{"id":40648,"date":"2026-01-12T01:01:41","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T09:01:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/behindthelensonline.net\/site\/?p=40648"},"modified":"2026-01-12T01:01:41","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T09:01:41","slug":"31-candles-is-never-entirely-without-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/behindthelensonline.net\/site\/reviews\/movies\/31-candles-is-never-entirely-without-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"31 CANDLES is never entirely without heart"},"content":{"rendered":"

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31 CANDLES sounds, at first blush, like a clever and charming rom-com courtesy of writer\/director\/star Jonah Feingold\u2014and for stretches, it is. But while the premise promises buoyant comedy and romantic payoff, the film ultimately struggles with tone, repetition, and a central character whose arrested development wears thin long before the candles are lit.<\/p>\n

The story centers on Leo Kadner, a 30-year-old Jewish filmmaker in New York who makes Christmas movies for a living and decides\u2014somewhat impulsively\u2014to have his Bar Mitzvah at age 31. On paper, it\u2019s a premise primed for humor: an adult man belatedly stepping into a rite of passage while desperately trying to avoid being alone. Leo wants love, validation, and adulthood, though not necessarily in that order.<\/p>\n

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Complicating matters is Eva Shapiro, a girl Leo met at summer camp back in 2006 and has never quite gotten over. In an irony that practically begs for comedic escalation, Eva is now his Bar Mitzvah tutor. Leo insists he doesn\u2019t want her\u2014while very clearly wanting nothing else. Around this central fixation swirl family pressures, Hebrew lessons, a required mitzvah project, and Leo\u2019s inability to take meaningful steps forward in his life.<\/p>\n

Fumbles and foibles abound, some amusing, many less so. Leo\u2019s core issue isn\u2019t bad luck\u2014it\u2019s stagnation. He hasn\u2019t grown up, and the film repeatedly asks whether he ever will. His father\u2019s advice cuts to the bone: grow up, get a real job, find a girlfriend, get a hobby. The problem is how long the film leans on Leo\u2019s obsessive behavior as a running joke. His constant repetition of Eva Shapiro\u2019s full name and his circular whining about wanting her but not wanting her becomes grating well before the film\u2019s midpoint.<\/p>\n

To Feingold\u2019s credit, Leo is not rendered obnoxious\u2014just persistently, gratingly immature. The film captures his juvenile awkwardness and lack of self-awareness with uncomfortable accuracy. Still, accuracy doesn\u2019t always translate to sustained entertainment.<\/p>\n

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The film finds new life the moment Sarah Coffey appears as Eva Shapiro. The more tedious Leo becomes, the more engaging Coffey\u2019s performance proves to be. Confident, joyful, and musically gifted, Coffey brings a welcome vitality to the screen. Her on-screen presence is magnetic, her deliveries matter-of-fact and sharp, and her chemistry with Feingold\u2014particularly in rapid-fire banter\u2014is genuinely enjoyable. The visual contrast between Coffey\u2019s tall stature and Feingold\u2019s smaller frame adds a subtle Mutt-and-Jeff physical comedy that works in the film\u2019s favor.<\/p>\n

Eva has returned to New York, hoping to make it to Broadway, supporting herself by tutoring bar and bat mitzvah students between auditions. Coffey\u2019s musicality is a real asset, whether chanting blessings or singing Irving Berlin, and she lends warmth and rhythm to scenes that might otherwise stall.<\/p>\n

Surrounding Leo is a strong supporting cast. Jackie Sandler brings grounded humor as Leo\u2019s twice-divorced mother, Susan, while comedienne Judy Gold nearly steals the film as the irreverent Rabbi Zeldin, reliably generating laughs whenever she appears. The emotional anchor, however, is Caroline Aaron as Grammy Lila, whose Torah-rooted wisdom and gentle faith in Leo provide the film with its most sincere heart.<\/p>\n

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Ironically, because bar mitzvahs are traditionally rites of passage for adolescents, Leo\u2019s two classmates\u2014played with charm and intelligence by Derrick Delgado and Zoe Hoffman\u2014are among the only people he can truly communicate with. The fact that they often seem more emotionally mature than Leo underscores the film\u2019s central tension, and their scenes together are among its most engaging.<\/p>\n

There are comedic set pieces that nearly land: Leo\u2019s rapid-fire outfit changes before dates, inner monologues during dinners, and a Shabbat meal built entirely on store-bought deception. Some bits, however\u2014like an extended date involving a live podcast recording\u2014overstay their welcome and dissipate whatever humor they initially promise.<\/p>\n

Visually, Feingold shows a thoughtful cinematic eye. A Shabbat dinner montage around the film\u2019s midpoint stands out, enhanced by graceful superimpositions and a gentle score by Grant Fonda, featuring flute and piano with Coffey singing in Hebrew. Cinematographer Lauren Guiteras keeps the look of the film classic and clean, favoring warmth and clarity over flash.<\/p>\n

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Ultimately, the film\u2019s quiet strength lies in what it isn\u2019t. 31 CANDLES resists becoming a conventional rom-com. Romance is present, but it isn\u2019t the point. What matters more is Leo\u2019s halting, often frustrating attempt to grow up\u2014or at least confront the fact that he hasn\u2019t. Jewish traditions are treated with respect, cultural neuroses are mined for humor, and the surrounding characters supply wit and perspective that Leo himself lacks.<\/p>\n

Whether Leo gets the girl is less compelling than whether he finally gets himself together. Will he grow up? Will Eva make it to Broadway? Will Leo make it through his Bar Mitzvah with dignity intact? And will any of it happen before 31 candles are lit on his birthday cake?<\/p>\n

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The answers matter less than the journey getting there\u2014uneven, occasionally funny, sometimes grating, but never entirely without heart.<\/p>\n

Written and Directed by Jonah Feingold<\/p>\n

Cast: Jonah Feingold, Sarah Coffey, Jackie Sandler, Dale Moss, Caroline Aaron, Judy Gold, Lori Tan Chinn, Zoe Hoffmann, and Derrick Delgado<\/p>\n

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by debbie elias, 12\/25\/2025<\/p>\n