You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah is a Sandler family affair that tackles the struggles we all experienced in the eighth grade.

The majority of teen comedies know exactly how to represent the struggles and experiences that we all went through during those years. Because the writers and directors behind the films have been there themselves, they can portray that time of our lives as believable. They say if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry, which is likely how a lot of people feel about the eighth grade. You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah tells Stacy Friedman’s story of the most awkward time in any teenage girl’s life, being thirteen years old.
Note: This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah would not exist without the labor of the writers and actors in both unions.

In You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah, best friends Stacy (Sunny Sandler) and Lydia (Samantha Lorraine) have long dreamt of putting on epic bat mitzvahs that will have the whole school talking. When the school heartthrob Andy Goldfarb (Dylan Hoffman) comes between them, their plans go comically awry.
While teen viewers will certainly be able to relate to this film, adults will too — because we have been through it before. This stage of life is always awkward. You are growing and your body is changing. You have crushes and best friends and drama. It is a time when you are easily embarrassed and all too often feel like you cannot be yourself. That is something that comes through in You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah, but there is also some great messages about family and friendship.
Stacy’s father is played by the actress’ real life father, Adam Sandler, and her older is sister is played by real life sister, Sadie Sandler. Her mother, Jackie Sandler, is in the movie, but Idina Menzel plays the role of her mom in the movie. This makes You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah a family affair and is likely part of the reason it works so well.
The father and daughters make a great team because these are certainly real life things they have gone through. These girls have had their Bat Mitzvahs already, and surely there were some compromises that had to be made with the planning.
As for the sisterly bond between the Sandler girls, it very much shines through. Sisters fight and argue and hate each other at times, but they always have your back when it comes down to it. The relationship between Sunny and Sadie is true and earnest, which is why they are so believable as siblings.

You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah doesn’t only work because it is relatable, however. This movie is straight up funny. Sure, teens will be entertained, but there are laugh out loud moments for the parents as well. It is easy to relate to Adam and Idina as the parents, who go through some things themselves, even though Stacy is very clearly the main character.
Sunny Sandler is not new to the acting work, but it is in this movie that she proves the range she has. She will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you cringe as you feel really, really bad for her. She learns some important lessons about friendships, and putting them ahead of any cute boy that walks into your life.
The overall storyline is pretty predictable — this doesn’t feel like something completely unique. Instead You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah feels like a movie we have seen before with a Jewish twist to it, but that is not a bad thing. Those who are not Jewish will still be able to find something to relate to in this movie, don’t worry about that.

Overall Thoughts
You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah has some really funny moments, as well as some emotional ones. The ensemble of teen actors give it their all, which is part of why it works so well. The middle school drama is extremely relatable.
As a parent, it is a joy to watch a real life family on screen together and know that they likely went through almost all of these exact same scenarios — because so many of us do.
You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah is entertaining enough, and thanks to some smart pacing and editing choices, it comes together pretty well. At just over ninety minutes, this is a fun watch for families and teens, although it will be the younger audience that really resonates with it, and watches it time and time again. Adult viewers will likely look back on their own journeys, and realize some of the stupid mistakes they made. We all have been there.
While everyone can find something to relate to in this movie, it is sure to resonate most with the younger teen viewers. It’s a joy to see the Sandlers on screen together, having so much fun.
Rating: 3 out of 5
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About You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah
Lifelong best friends Stacy (Sunny Sandler) and Lydia (Samantha Lorraine) have long dreamt of epic bat mitzvahs but when popular boy Andy Goldfarb (Dylan Hoffman) and Hebrew school drama come between them, their perfect plans go comically awry.
Directed by Sammi Cohen, produced by Happy Madison and Alloy Entertainment, and also starring Idina Menzel, Sadie Sandler, Sarah Sherman, Luis Guzmán, and Jackie & Adam Sandler, You are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah chronicles the high comedy and modern teen angst that comes with family, friendship, and first crushes.
You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah comes to Netflix on August 25th.
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Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She is also a Freelance Writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association.