Abe Image

Abe

By Dante James | April 18, 2020

Easily the most “non-controversial” movie I screened at Sundance this year, Abe, directed by Fernando Grostein Andrade, is a very lighthearted story about a kid who’s love-of-all-things food helps him deal with the religious divide in his family.

Stranger Things star, Noah Schnapp, is Abe. A young man from New York, who is Palestinian on his father’s side, and Jewish on his mother’s side. Abe’s grandparents make family get-togethers unbearable. But worst than that, it is tearing his parents apart.

So Abe uses his love of food as an escape. And after finding Chico (Seu Jorge), a local chef on Instagram who is known for his fusion creations, he sets out on a quest to locate him and learn from him. After several rejections from the chef, his persistence pays off and is soon learning about flavor combinations and creating dishes he always dreamed of. But, while that part of his life is soaring, his home life is becoming more and more intolerable.

“…Palestinian on his father’s side, and Jewish on his mother’s side. Abe’s grandparents make family get-togethers unbearable.”

Abe was an interesting one for me. I wanted to really love it. The problem overall wasn’t that the premise wasn’t intriguing, but that the stories execution was mediocre, at best.

The scenes with Abe and Chico were fun, and at times heart-warming, but everything just seemed to be repetitive and lagged. Not to say the performances in the film weren’t solid. Especially from late veteran actor, Mark Margolis, who plays one of Abe’s grandfathers, and also from actress Salem Murphy, his grandmother.

This film felt more like an “afterschool special.” What I mean by that is that this movie felt very “safe” for a festival film that is all about taking chances.

Would I recommend Abe?

Yes and no. I think Abe is a movie that you can watch with your entire family, which is surprisingly in short demand right now. It has a lot of “nice” moments with the backdrop being a family that’s being torn apart by religious intolerance. Also, the scenes with Abe cooking with Chico and the staff had some pretty funny moments that broke up the tension of what was happening in Abe’s home life.

But I also think that this is a movie that unfortunately you will forget about 10 minutes after viewing it. At least for me personally, it left little impression.

 

 

Abe (2019)

Directed: Fernando Grostein Andrade

Written: Lameese Issaq, Jacob Kader, Christopher Vogler, Fernando Grostein Andrade

Starring: Noah Schnapp, Seu Jorge, Mark Margolis, Dagmara Dominczyk, Salem Murphy, etc.

Movie score: 6/10

Abe Image

"…nice moments with the backdrop being a family that’s being torn apart by religious intolerance."

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  1. Anette Baron says:

    So, an adult, Dante James, reviews the movie, Abe, and calls it “mediocre”. However, he doesn’t state anything about his background in order to know if he can even relate the issues presented. I thought it was an excellent movie for multi-cultural/racial kids and families; there are few made. The acting was very good, the emotions realistic and the script interesting.

  2. Forrest says:

    My wife and I have a term for movies like this: “very good television.” Good production values, an interesting story, and enough lag time that you can be working in the kitchen while you watch it.

  3. Fran Brumlik says:

    We are very anxious to preview Abe for a possible slot in our Fall 2019 Jewish Film Festival.
    We accept vimeo.

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