Tribeca Film Festival 2024: Co-Writer and Director Daniel Robbins Talks ‘Bad Shabbos,’ Creating Projects He Wants to See, Collaborating with His Star-Studded Cast, and More

Daniel Robbins has undoubtedly established himself as one of the most captivating voices of this generation. As a visionary filmmaker, he not only demonstrates his innate talent for blending poignant narratives with humor but also consistently keeps audiences on the edge of their seats, deftly weaving unexpected twists into his storytelling. His works have been showcased at esteemed festivals across the globe, spanning from Slamdance to Screamfest. Now, his latest endeavor, Bad Shabbos, is making its world premiere at this year’s illustrious Tribeca Film Festival.

Set to become the buzz of Tribeca, Bad Shabbos is a captivating feature that delves into the story of an engaged interfaith couple, poised to introduce their parents over a significant Shabbat dinner, until an unexpected tragedy disrupts their plans. Yes, you read that correctly.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to catch up with Daniel to discuss Bad Shabbos, his filmmaker ethos of crafting projects he’d love to watch, his seamless collaboration with a star-studded cast, and much more.

PC: Within your creative circle, you’re the person who often evaluates whether an idea is good or not. What was your initial reaction when your producer Adam Mitchell and co-writer Zack Weiner came up to you with this idea?
Daniel: It was almost an immediate yes. The barometer, as Jordan Peele has said, is that a movie you want to watch is the one you should make. I try to expedite that and say if you told me this movie existed, I’d put it on tonight. This is one about a Shabbat dinner in a modern Orthodox world that we don’t see portrayed authentically. If we can capture that along with the tension surrounding the dead body and see how these families actually interact, it would be lightning in a bottle.

PC: It is. You have such an incredible ensemble as part of this film, and they elevate each other’s performances. So many of them are versed in the comedy space. As the co-writer and director, how do you foster an environment where they can take ownership of these characters and bring their own interpretations? How much of what we see in the final product is scripted versus improvised?
Daniel: In terms of performance, it’s all them. Before showing up on set, we might have had conversations or I’d send them some songs or ideas for backstory, but once we show up, the only job I try to do is make the environment as friendly as possible for them. So that means trying to eliminate time pressures and doing as many takes as they want. They can always ask for an extra one and allow them the space where they can be as good as they can possibly be because these actors are all top pros. They know the tone. They know how to make this as good as possible.

In terms of the dialogue on the page versus improv, it’s probably like 90 to 95% scripted. But on set, we try different alternatives. With the exception of Jon Bass and Milana Vayntrub, who are improv pros, a lot of the lines go in different directions, also Cliff “Method Man’ Smith. He’s a writer. He’s written some of the craziest lyrics ever. He’s riffing a lot in scenes. They all have a higher percentage of improv, but generally, it’s all pretty scripted so we can maintain that breakneck pace, because once you go to improv territory, it could get heavy and weigh the movie down, so we needed to try to keep it efficient and funny, which was a challenge.

PC: In that same vein, while you have these over-the-top characters in these crazy situations, there’s such groundedness in everybody’s performance. How were you able to toe that line so seamlessly? What’s more difficult: keeping the cast on the rails or Zack?
Daniel: Or Zack? [laughs] The cast was unbelievable. We talked about how the tone should be pretty grounded. Some characters, especially in a comedy, have to be these real people like Jon Bass and Meghan Leathers’ characters. They’re kind of the P.O.V. of the audience. So we needed them to be the closest to reality. Then you have the dad, David Paymer, and Method Man. They can elevate to different levels because we’re not relying on them as much for the buy-in.

In terms of getting the tone right, there’s a point when Jon Bass, who’s the lead, is like, “Do you want a one, two, or three?” I was like, “What do you mean?” He was like, “One is completely grounded. Two is in the middle. Three is completely ridiculous.” I was like, “Let’s try a one.” Then he’d do that. Then I’d be like, “Let’s do a three.” He found an authentic way to get to each of these levels. Throughout the filming, depending on the scene, we would dial that up or down to see what’s funniest without breaking that string of believability. Sometimes it was a three, but for the most part, it was twos. It’s amazing that’s all he needed.

PC: You’ve got a cast who can play on all those different levels. I feel like when audiences see this film, they’re going to encounter characters who feel so familiar to them. Who is the character in the script that you most resonate with and why?
Daniel: I wish I could say Method Man. I feel like I could go on a thirty-year retreat of trying to improve my coolness, and I still wouldn’t be close. It’s probably the dad, played by David, who’s talking about self-help ideas to try to solve situations when everyone’s yelling at him that it’s not helpful. I feel like I generally try to solve problems in a very loving and understanding way and try to use this thing that I just heard on a podcast. It just makes everyone around me infuriated. So probably him. [laughs]

PC: Great answer. Also, kudos to your sound team, because in those scenes where everything gets heightened, there’s such a great balance between nostalgia and suspense, and so much of the film takes shape during that final edit. What were the discoveries you made during that process that were less prevalent during filming?
Daniel: The script was so tight because Adam, the producer, has an almost journalistic background, so everything is so precise. We just kept iterating it until everything was there. Also, we had so many readers read the script. We don’t keep it a secret. I’ve shared it with my mom, my siblings, a bunch of friends, and we all get their feedback, and also writer friends.

