“One Big Happy Family,” a dramedy inspired by writer, producer and star Lisa Brenner’s own life, faced festival rejections due to its Jewish themes, but has since found strong support within the Jewish community.
The film, starring Brenner and two-time Golden Globe and Tony winner Linda Lavin in her final on-screen role, follows Rachel, a 40-year-old mother whose life is upended when a DNA test reveals she is only half-Jewish and that her father is not her biological parent. Rachel embarks on a comedic and heartfelt journey with her eccentric mother as she prepares a speech for her daughter’s bat mitzvah.
Brenner said the story draws directly from her personal experience.
“When I was 40, I took a DNA test just for the fun of it and found out that my father is not my father, and my life kind of exploded. It’s taken me a while to find the joy and the happiness in it,” Brenner told JNS, noting that the real-life events unfolded over six years, while the film compresses them into a two-week arc.
She cast Lavin as Rachel’s mother for “authenticity.”
“The most important person to cast was my mom. Linda was exactly what I was looking for. She was Jewish, and it’s very important for me to cast a real Jewish person to play a Jewish role,” Brenner said.
Brenner also told JNS that her own experience as an actor, often being told she did not “look Jewish” and therefore could not play Jewish roles, influenced her casting choices.
While it was released in theaters on Oct. 3, Brenner said she initially encountered resistance when shopping it to festivals.
“We were instantly rejected because we were seen as a Jewish movie,” she said. “Buyers in Europe didn’t want to buy it; they thought it was a hot button.”
Despite initial setbacks, the Jewish community embraced the film. It was selected for the Miami Jewish Film Festival, where it premiered on Jan. 11, as well as the Phoenix Film Festival, the Rehoboth Beach Jewish Film Festival and the Albuquerque Jewish Film Festival. Brenner said the warm reception was particularly meaningful.
“This is exactly what the Jewish community needs right now,” she told JNS. “We need comedy, we need uplift, we need something to be proud of right now and make us feel good and feel good about ourselves.”
Brenner, a Reform Jew who actively celebrates Jewish holidays with her family, said the film ultimately celebrates love and chosen family.
“The biggest message from the movie is love. That is where we all come from,” she said, noting that her own family includes half-siblings of different faiths, which inspired the film’s message of connection beyond bloodlines.
“It is what makes a family at the end of the day. DNA doesn’t matter. It all comes down to love,” Brenner told JNS.
