''Goyband'' or ''Falling Star'' is a 2008 American independent comedy film directed by

Christopher Grimm Christopher Grimm is a New York City-based writer-director and actor. He wrote, produced, directed and starred in a series of TV promos and movie trailers for the Independent Film Channel based on ''The Bystander from Hell'', a character he cr ...

, starring

Adam Pascal Adam Pascal (born October 25, 1970) is an American actor, singer, and musician, known for his performance as Roger Davis in the original 1996 cast of Jonathan Larson's musical ''Rent (musical), Rent'' on Broadway theatre, Broadway, the 2005 Rent ...

. The film premiered at the 2008 Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival.

Plot

Fading from the spotlight of his late 1990s mega-fame, boy-band icon Bobby Starr (

) is clinging to days gone by and begging his agent Murray to land him a decent gig. What Murray does land for Bobby is a full week headlining the grand opening of the world's first glatt kosher hotel-casino, Mazel Hotel. As it turns out, the real force behind Bobby Starr's curious invitation to this "

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...

otherworld" is the hotel owner's persuasive daughter Rebekka Hershenfeld (

Amy Davidson Amy Davidson is an American actress. She is known for playing Kerry Hennessy in the ABC sitcom '' 8 Simple Rules''. Early life and education Born in Phoenix, Davidson was raised by educators. Her father was a principal at ''El Mirage'' Elemen ...

), who has harbored a huge crush on Bobby since childhood. Rebekka's world is guided by her arranged betrothal to Haim ( Benjamin Bauman), the son of

Grand Rabbi Chief Rabbi ( he, רב ראשי ''Rav Rashi'') is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a ...

Sheinman (

Joel Leffert Joel or Yoel is a name meaning "Yahweh Is God" and may refer to: * Joel (given name), origin of the name including a list of people with the first name. * Joel (surname), a surname * Joel (footballer, born 1904), Joel de Oliveira Monteiro, Brazili ...

), who is supposed to issue the casino's all-important "kosher certificate." Rebekka's only release from the pressures of preparing to be a future rebbetzin (rabbi's wife) comes from singing along to Bobby's songs with her best friends Hani and Fani (

Natasha Lyonne Natasha Bianca Lyonne Braunstein ( ; born April 4, 1979) is an American actress, director, writer, and producer. She is known for playing Nicky Nichols on the Netflix comedy-drama series ''Orange Is the New Black'' (2013–2019), for which she r ...

). They keep their practice session a secret, since their religion bars them from singing in public. From the moment Bobby arrives at the Mazel Hotel, he goes through culture shock: his TV goes dark at sundown on Fridays, his beloved cell phone is confiscated during the

Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, commanded by God to be kept as a holy day of rest, as G ...

, and his

Grey Goose The waterfowl genus ''Anser'' includes the grey geese and the white geese. It belongs to the true geese and swan subfamily (Anserinae). The genus has a Holarctic distribution, with at least one species breeding in any open, wet habitats in th ...

vodka is replaced with

Manischewitz Manischewitz (; he, מנישביץ) is a brand of kosher products based in the United States, best known for its matzo and kosher wine. Founded in 1888, it became a public corporation in 1923 and remained under family control until January 199 ...

. All of this is set against the backdrop of an alien world where "kosher enforcers" drag gamblers from their slot machines at prayer time; late-night "treyf smugglers" sneak non-kosher contraband like cheeseburgers and fried shrimp into the hotel; and where slot machines display

Shofar A shofar ( ; from he, שׁוֹפָר, ) is an ancient musical horn typically made of a ram's horn, used for Jewish religious purposes. Like the modern bugle, the shofar lacks pitch-altering devices, with all pitch control done by varying the ...

Menorahs The menorah (; he, מְנוֹרָה ''mənōrā'', ) is a Candelabra, seven-branched candelabrum that is described in the Hebrew Bible as having been used in the Tabernacle and in the Temple in Jerusalem. Since antiquity, it has served as a sy ...

and

Stars of David The Star of David (). is a generally recognized symbol of both Jewish identity and Judaism. Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles. A derivation of the ''seal of Solomon'', which was used for decorative ...

instead of lemons, cherries and dollar signs, and chime "

Hava Nagila Hava Nagila ( he, הָבָה נָגִילָה, ''Hāvā Nāgīlā'', "Let us rejoice") is a Jewish folk song. It is traditionally sung at celebrations, such as weddings. Written in 1918, it quickly spread through the Jewish diaspora. History ...

" for lucky winners. Arranging for Bobby Star to play at her father's hotel might have started out as an act of rebellion for Rebekka, but when infatuation blossoms into romance, Bobby offers Rebekka a once-in-a-lifetime ticket to freedom from the constrictive life that threatens to hold her back.

Cast

Name change

On September 14, 2009,

MarVista Entertainment MarVista Entertainment is an American production company, based in Westwood, Los Angeles, California. The company mainly provides financing and some original content, mainly made-for-TV films and direct-to-SVOD titles, many of which are carried b ...

announced both their distribution rights to the film Goyband and their choice to rename the movie ''Falling Star'' (note the one "r", which is different from the name of the title character).

References

External links

* * {{Rotten Tomatoes, falling_star
Adam Pascal stars in Goyband

Tony-Nominees Adam Pascal and Tovah Feldshuh star in feature film Goyband

* ttp://www.theatermania.com/broadway/news/01-2007/listerjones-will-return-to-little-dog-laughed-for_9891.html Lister-Jones Will Return to Little Dog Laughed for End of Broadway Run 2008 films 2008 romantic comedy films American romantic comedy films Films about Jews and Judaism 2000s American films