By the time we got to the edit, Kait Plum’s most impressive feat was finding that tonal line with performance because we were getting variations of each and making sure that we keep this really fast pace. The actual Shabbat dinner is like twenty minutes. I remember when we got to it, I was like, I’m not sure how we’re going to edit this. It’s so many angles. It was like twelve hours of footage. She has a background in documentary, and she was like, “I’ll figure it out.” She went through everything and put it together, finding the right reactions at the right point. It became one of the best scenes in the movie, but that was the thing that I was most concerned about in the edit.

Then for the sound mix, Jose [Ramirez] and Chris [Condren] somehow got ten to twelve actors sounding great. Then Kenny [Kusiak] and George [Drabing Hicks] perfected it so it felt real and a little crazy.

PC: Speaking of that nostalgia, this film is such a great throwback to the comedies of the past. What were some of the projects that inspired this? As a storyteller, what is that piece of art that’s had the biggest impact on your journey as a storyteller?
Daniel: Great question. The films that probably inspired this the most were early 2000 comedies like Meet the Parents and My Big Fat Greek Wedding, where it’s these super authentic stories, and the more you get into that specificity, the funnier it gets. Our goal was to make something in that vein where we’re showing the subculture very authentically and then content is just as funny as it can possibly be.

In terms of a specific movie that had an effect on me, I’m not sure. As far as creators, it’s Mike Nichols, Woody Allen, Ernst Lubitsch territory of people who wrote very face-paced, creative, funny films that usually hovered around 90 minutes. They’re generally on the shorter side and then trying to make something of that style with the pace and kinetic energy for today’s audience was the goal here. But I don’t know if there’s one specific film between those three where I’m like, “That’s the one.”

PC: That pacing is such a good point. Your films are ones that you watch it once and you can immediately watch it again, and you discover new things. You’re a New York-based filmmaker and Tribeca is the pinnacle of the festivals that you want your movie to premiere at. What was your reaction when you got the news that you got in?
Daniel: I was happy initially, but I’ve been rejected so many times that I kind of prepared myself for rejection. So even when Adam told me, I was still numb to whatever the response was going to be. But then after he explained how great it would be for sales and people seeing the movie, my excitement level got back up.

PC: You touched upon this already, but one of the motivations of this film was to highlight the middle area between secular life and religion. One of the cornerstones of media is to make others feel seen. I feel like this project is going to resonate with so many. What do you hope people take away after they see it at Tribeca?
Daniel: In terms of religion, the new thing that we wanted to offer with this film is that typically religion is shown as some oppressive relic that parents force on the kids, and it’s not additive to your life, and it’s something that has to be tossed away so you can reach self-transcendence and independence. But now a lot of people are flocking towards community life, whether that’s religion or a bike group or something like that.

The feeling in this film is that religion isn’t something that needs to be tossed away, but it’s something that could give a framework to life that leads to a happier and more fulfilling life sometimes. It sounds obvious, but I don’t see that portrayed often in the films that I watch. Maybe people will take that away, or they’ll take something completely insane away. It’s up to the audience.

PC: They’ll definitely take that away. Going back to your ensemble, as you were co-writing this with Zack, did you have these actors in mind? How did this all come together?
Daniel: We didn’t have these actors in mind. We didn’t even think these actors would read the script or say yes. But then through Adam, our producer, and Seth White, Cody Beke, and Daniel Frankel, our casting directors, they got these scripts in everyone’s hands. Some reps didn’t read it, but our top choices like an agent named Bryan Booth read it and saw the potential. He shared it with Kyra Sedgwick and Cliff “Method Man” Smith. You know what I’ve made before this. It’s a city council movie and a low-budget horror movie. I was like, “I’m glad they like the script. They’re not going to sign on to this.” But Kyra really had belief that the material was going to be great and that I wouldn’t mess it up too much. [laughs] Cliff “Method Man” Smith also loves movies. He has an encyclopedic knowledge. He saw the energy of this and what it could be, and he signed on. Then we got Jon Bass, Milana, and the whole crew. A lot of great people came together and made this.

PC: It’s star-studded. You’re one of the most exciting filmmakers of this generation. Every project that you’ve worked on is so unexpected. What’s next for you?
Daniel: I’m probably going to get that quote tattooed on my stomach so I see it in the mirror in the morning. I have three scripts in the works with Zack and Adam. We’re trying to figure out which one is the next one because these are all three things that we all want to see made. We’re thrilled about it, but it’s just about what could get made. I guess it depends on how well this movie does. If it’s a home run, then there’s this budget. If it’s okay, we can do this one. If I get canceled for something, there’s the emergency project I could make with minimum resources. I’m always ready for it.

To keep up with Daniel, follow him on X and Instagram. Bad Shabbos screening information below:

• Village East by Angelika – Mon June 10 – 8:30 PM
• Village East by Angelika – Tue June 11 – 5:30 PM
• Village East by Angelika – Thu June 13 – 8:00 PM
• SVA Theatre – Sat June 15 – 8:00 PM