Fred Melamed – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

GAIL DAUGHTRY AND THE CELEBRITY SEX PASS (Tribeca 2026) – Review by Nadine Whitney

June 12, 2026 Nadine Whitney Ben Wang, David Wain, elizabeth banks, Fred Melamed, Gail Daughtry and The Celebrity Sex Pass, Henry Winkler, jennifer aniston, John Slattery, Ken Marino, paul rudd, Weird Al Yankovich, Zoe Deutch

Wain’s fish-out-of-water comedy relies heavily on increasingly ridiculous situations to carry the comedy. No stranger to getting silly, Filmmaker David Wain’s satire is very rarely anything but silly. Charming performances by Deutch and especially Slattery, Wang, and very game Jon Hamm can’t glue the “situational” aspect of the film together to form something particularly sustained and more than occasionally funny. Set piece after set piece grows tiring even if you’re on board with the over-the-top nature of everything.

Reviews

SHIVA BABY – Review by Lois Alter Mark

April 12, 2021April 18, 2021 Lois Alter Mark Fred Melamed, Michelle J. Li, Molly Gordon, Polly Draper, Rachel Sennott, shiva baby

It says so much about Shiva Baby that audiences are calling it a horror movie although there is literally nothing violent or scary about it. What’s terrifying is college senior, Danielle, attending a shiva (a Jewish post-funeral ritual where mourners gather to eat and socialize at the home of the deceased) with her parents, only to be forced to deal with the yentas she grew up with and some unexpected guests including her sugar daddy, Max, and the wife and baby she didn’t know he had. Oh, and, also, her ex-girlfriend, Maya.

Reviews

SHIVA BABY – Review by Valerie Kalfrin

March 26, 2021March 27, 2021 Valerie Kalfrin Fred Melamed, Michelle J. Li, Molly Gordon, Polly Draper, Rachel Sennott, shiva baby

Watching college student Danielle endure a shiva that becomes her personal hell in the comedic drama Shiva Baby will trigger sparks of recognition in anyone who’s lived through similar gauntlets. Weddings, reunions, and even funerals often have that surface interaction with people we haven’t seen in ages and various insecurities underneath.