Comfort Rom-Com With a Bar Mitzvah Twist

Read Time:5 Minute, 30 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
31 Candles
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Genre: Comedy, Romance, Independent
Year Released: 2025
Runtime: 1h 30m
Director(s): Jonah Feingold
Writer(s): Jonah Feingold
Cast: Jonah Feingold, Sarah Coffey, Jackie Sandler, Lori Tan Chinn
Where to Watch: opens in select theaters on November 7, 2025, in New York City, and on December 5 in Los Angeles

RAVING REVIEW: he thing that makes 31 CANDLES engaging is this: it understands how much harder it is to change when you’re old enough to know better. Jonah Feingold plays Leo, a guy who skipped having a Bar Mitzvah at 13 and never quite shook the feeling that he left something unfinished. Now grown and stuck in the adult version of neutral — successful enough, charming enough, avoiding anything that might expose what he hasn’t figured out — he decides to finally accept the tradition he dodged, not as a punchline, but as a reckoning. The movie builds from a relatable place: when you’re tired of calling procrastination a personality trait, you have to do something uncomfortable.

What works best here is that the film treats Leo’s choice with sincerity instead of irony. There’s no mockery in the premise. A man taking responsibility for his own belonging — culturally, emotionally, and spiritually — is inherently vulnerable. That vulnerability gives Feingold room to shift from rom-com autopilot into something with a little more truth behind it. He’s funny and anxious in the ways you’d expect, but there’s a tremor underneath: the fear that if he goes for something real, people will decide he doesn’t deserve it.

Sarah Coffey’s Eva becomes the test of that fear. She isn’t written as the “reward” waiting at the finish line; she’s the proof that connection only works when you shift focus from the performance to the person. Coffey keeps her grounded and curious, not a manic pixie caricature, and the chemistry grows from simple recognition. They see each other clearly because they both understand what it feels like to be a few steps behind the life you imagined. Their scenes together have a gentle friction — desire tugging at caution — and that tension is exactly what keeps us leaning in.

The comedy relies mostly on honesty rather than chaos. Leo’s attempts to “train” for adulthood — learning Hebrew, learning humility, learning how not to bail the second things get real — spark awkward interactions with family, rabbis, and well-meaning friends who already think they’ve got life sorted. Jackie Sandler in particular gets some of the movie’s most precise laughs, and Lori Tan Chinn can turn a single facial reaction into a punchline. The supporting characters aren’t just noise; they reflect who Leo has been and who he’s afraid of becoming.

Feingold keeps New York familiar but not perfect. It’s a city of changes, rented spaces, and conversations had while juggling everything else. The pacing follows that everyday energy — scenes start quickly, end just as quickly, and provide just enough space for a feeling to take hold before moving on. Nothing in the film screams for attention, and that restraint becomes one of its strengths. It never tries to convince you it’s bigger than it is.

Where the film holds back a little too much is in how neat it can feel once the emotional math is solved. Leo’s struggles are real, but they resolve a little too smoothly than life tends to allow. A bit more friction — a moment where he risks losing something he cares about because he waited too long — would give the final act more weight. Likewise, the adult Bar Mitzvah itself is heartfelt, but the movie doesn’t fully mine how profound it can be to choose a tradition instead of inheriting it automatically. There’s depth available that the film only partially taps.

Those critiques, though, come from a place of seeing how close 31 CANDLES is to surpassing expectations. The foundation is there: a charming lead who isn’t afraid to show flaws, a love interest who feels like a person instead of a plot device, and a theme that resonates beyond the last laugh. Growing up doesn’t happen on a timeline — it happens when you stop hoping change will find you and start choosing it, repeatedly, even when you’re scared.

And maybe that’s what sticks after the credits: the reminder that maturity isn’t about having answers — it’s about finally deciding the questions matter. Leo isn’t rewarded for waiting; he’s rewarded for acting. For stepping forward even when it feels like everyone else has already done so years ago. This is a romcom with heart and roots; this is a film that will connect with even those who often scoff at the genre.

31 CANDLES may not break the mold, but it uses that familiar shape to say something emotionally specific: it’s never too late to show up for your own life. When the celebrations end and the guests go home, the real work begins — and the movie is smart enough to leave Leo right at the moment where that work actually starts.

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[photo courtesy of LEVEL 33 ENTERTAINMENT]

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