Or, differently phrased, what is "Goyband" and why haven't any of us heard about it?
In reading about Natasha Lyonne in Wikipedia for a client (true story), I noticed the film title "Goyband" on her list of credits - drilling down I discovered it was a 2008 film that asked a burning national question: "What if Rent star Adam Pascal had been a 90s boyband success story who had fallen on hard times and had to take a gig at a Glatt Kosher casino?"
This was the central premise for "Goyband," whose name was then changed to "Falling Star" (the poster features a sheriff's Jewish star, get it, because he was a falling star and because Jews are involved?)
(Trivia about this movie you'll probably never see is available at IMDB - see screencap above.)
So why haven't you heard of "Goyband"? Having seen the trailer (see embed below), I can imagine it's for any number of reasons:
- The description of the film as "a romantic comedy that fuses music and pop culture with a satirical (albeit gentle) look into Orthodox Judaism and Kabbalah" failed to resonate with audiences.
- Powerhouse actresses Natasha Lyonne and Tovah Feldshuh are both in the film - but Lyonne is only present in a glimpse in the trailer and doesn't speak; Feldshuh is absent from the trailer entirely.
- It won four awards at the Long Island Film Festival.
- They have an official MySpace site (that's how long ago it was).
- Their official Goyband.com website is now in Japanese.
- On Rotten Tomatoes, it is marked "tomatometer not available."
If you're curious - and believe me, I AM - it's available on Amazon for rental ($1.99) and purchase ($7.99).
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