Sarah (Robyn Cohen) is a Chicago area teacher with a problem. A young Jewish woman, she has a serious relationship going with a gentile man, a romance she feels she must keep secret from her parents. After all, Abe (Seymour Cassel) and Miriam (Lainie Kazan) are typical parents who long for a son in law who is successful AND Jewish. Therefore, since her mother doesn't know of Sarah's situation, she constantly fixes up her daughter with anyone and everyone she can. It's getting complicated. So, Sarah decides to invent a nice boyfriend who is both Jewish and a doctor and hires an actor to play the part. When Bob (Tony Daly) meets up with Sarah for the first family dinner, she is horrified, however, to find out he isn't Jewish either, although she had asked the agency for just such a man. Bob, needing the work, insists he can play it out. He does! Miriam and Abe are soon bragging to all about Sarah's catchy beau and the teacher finds it necessary to hire Bob to escort her to other events. Wouldn't the truth be better? But, wait, although Sarah doesn't want to disappoint her parents perceived wishes, Bob may be working his way into her heart, too! Oy! What to do? This is a sweet, funny film with some serious undertones. Yes, its got comedy but it also deals with such topics as parental approval and loving others for themselves and not their images. It also gives beautiful insight into some of the admirable Jewish traditions. The cast is very nice, with Cohen and Daly making a great twosome and old pros Cassel and Kazan complimenting them well. The other cast members are fine, also. The Chicago setting is quite lovely, while costumes, photography, script and direction are all well above average. In short, if you are one of those viewers on an endless quest for entries in the romcom genre, its' no jest, you'll like this one.

If you like MOONSTRUCK, MY BIG FAT Greek WEDDING, or romantic comedies in general, you'll love BEAU JEST. First time film director James Sherman has done a terrific job adapting his hit play to the screen. Although the story concerns a Jewish family, its theme is universal: the need for adult children to be true to their own feelings and goals vs. their desire to please their parents. At the screening I caught the audience laughed almost constantly at Sherman's razor sharp dialog because it is rooted in truth and character. Sherman never resorts to the easy bodily functions and gross out jokes that make so many other films cheap and predictable. His sparkling cast includes Lainie Kazan, Seymour Cassel, and Willie Garson (of SEX AND THE CITY),who, as Sara's psychotherapist brother, gets one of the biggest belly laughs in the film when he reveals what he tells his patients who blame all their problems on their parents. Robyn Cohen, as Sara, and Tony Daley, as Bob, have wonderful chemistry. Put this one on your "must see" list.

A tiny spoiler follows:

Here's a Jewish chick who has a non Jewish boyfriend so she hires one from an escort service!

The young lady's parents are very, very much into Judaism so she's in a pickle. The gentile boyfriend is an unhappy camper about all this stuff. Well, what can he do? And as for the escort, he's not exactly as ordered. Can he pull off being a Jew in a Jewish household full of folks who are really into being Jews and follow a variety of rituals, especially when dining?

All in all, it's somewhat sappy flick but very enjoyable. It's suitable for all age groups. The acting is OK but nothing special. The actors don't have a lot of tense situations to deal with. It is a romantic comedy after all. I loved the fact that it has an original premise but then again, I don't watch many romantic comedies.