This film has Judy Blume written all over it, but its main character lacks the genuine naivete that makes Blume's tween characters so lovable. Playing Stacy in You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, Sunny Sandler (Adam's daughter) wades into mean girl territory with her friends, poses and pouts for her male crush, and vamps in a sexy outfit for TikTok. It feels like a decidedly LA version of tweenhood. If you are only picking one tween girl flick this year, go with Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
That's not to say that Sunny doesn't play the character well, and it appears that all the Sandlers had a lot of fun making this movie. There are likely inside jokes galore here. Papa Sandler is in relax mode and lets his daughter take top billing, with family interactions feeling, well, pretty real. Same with the cameos and portrayals in the multigenerational Jewish community, though Sherman's performance as Rabbi Rebecca is more grating than great.
Read the full review at Common Sense Media.
Images courtesy of Netflix.
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