Beau Jest

Sarah (Robyn Cohen) is a Chicago area teacher with a problem. A young Jewish woman, she has a serious relationship going with a gentile man, a romance she feels she must keep secret from her parents. After all, Abe (Seymour Cassel) and Miriam (Lainie Kazan) are typical parents who long for a son in law who is successful AND Jewish. Therefore, since her mother doesn't know of Sarah's situation, she constantly fixes up her daughter with anyone and everyone she can. It's getting complicated. So, Sarah decides to invent a nice boyfriend who is both Jewish and a doctor and hires an actor to play the part. When Bob (Tony Daly) meets up with Sarah for the first family dinner, she is horrified, however, to find out he isn't Jewish either, although she had asked the agency for just such a man. Bob, needing the work, insists he can play it out. He does! Miriam and Abe are soon bragging to all about Sarah's catchy beau and the teacher finds it necessary to hire Bob to escort her to other events. Wouldn't the truth be better? But, wait, although Sarah doesn't want to disappoint her parents perceived wishes, Bob may be working his way into her heart, too! Oy! What to do? This is a sweet, funny film with some serious undertones. Yes, its got comedy but it also deals with such topics as parental approval and loving others for themselves and not their images. It also gives beautiful insight into some of the admirable Jewish traditions. The cast is very nice, with Cohen and Daly making a great twosome and old pros Cassel and Kazan complimenting them well. The other cast members are fine, also. The Chicago setting is quite lovely, while costumes, photography, script and direction are all well above average. In short, if you are one of those viewers on an endless quest for entries in the romcom genre, its' no jest, you'll like this one.