By Nate Bloom
Contributing Columnist
Nobody Shows Up Late and “Nuremburg,” the Movie
A couple of weeks ago, I had a nasty fall in my garden (not fun) and somehow, as I recovered, my column item notes on “Nobody Wants This” got separated from other items — and I didn’t alert you that the 2nd season of the Netflix series started on Oct. 23. Oy Vey.
Netflix “drops” all of the episodes of a series at once, and it dropped the 10 episodes of “Nobody” on the 23rd. I am quite sure that most “Nobody” viewers don’t binge-watch all 10 episodes. So, I will refrain here from providing any “spoilers.”
Here’s what I wrote before my fall:
“Nobody Wants This,” a 10-episode Netflix series, was a surprise hit. It premiered in September 2024, and it got pretty good reviews and an unexpectedly large viewing audience.
Here’s the premise: It follows the unexpected relationship between Noah Roklov, an unconventional American rabbi (ADAM BRODY, 45) and Joanne, an irascible (not Jewish) agnostic woman (Kristen Bell) who co-hosts a podcast with her sister about relationships.
For the benefit of those who haven’t seen the first season (yet), I will not summarize how their relationship played out.
It’s nice to note that Jewish actors play almost all of the Jewish characters: PAUL BEN-VICTOR, 65, and TOVAH FELDSHUH, 75, play the parents of Rabbi Roklov; JACKIE TOHN, 45, plays the rabbi’s sister-in-law; EMILY ARLOOK, 36, plays the rabbi’s Jewish, former girlfriend and almost fiancé; and STEPHEN TOBLOWSKY, 74, plays the senior rabbi at Rabbi Roklov’s synagogue.
Recently, I stumbled on a site called “Stylecaster.” They pulled together what ERIN FOSTER, the “Nobody” creator, said to media outlets about the criticism the first “Nobody” season received.
Foster told the “L.A. Times”: “I think it’s interesting when people focus on, ‘Oh, this is a stereotype of Jewish people,’ when you have a rabbi as the lead. A hot, cool, young rabbi who smokes weed. That’s the antithesis of how people view a Jewish rabbi, right?”
Foster defended the show’s decisions (character depictions mostly). She told “Vanity Fair” (‘VF’): “I was honestly very surprised, and I was disappointed. Find me another Jewish rom-com showing Jewish people in such a positive light, showing the Jewish faith in such a positive light. It’s something that I take very seriously as someone who converted and felt so welcomed by the Jewish community.”
Foster also told “VF”: “With the heaviness of what’s going on in the world around the Jewish faith — to have a lighthearted, sweet, happy show that reminds people how beautiful Judaism is — don’t find something wrong with it! Take the win, you know?”
“Nuremburg” opens in theaters on Nov. 7. It is about the trial of 24 leading Nazis (Nov. 1945–Oct.1946). The film is based on the book, “The Nazi and the Psychiatrist” (2013). The book, and the film, follows Army psychiatrist Douglas Kelley as he determines if Hermann Gцring is fit to stand at the Nuremberg trials. Rami Malek plays Kelley and Russell Crowe plays Herman Goering.
JACK EL-HAI, 68, wrote the book. He isn’t a major author. He teaches at a Minnesota college. He has written many articles and three books (one about the American doctor who pioneered lobotomies).
Biography notes on Jack El-Hai are scarce. But I learned that El-Hai is a Jewish name. Elhai has its roots in Hebrew, deriving from the word Elchai, which translates to God is alive. (I found several Israelis with this rare last name).
I think I found El-Hai’s Jewish parents on censuses. His wife, Ann Aronson, is “probably” Jewish.
Two American military psychiatrists interviewed the prisoners. Kelley, and Gustave Gilbert (1911–1977). Gilbert was Jewish. He is a major character in the film. Gilbert is the only Jewish person in the list of characters. Colin Hanks plays Gilbert.
After the war, Kelley and Gilbert wrote books about the Nuremburg trials.
“Nuremburg” played at film festivals and the reviews are in. Sadly, almost all of the really respected media outlets gave the film a so/so review. Most critics began their reviews noting that the Nuremburg trials are an important subject. Then they began to criticize the movie.
The “Guardian” critic said: “The movie reduces Kelley’s psychiatric insights into soundbites, manages to whittle down the proceedings at the Nuremberg trials into the familiar tropes and cliches from classic courtroom movies, and even lets Crowe’s performance surrender its nuances.”
“The Collider” said: “Quite frankly, it never hurts for a film to preach the dangers of Nazis and how they can be anywhere and everywhere, but it is a bit of a shame Nuremberg isn’t finding a more compelling, enticing way to tell this inherently fascinating true story.”
