Written and directed by leading actor Jonah Feingold, Leo Kadner, a 30-year-old New Yorker, has a Bar Mitzvah after reconnecting with his childhood crush Eva Shapiro. To complete his Mitzvah project, Leo must deal with situationships, exes, and family while on a deadline. Also starring: Sarah Coffey, Jackie Sandler, Caroline Aaron, Lori Tan Chinn, Judy Gold, Catherine Cohen and Larry Owens.

Trying to update the quintessential romcom formula of the underdog, sweet, bumbling, nerdy, awkward guy trying to find love, is not an easy task. When you look back at those characters through today’s lens, they can tend to seem self-serving, self-sabotaging, deluded and misogynistic, so tapping into the nostalgia of them without absorbing any of that is tricky. However, Jonah Feingold actually achieves it pretty flawlessly with Leo Kadner. He has all of that awkwardness and over-romanticism, the slight lack of self-awareness and not quite firm grasp of reality, without feeling obnoxious or vain. He’s quietly charming and easy to watch, with the extra caveat that the character and his journey are entertaining whether you’re rooting for him to get the girl or not.

That’s another key element to why 31 Candles works, it’s not hinged upon the romance, the film doesn’t live or die on whether he succeeds to woo Eva Shaprio (Sarah Coffey). Feingold’s writing instead cleverly focuses on Leo figuring out what he’s doing, why he really wants a Bar Mitzvah, and what all of it means to him. It feels like a natural progression of romantic comedies in a modern world to switch gears and be focused more on happiness and fulfilment in a general way rather than have it explicitly tied to whether or not you find a partner, that’s just a nice bonus and a guiding hand to the journey.

While Feingold sets the tone, it’s then nicely challenged by the other characters to add plenty of sarcasm and derogatory comments. The confidence and charm that Sarah Coffey brings to the table balances 31 Candles really well, the banter driven chemistry that she has with Feingold creates a nice uncertainty. They never make the romance an impossibility, extremely unlikely yes but the door is never fully closed which is another well done element.

There’s then an excellent supporting cast behind them, particularly Lori Tan Chinn and Judy Gold, who are both always a delight to watch. Caroline Aaron is terrific in a wise, comforting role. Zoe Hoffmann and Derrick Delgado absolutely deserve a mention as the fellow Hebrew students, they’re adorable and funny. That classic upside down of receiving helpful advice, and the occasional insult, as an adult from pre-teens is always fun. It’s also lovely to see a quick cameo from Larry Owens who has such a warm, enthusiastic presence. He’s so wonderful on Abbott Elementary and hopefully the huge fan base of the show will set him up for even bigger roles as he’s a joy to watch.

31 Candles is modern yet old-fashioned, a superb blend of classic romcom with today’s sensibilities, hitting the nostalgia button but having a healthier attitude. The performances all hit the tone of Jonah Feingold’s writing and direction perfectly, it’s a great ensemble. The directorial style is very classic romantic comedy, it has a frantic edge while filled with a sweetness, naivety and hopefulness. It’s unexpectedly heartwarming, and all credit to Feingold and the rest of the team behind the film for creating a truly modern romcom that’s cheesy yet sincere, and a really enjoyable, easy watch.

Verdict: ✯✯✯✯ | 8/10

Opening in select theaters starting November 7th in NYC & December 5th in LA