Signing on the Dotted Line

I have always liked Becca Tobin in the movies I have seen her in and this was no exception. And I have really really liked Jake Epstein. He is good-looking, but with a nice normal guy-type vibe as well. They star together in this low-key Jewish-themed romance. Ms. Tobin has never looked lovelier. This one is a little different as the couple has a meet-cute, time goes by, Jake meets Rebecca’s close-knit family, and they are engaged to be married in the first 18 minutes. Rebecca teaches art, and we have a montage of pencil drawings of the couple having fun and such like to prove to the audience they have spent the necessary time together and they are a good match. And… it’s time to plan the wedding and bring home Jake’s single Mom ( I’m redecorating a Castle in Romania) from her world travels.

Of course, the mothers are…challenging. They have completely opposite tastes and lives. One likes lots of pizzazz and one favors understated sophistication. But their antics are mostly held in check. The conflict is limited to dirty looks and extreme civility. Plus, this bride actually has a backbone. There is also the matter of religious differences. Although they are both Jewish, Rebecca is fairly devout and holds to all the traditional customs and ceremonies. Adam on the other hand is Jewish in name only. His now-divorced mother married a gentile after his father died, and the pair lost touch with that side of things. There are a number of scenes of Adam getting immersed and educated in his heritage and he does it to make Rebecca happy. This involves meetings with a Rabbi, who looks more like an agent for the Mossad and is terrifying. The second and far more serious source of conflict is Adam’s career. After they are engaged and planning the wedding, Adam gets a big promotion to partner but it means he and Rebecca will have to move to Los Angeles. Rebecca is very close to her family and the after-school program she created and runs in Chicago. She is sad but rightly agrees with good grace that move is what they must do. Bonus Perk: He will be making twice as much money! So yes. Good decision. So far so good. They love each other and are willing to put the other first and work things out together. However,  after navigating their share of stormy waters the boat starts to flounder when Adam has to go to L.A. to handle an emergency just a few days before the wedding, and is late getting back in time for the rehearsal. Rebecca, already stressed and questioning Adam’s priorities walks out. I thought that was a little extreme.

All is (miraculously) resolved of course, with some thanks to the sage guidance of the two Moms. The actors were excellent. Becca Tobin managed to convey teacher-like qualities outside of the classroom without coming across as overly high-handed. Jake Epstein conveyed his character’s high-strung tendencies without making him seem like a ditz.  Jake’s mother, played by Laura Soltis had a lovely and touching scene near the end which softened her hard sophisticate facade. Oh! and good ol’ Peter Benson was in this. This was a low-key story that did include some drama and tension but didn’t turn into a silly circus. It was very pleasant.