***SPOILERS AHEAD***
I like the premise of the movie, but the actual execution was a big let-down.
Maybe it's because I'm American and not familiar with the Israeli sense of humor (in the same way that French humor kind of baffles me). Or maybe something was lost in translation when the sub-titles were written. (The film is in Hebrew, and the copy I saw did not have English dubbing, so I relied on the sub-titles.)
Whatever, I did not find this film amusing or enjoyable.
The film was populated by a number of characters whom we barely got to know, let alone care about. I'm still not sure who a couple of them were.
And then Michal's rejection of the engineer suitor (I'll give her a pass on pop star suitor Yoss) made no sense to me. Well, to be clear, I think I get the expectation -- "Hashem will provide", right? and on the last night of Chanukah, to be specific -- but I didn't buy it. Because maybe Hashem sent these sudden new suitors Michal's way in answer to her prayer, that's how I see it. Maybe He thought His timing was wiser than hers?
But by Michal rejecting a perfectly good suitor because he does not meet her scheduled time frame, the movie is able to achieve what I assume is its main objective: to show that if you have enough faith in Hashem, He will provide, and exactly as you requested it.
As silly as this conceit is, perhaps a worse failing of the film is in the depiction of Michal. I found her to be an unlikable, unknowable character. We don't have any reason to root for her as the movie goes along. Bridget Jones is quirky, yet we see things about her that make her oddly likable. Ditto Muriel ("Muriel's Wedding"). But Michal? Not so much.
And frankly, her current Debbie-downer attitude notwithstanding, I don't know how it is Michal isn't already married when the movie starts. Are suitable brides so plentiful in her Hassidic community that no bridegroom could be found years ago? (When the movie opens, she is engaged, but to my knowledge they don't have long engagements, so I'm assuming she and the original fiancé had only been engaged a short time as the movie opened,and she's already over 30.) Is the fact she owns a mobile petting zoo a deal-breaker in her community?
Maybe there was something said that explained everything, but if there was, I missed it. It just seemed to me that the filmmaker did not provide the type of backstory or other information that would help folks like me understand how Michal comes to find herself in her current situation when the movie starts. Perhaps to Israeli viewers, though, it all makes sense.
The only other comments I have are:
1. I dislike it when actors sob but there are no tears to be seen. (Noa Koler, I'm looking at you.)
2. Shimi was very easy on the eyes. :-) The filmmaker should have focused more on Shimi's interactions with Michal, and their friendship, throughout the film.
I like the premise of the movie, but the actual execution was a big let-down.
Maybe it's because I'm American and not familiar with the Israeli sense of humor (in the same way that French humor kind of baffles me). Or maybe something was lost in translation when the sub-titles were written. (The film is in Hebrew, and the copy I saw did not have English dubbing, so I relied on the sub-titles.)
Whatever, I did not find this film amusing or enjoyable.
The film was populated by a number of characters whom we barely got to know, let alone care about. I'm still not sure who a couple of them were.
And then Michal's rejection of the engineer suitor (I'll give her a pass on pop star suitor Yoss) made no sense to me. Well, to be clear, I think I get the expectation -- "Hashem will provide", right? and on the last night of Chanukah, to be specific -- but I didn't buy it. Because maybe Hashem sent these sudden new suitors Michal's way in answer to her prayer, that's how I see it. Maybe He thought His timing was wiser than hers?
But by Michal rejecting a perfectly good suitor because he does not meet her scheduled time frame, the movie is able to achieve what I assume is its main objective: to show that if you have enough faith in Hashem, He will provide, and exactly as you requested it.
As silly as this conceit is, perhaps a worse failing of the film is in the depiction of Michal. I found her to be an unlikable, unknowable character. We don't have any reason to root for her as the movie goes along. Bridget Jones is quirky, yet we see things about her that make her oddly likable. Ditto Muriel ("Muriel's Wedding"). But Michal? Not so much.
And frankly, her current Debbie-downer attitude notwithstanding, I don't know how it is Michal isn't already married when the movie starts. Are suitable brides so plentiful in her Hassidic community that no bridegroom could be found years ago? (When the movie opens, she is engaged, but to my knowledge they don't have long engagements, so I'm assuming she and the original fiancé had only been engaged a short time as the movie opened,and she's already over 30.) Is the fact she owns a mobile petting zoo a deal-breaker in her community?
Maybe there was something said that explained everything, but if there was, I missed it. It just seemed to me that the filmmaker did not provide the type of backstory or other information that would help folks like me understand how Michal comes to find herself in her current situation when the movie starts. Perhaps to Israeli viewers, though, it all makes sense.
The only other comments I have are:
1. I dislike it when actors sob but there are no tears to be seen. (Noa Koler, I'm looking at you.)
2. Shimi was very easy on the eyes. :-) The filmmaker should have focused more on Shimi's interactions with Michal, and their friendship, throughout the film.