufman) is ostensibly a found footage comedy that is supposed to be a VHS recording of a bar mitzvah in a small town in Michigan from 1998. However, the film isn’t concerned with strictly maintaining that conceit and uses the VHS look and ‘90s videography editing flourishes more for visual aesthetic. In any case, I found the movie to be unrelentingly funny, even though the rapid-fire gross-out silliness sometimes gave way to some dark and uncomfortable humor.
Young Steele Stebbins is our lead, the titular Donny. His parents, the easygoing Mitch (Regan Burns) and domineering Sherryl (Wendy Braun) have thrown him an extravagant Hollywood-themed bar mitzvah. The celebration is really just an excuse to show off their wealth and taste while giving all their friends the opportunity to indulge in orgiastic levels of drinking and drug use. While Steele navigates the awkward teenage politics of young love, frenemies, and family, the debauched revelry reaches surreal heights.
Subplots are numerous, giving all of the large supporting cast moments to shine. John DeLuca is Donny’s oversexed older brother. He targets the older and married Susie (Tricia O’Kelley), resulting in unexpected consequences. The Wangs (Eugene Kim and Judilin Bosita) are experiencing their first bar mitzvah. The uptight Mr Wang is mostly repulsed by the evening’s antics, but Mrs. Wang decides to cut loose. The blustery and loutish Tom (Michael Patrick McGill) will go to any lengths for a good time, though his wife Nancy (Jennifer Sorenson) is more reluctant. While Donny tries to woo Hannah (Isabelle Anaya), her mother (Noureen DeWulf) eyes Mitch. The closeted David (Radek Lord) also lusts after Mitch while Donny’s goth sister Michelle (Jessica Renee Russell) uses the gay man to deflect her relatives’ intentions to fix her up. Valet Mike (Connor Del Rio) dispenses stoner wisdom, and dance instructor and emcee Gerald (Jeremy Tardy) assists deep undercover agent Frank (Danny friggin’ Trejo) in apprehending a literal party pooper.
Despite these numerous threads, Kaufman is able to keep the chaos from spinning out of control. Considering this is his debut effort, it’s an impressive feat. Gags are deployed at breakneck speed, so if one falls flat, there’s already another one on deck. Laughs are sourced from dialog-driven jokes, sight gags, and slapstick. The film is unconcerned with taboos, featuring humor about race and coprophagia, and giving graphic sexual dialog to young teens. All of this exists under a thick layer of quirky irony, so it’d be hard to take too seriously, but I’d say there’s something here that could offend everyone. I wouldn’t say this is a narratively driven film, but all of the storylines proceed to appropriately ridiculous conclusions. It all feels very loose, but this is an illusion, as the directing is effortlessly tight.
Although most of the cast seems to be relative unknowns, the performances are pretty polished and self-assured. I particularly enjoyed DeLuca’s dim-bulb horndog and McGill’s loud oafishness. Shout out to Keith Blaney for his small role as the strange and unsettling photographer. Truly, though, the entire cast commits to the outrageous script and makes the movie feel like it’s the product of a much more experienced filmmaker.
Yash Khanna’s cinematography obviously employs the verité technique. However, as I indicated above, he’s not slavishly devoted to maintaining the idea that what we see was captured by someone at the party. So, in some ways, it’s a blend of traditional shooting and found footage style. The image isn’t overly jittery, even though it retains a handheld feel. Additionally, the SD tape doesn’t overwhelm and still allows for a relatively clear presentation. As this is supposed to be a VHS from 1998, the aspect ratio is 4:3 or pillar boxed. Michael Wolfe’s editing also doesn’t try to adhere to rigid found footage rules, opting to emphasize storytelling. At about 79 minutes, the pacing is brisk. The cheesy transitional flourishes feel authentic to the period setting and give the film even more goofy flavor. Considering the zany atmosphere and the script’s complete departure from reality, it’s obvious that it was a conscious decision to only go so far with the conceit.
Besides the taped look of the film, costumes and hairstyles are probably the biggest indicators of the timeframe. However, there thankfully aren’t any self-aware references to when the story takes place. In that way, the film is naturalistic. I also enjoyed the music, although I didn’t recognize most of the tracks. I’m guessing they are original songs made for the film, but in any case, they didn’t detract from the ‘90s feel.
Jonathan Kaufman’s Donny’s Bar Mitzvah is raunchy, over the top, and surprisingly polished. Comedy is so subjective, though, and combined with the gleeful political incorrectness, I can’t recommend this for everyone. I personally think that Kaufman has a big career ahead of him, provided he doesn’t piss off too many people. I know I’m looking forward to seeing more from him. If you dig Wet Hot American Summer, Napoleon Dynamite, and Role Models, you’ll probably get a kick out of this.
Michael Cavender