Bell and Brody take a chance on love amid struggles with faith and potential in-laws.
Maybe some people want this, a Jewishy rom com about an outspoken agnostic sex podcaster, Kristen Bell as Joanne, and her relationship with progressive rabbi, Adam Brody, as Noah. Because of the “succotash hodgepodge” of so many different intertwining scenarios, it’s a hard to take the whole hullabaloo of 10 short episodes too literally.
Some moments are awkward, some genuinely funny, some “icky,” but most often exaggerated, leaving the ever-present question, “What would someone who is not Jewish take away from this?”
Yes, rabbis can be handsome and sexual, and Jewish mothers can be overbearing, and rabbis can marry non-Jewish women and still be professionally sound, but really, the rabbi running into congregants in a sex shop while he’s in S&M gear for that one second is just a whip too far.
Tovah Feldshuh, a multi-talented actor, is mushed into a fake Yiddish folk accent as the rabbi’s bossy and judgmental mother. She’s based in a fabulous California mansion when she somehow is caught eating prosciutto (pork) out of the trash can. At least her wardrobe is fabulous. Does she have her son, the rabbi’s, best interest at heart? Her husband, the rabbi’s father, who escaped faking the weird accent, is the “truth teller” as he advises Noah, in a normal-esque scene, that he should follow his heart and not be sidetracked by other peoples’ opinions.
The trick to enjoying this series is to suspend disbelief and not internalize the awkwardness literally. Jews (and rabbis) have their frailties and personal struggles with faith. And one can feel for a rabbi who may have to choose between not accepting the head rabbi job if he has to forgo his new blond love interest — unless he has to suggest that she convert, and quickly.
“Nobody Wants This” is an edgy rom com that doesn’t always show Jews in the best light // Photo Credit: Netflix
The repartee can be quick and sharp. Following the sister’s sex podcast, it’s just dropped that Joanne was “a lesbian for a year.” Is that relevant or just going down a rabbit hole? Then her father shows up gay with a lover with his wife in tow. So what? Why is that funny? Vulnerability peeps through in scenes where Joanne admits that her fear is that no one can love her in spite of her strong personality.
Even the rabbi’s ex-fiancé, who took it upon herself to find a wedding ring so she could propose for herself, confronts Joanne in a touching moment where she explains the real role of a rabbi’s wife.
The Jewish summer camp scene is sweet enough. The teen girls are swooning over the rabbi and are in on the gig where he is “hiding” Joanne and introducing her as “just a friend.” Some legit humor lands as “truth is found in jest.” Can you ever get over the “ick” factor — seeing a lover do something awkward and embarrassing. Can you ever un-see it?
Fan, Julie Abes said, “It’s a fun rom com with great chemistry between the characters. Nice to see a reform rabbi experiencing the ups and down of the dating world with his overbearing family. One of those shows where you laugh out loud at some point in each episode.”
Fan Lisa Jassin stated, “I kept thinking Adam Brody was Seth Cohen on ‘OC.’ My favorite scene was when the young campers called him ‘hot rabbi.’”
On social networks, some are begging for a sequel, as the ending was not definitive. “Nobody Wants This” captured the hearts of millennials ,xennials and less traditionalists.
After all, in what temple do the men wear tallit on Friday nights? And what exactly is a “conversion” — two years of study and wearing a wig? Or a 6-week mini-course?
Best advice? A fabulous and most relatable movie worth seeing is “Keeping the Faith” (2000) starring Jenna Elfman, a non-Jewish woman who gets involved with Ben Stiller, a rabbi as she chooses between him and Ed Norton, a Catholic priest. Now that is a movie worth its “shiska” triangulation. Oftentimes converts make the most appreciative and educated Jews with or without a romance with the rabbi.
