#Robert Smigel

[iftadwascool]

The greatest moment in broadcast television history.

[moviemosaics]

Between the Temples

directed by Nathan Silver, 2024

[letterboxd-loggd]

Between the Temples (2024) Nathan Silver

October 10th 2024

[oldshowbiz]

always funny

[naithegiraffe]

"My friend Conan O'Brien is famous because he can access extreme silliness in the smartest ways, often beyond our imagination. But every time he's been tested, he's channelled his intelligence & compassion and risen to the occasion, again, in ways beyond our imagination. The first time I saw him suggest to his young fans to not be cynical about the world was in his humble, heartfelt message after 9/11. Then, after abruptly losing the Tonight Show, with the whole country on his side, he could have easily coasted on being the victim. But, in one of the classiest acts ever seen on TV, he went the opposite way. He chose to be positive, and talked about how lucky he'd been to have even had the opportunity. He asked his fans to remember what kindness & hard work can achieve. He repeated his plea to not to be cynical, while demonstrating it: he took what could have been a self-serving pity grab and made it a teachable moment. I was never prouder to know Conan than that night, until Sunday. Amidst all the madness around the Kennedy Center, Conan heard plenty of people, both publicly or privately, wanting no part of the place. But, aside from an award in Mark Twain's name meaning so much to him, I think he felt he could accomplish more in accepting it than bailing. On Sunday, despite making a career out of being funny without being overtly political, he rose to the occasion again. When I've been asked about my bond with Conan back at SNL, I usually talk about how we both coped with our nerdy awkwardness by reducing people to cartoons. But we were also two writers who took our jobs very seriously. We would stay late on Monday nights, too, and grind out ideas. He'd leave for spells, like a fish gasping to breathe, and dive into the pool of lighter souls happy to riff with him. But we'd always get it done, for as long as it took. It wasn't just ambition. We both felt a real responsibility to the show. And that was our common upbringing - loving, spiritual parents who encouraged our insanity but also instilled a sense of humility and duty. So, to Ruth and Thomas O'Brien, whatever you did to create this impossibly silly, brilliant and caring individual, thank you."

- Robert Smigel

[coolthingsguyslike]

[dearly]

Between the Temples (2024)

[queenofnots]

They talk about Bob in this one. 🥲

[thesobsister]

A rarely re-aired 1998 SNL animation from Robert Smigel that bites the hand that feeds it, as corporate ownership of media outlets gets dragged out in the sunlight for a Schoolhouse Rock-style segment.

[laserpinksteam]

Film after film: Between the Temples (dir. Nathan Silver, 2024)

[cinemagooey]

Mazel Tov!

Between the Temples is a tender little film that delivers plenty of LOL moments

Carla (Kane) and Ben (Schwartzman) forge an unlikely bond of the heart in Between the Temples.

Between the Temples is a movie laden with surprises. It's a surprise to see Jason Schwartzman move away from Wes-Andersen-boyish type roles and portray a pudgy, morose widow. It's surprising that 72 year-old Carol Kane can continue to mesmerize with her comedic chops. And it's a wonderful surprise to watch a movie that charms you into smiling most of the time, save for those moments you're laughing out loud.

In Nathan Silver's directorial return to the big screen, Schwartzman plays Ben Gottleib, a 40 year old cantor at the local synagogue in upstate New York. Ben is lost. His wife has died. He's living with his two moms. His singing voice has disappeared, endangering his livelihood. He's convinced life is over. "Ben," he scoffs, "even my name is in the past tense!"

Schwartzman as Ben Gottleib

Enter Carla O'Connor (played by a radiant Kane), a geriatric stroke survivor who tells Ben that she needs a Bat Mitzvah. Ben tells her it's impossible; Bat Mitzvahs are traditionally given for 13 year-old girls as a rite of passage into womanhood. Carla digs in her heels, eventually gaining the approval of the Rabbi, Ben's boss. At first grudgingly resigned to teach Carla the required lessons, he is quickly won over by her lust for life and spunky, can-do spirit. Soon Ben and Carla bond as kindred souls who are adrift and seeking, and Ben finds his world turning kaleidoscopic.

Ben and Carla sleep off an accidental mushroom trip

As this May-December friendship evolves into something deeper, Ben's moms try to fix him up with one hot gal after another, going so far as to covertly start a J-Date account for him, and the Rabbi lobbies Ben to date his beautiful but emotionally wrecked daughter.

Ben teaches Carla the required Bat Mitzvah lessons as Carla teaches Ben about life

But it's Carla who reignites Ben’s ardor for life.

It's during a Shabbat dinner hosted by his two moms that Ben's true feelings are revealed, to the surprise of everyone, including Carla. The consequences of this declaration reverberate in a manner that threatens Carla's upcoming Bat Mitzvah as well as Ben's relationship with everyone important in his life.

A photo opp moments before a Shabbat dinner goes wrong

Schwartzman shines as Ben, swinging easily between performance arcs of aching sadness and goofy giddiness. Kane brilliantly showcases both a trembling vulnerability and wisecracking wisdom as Carla. This is screwball-antic comedy at its finest, given a rocket boost by these two performances. The film would have benefitted from an exploration of the relationship between Ben’s moms (played by a Caroline Aaron and a fabulous Dolly DeLeon), and it’s a head-scratching stretch to posit romantic love between a 40 YO “catch” and a grandmother on the verge of another stroke, but Schwartzman and Kane make it work. Exploring themes of the meaning of love, religion’s place in a changing world, ageism and grief, Between the Temples hits in a poignantly funny way that keeps you smiling long after you leave the theater.

[fuckyeahforte]

Robert Smigel posted a lovely tribute to the classic Potato Chip sketch! And Will posted a sweet response 😊

[oldshowbiz]

[vintagewarhol]

[genevieveetguy]

Between the Temples, Nathan Silver (2024)