Kristen Bell and Adam Brody’s Chemistry Saves the Faintly Absurd Interfaith Rom-Com Nobody Wants This

As a woman who has navigated interfaith relationships for most of my adult life, I find “Nobody Wants This” to be a show that straddles the line between authentic exploration and unfortunate stereotyping. On one hand, the dialogue is sharp and witty, and the cast is genuinely likable. The dynamic between Joanne and Noah feels exhilaratingly real, and their chemistry is undeniable.

There’s a lot of excitement about the prospect of Kristen Bell and Adam Brody starring in a romantic comedy! Millennial women, in particular, are eager for this pairing, as they admired Bell’s strong, feminist character in “Veronica Mars” and found Brody’s portrayal of Seth Cohen on “The O.C.” to be the perfect crush object. Both actors have charisma – Bell is great at quick-witted banter, while Brody oozes laid-back coolness. Their chemistry could elevate even a mediocre rom-com into something enjoyable.

Regarding this series, “Nobody Wants This” – currently available for streaming over 10 episodes on Netflix – surpassed expectations. The central theme revolves around interfaith romance. Joanne, portrayed by Bell, is a blonde woman of Christian background who leads a turbulent love life and openly discusses it in a candid podcast reminiscent of “Call Her Daddy”. At a dinner party, she encounters Noah (Brody), a handsome rabbi who has recently ended things with his long-term girlfriend, Rebecca (played by Emily Arlook), who impulsively took the engagement ring he was saving for a future proposal and put it on her own finger due to her eagerness. The series presents a will-they-won’t-they dynamic between Joanne and Noah, which is entertaining to watch, but appears to lack depth in exploring the complexities of contemporary Jewish-gentile relationships despite drawing inspiration from the creator Erin Foster’s personal experiences with her Jewish husband.

The show meticulously demonstrates that despite being upper-middle-class white individuals of similar age, living in Los Angeles and connected through family, the main characters hail from distinct backgrounds. Joanne, bluntly put, can be quite a mess. She’s jaded, unfiltered, and has a tendency to swipe right on questionable men, making her an excellent fit for the rapidly growing talk show, titled “Nobody Wants This“, that she co-hosts with her younger sister Morgan (Justine Lupe, best known as Willa from “Succession”). Since their father (Michael Hitchcock) came out as gay, their parents have been separated yet inextricably linked, partly because their free-spirited mother (Stephanie Faracy) continues to harbor feelings for him.

Noah lives a tranquil lifestyle one might associate with a spiritual figure, yet he occasionally indulges in activities that his elder mentor, Rabbi Cohen (Stephen Tobolowsky), would disapprove of – such as smoking marijuana and casual encounters. His parents, Bina (Tovah Feldshuh) and Ilan (Paul Ben-Victor), are immigrants from Eastern Europe with a self-made fortune and an air of being older than their years; Bina is so repressed that she finds it difficult to utter the word “sex”. Noah’s older brother, Sasha (Timothy Simons, known for his role in ‘Veep’), is married to Esther (Jackie Tohn from ‘GLOW’), Rebecca’s best friend who can be tough. This marriage creates one hurdle for Joanne and Noah’s potential romantic bliss.

For Joanne, being an outsider in the tightly knit Jewish community that has been integral to Noah’s life is her main challenge. The elders at the synagogue, who are arranging marriages for their daughters with the rabbi, are taken aback to discover the non-Jewish woman Noah is dating during services. Rabbi Cohen advises him that if he wants the prestigious position he’s vying for, he must let go of his current “non-Jewish girlfriend.” This scenario aligns well with Noah’s profession, but what seems less plausible given his easygoing demeanor is the uniformity of his personal life. It appears that all of his friends are Jewish couples who are staunchly loyal to Rebecca. Noah and Sasha play on a recreational basketball team called the Matzah Ballers. In simpler terms, Joanne struggles with fitting in among an exclusive Jewish group, but it’s hard to believe that Noah has such a homogeneous social circle, given his easygoing personality.

There’s a delicate balance between delving into one’s Jewish identity and stereotyping it, and sometimes Foster (having converted) strays into questionable territory. Noah’s contemplations on theology and tradition are often thoughtful and align with his introspective nature. However, when Esther sends Sasha to the steam bath where his dad spends every Sunday, asking for a promotion at the family business so that she can add it to their daughter’s Bat Mitzvah invitation, it gives the impression that nothing in Noah or his family’s life is unrelated to their Jewishness. On the other hand, unlike many people of her generation raised in big cities, Joanne is completely unfamiliar with even a basic greeting like ‘shalom’.

As time goes by, it’s increasingly obvious that the storyline is manipulating truth to create tension about whether Joanne and Noah will succeed in their relationship. This may be common among interfaith couples, but it’s not a big deal as I personally have experienced. However, the series unfortunately perpetuates some negative stereotypes. The Jewish male characters are depicted as overly submissive, while their wives are portrayed as domineering. Additionally, there seems to be an excessive focus on disliking the attractive non-Jewish women these men find themselves attracted to. Is it necessary for a subplot to involve Morgan and Sasha secretly flirting? This could come off as unnecessary or even offensive to many viewers.

Despite its ridiculousness, Nobody Wants This is nearly always enjoyable to watch. The dialogue is clever without being too heavy-handed. When Esther criticizes Joanne’s podcast with harsh reviews, Joanne responds cheerily, “Every review is an engagement, so thank you.” When Joanne confides in her family about considering conversion to Judaism, her father reacts as if she’s planning a vacation, exclaiming, “That’s fun!” Her friend Ryann (D’Arcy Carden) offers her opinion on the same topic: “Just… be Jewish. It’s not like you have strong beliefs.” A particularly entertaining episode sees the couple visiting a Jewish summer camp, where all the teenage girls have crushes on Noah.

As a fan, I must admit that the ensemble cast is simply captivating. Actors like Carden, Simons, Tohn, Faracy, Tobolowsky, and Sherry Cola (from “Joy Ride” and “Good Trouble”), who steals the show with her distinctive voice, skillfully maintains a light-hearted atmosphere. Feldshuh’s character, Bina, despite her delusional narcissism, exudes an unexpected charm. Lupe provides a perfect counterbalance for Bell, their complex bond deepening due to decades of sibling rivalry and the potential threat Joanne’s new relationship with a good man poses to a podcast built on her romantic tribulations.

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2024-09-26 11:06