Tango Shalom

Tango Shalom (2021) was actually filmed several years ago but seems to have finally been released in theaters and on streaming platforms. Despite some awkward editing cuts and a few draggy spots (it runs 115 minutes) it is ultimately a pleasant comedy with the kind of message this old world truly needs.

Written by the late Joseph Bologna with Claudio and Jos Laniado, the story concerns a rabbi with financial problems. He leaves his comfortable Brooklyn neighborhood (Williamsburg?) and goes into "the city" to find work but runs across a Latin dance school, which fosters his secret dream of dancing the tango. The snappy teacher (Karina Smirnoff) notices his innate talent and talks him into being her partner in a big televised dance competition. The problem is that being an Hassidic Jew, he's not allowed to touch a woman other than his wife.

So the rabbi (Jos Laniado) goes on a quest to visit various religious leaders (Jewish, Catholic, Muslim, Hindu) to learn how various religions would deal with such a problem. Once he finds his solution, he then has to face the TV cameras and his astonished family. While the ending isn't quite as rousing as in, say, Strictly Ballroom, it makes its point.

Some nice cameos by Renee Taylor, Lainie Kazan, Bern Cohen, and Joseph Bologna (who died in 2017) as the priest. Directed by Gabriel Bologna.

I guess the ultimate message is that as we are different, so we are one.

If you look Massimo Zeri up on IMDB you will see he worked with Fellini, Mazursky, and Merchant Ivory! His lighting of the different houses of worship in Tango Shalom highlighted such diverse iconography, showing off how each culture is a world unto its own! The elements of wood, single-source lighting, and rich, old-world traditions in the synagogue, to the vibrant colors in the Sikh temple, to the gold patina in the mosque, to the kaleidoscopic light in the stain-glassed church, Mr. Zeri took us on a cinematic odyssey! A a blazing display of bravura!

Bravissimo!

I love how they connected all the religions with a twist of comedy , super funny . Go see it yallaaaaa All the best Lebanese in New York City.

Tango Shalom is a terrific and fun film! I enjoyed the story about a man who has to overcome the limits of his faith in order to enter a dance contest. The cast is first rate with both well-known actors and fresh faces. It's an uplifting and inspiring tale that is suitable for the entire family! Plus the dancing is superb! Go see it!

Years ago-- I'm not sure the word "crowdfunding" had been invented yet-- I saw a rough clip on the web with an actor playing a bearded Jew who is inspired to dance the tango and asks "Am I going meshuggah?" Yes, it's amateurish, the web message said, but we're just presenting the idea and we hope people will help us get the movie made. It's a stupid idea, I thought, and the representation of Jewish culture seems pretty flimsy.

And I forgot all about it till the finished movie popped up on TV all these years later. It's still a stupid idea, unfortunately, and the representation of Jewish culture still seems pretty flimsy. So many filmed stories about strongly Orthodox Jews suffer from the same problem-- they can't include your standard Hollywood interactions between men and women without veering way outside the realm of credibility. Nonetheless, while this movie may not deserve any first, second, or third prize, or honorable mention, it does deserve a special new award for getting a preposterous idea onto the screen against all odds. And even recruiting some respected actors.