Inspired by his own life and experience with his Jewish faith, Jonah Finegold directs and stars in the new romantic comedy film 31 Candles.
Also starring in the movie are Sarah Coffey stars alongside him as his love interest, along with Jackie Sandler, Dale Moss, Caroline Aaron, Jared Freid, Catherine Cohen, Larry Owens, Katarina Zhu, Judy Gold, Lori Tan Chinn, Seth Barrish, Joey Dardano, Lauren Servideo, Djouliet Amara, Talia Suskauer, Noa Fisher, Hannah Pilkes, Kuhoo Verma, Zoe Hoffmann, Derrick Delgado, and Megan Bitchell.
The film follows Leo Kadner (Finegold), an awkward Jewish director in his 30s making Christmas movies. Grappling with the fact that he’s getting older and not finding anyone for him to settle down with, everything changes when he runs into his childhood crush from summer camp, Eva Shapiro (Coffey).
Upon finding out that she tutors for children having their bar or bat mitzvah, Leo suddenly decides to have his own bar mitzvah for his 31st birthday, with his goal being to finally fall in love with Eva. As he works to finish his Mitzvah project, he has to deal with other moving parts in his life, such as his situationship Molly (Djoulet Amara), as well as his divorced parents Mark (Seth Barrish) and Susan (Jackie Sandler).
31 Candles had its premiere at the Miami Jewish Film Festival and was also shown at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. It opens in select New York theaters starting November 5th, and select Los Angeles theaters starting December 5th.
The film will be released in eight select venues across America, including four locations across New York and two locations in Los Angeles. Look below for where and when the film will be playing.
In an interview with writer Danielle Solzman, Feingold mentions what influenced him to start directing 31 Candles, saying “After having made a Christmas movie, I was deeply deeply inspired and motivated to make a film that looked at Jewish heritage and my relationship with Judaism and whether it’s Hanukkah or in this case, a bar mitzvah.”
Solzman reviewed the film for her self-published Solzy At The Movies blog, proclaiming, “There’s just something about being Jewish and neurotic!” She shows her appreciation of the Jewish themes and practices seen in the film at length, connecting her own faith and knowledge to it in her review, and praising Feingold’s entertaining self-insertion into the film. “If Feingold continues starring in his films, I would not be opposed. He’s got an excellent grasp for the material..”
Watch the official trailer for 31 Candles above.
Theatrical Listings
- Marlene Meyerson Jewish Community Center, Manhattan, NY – 10/29
- Quad Cinema, Manhattan, NY – 11/7
- Kew Gardens Cinema, Queens, NY – 11/7
- Mamaroneck Cinemas, Mamaroneck, NY – 11/7
- Movies of Delray, Palm Beach, FL – 11/14
- Laemmle Town Center, Encino, CA – 12/5
- Laemmle Royal, West Los Angeles, CA – 12/5
- Harkins Theaters Shea 14, Scottsdale, AZ – 12/5
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