Donny's Bar Mitzvah

Movie review by Brian Costello, Common Sense Media
Donny's Bar Mitzvah Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 18+

Ultra-crass comedy isn't funny; nudity, drugs, cursing.

NR 2021 79 minutes
Rate movie

Parents say

No reviews yet.

Add your rating

Kids say

age 13+

Based on 2 reviews

Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
Rate movie
  • Donny's Bar Mitzvah Movie: Scene One
  • Donny's Bar Mitzvah Movie: Scene Two
  • Donny's Bar Mitzvah Movie: Scene Three

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Donny's Bar Mitzvah is a comedy that documents the debauched behavior of the adults and parents at a bar mitzvah in 1998. Adults and tweens binge drink, use drugs (marijuana, cocaine, whippets, roofies), smoke cigarettes, and engage in and talk about many different sex acts. Gratuitous female nudity -- breasts. Every profanity in the book is used by tweens, teens, and adults, including "f--k," "c--t," and "motherf--ker." An elderly woman uses a homosexual slur to describe a young man. A woman is shot and killed; her young daughter thinks she's only sleeping. Talk of how a tween girl has a nickname based on a rumor of her sexual tendencies, and she's also rumored to have performed oral sex on a boy during class and to have herpes. It's virtually impossible to catalog every instance of obscene, crass, and offensive behavior on display in this movie.

Community Reviews

There aren't any reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

What's the Story?

In DONNY's BAR MITZVAH, it's November 4th, 1998 -- Donny Drucker's day to celebrate this Jewish rite of passage. While his friends engage in "Truth or Dare," the adults play "Never Have I Ever." Everyone binge drinks, uses drugs, and some of the teens have sex with the adults. Donny believes that he's dating a classmate known at school as "Handjob Hannah," but messes up the budding relationship when he spreads a rumor to his frenemies that she has herpes. Meanwhile, the actor Danny Trejo is in the room working as an undercover agent disguised as an attractive African American woman. Donny wants to try to win Hannah back, but he can't figure out a way to do so until the valet at the party gets him stoned and drunk. Donny must find a way to apologize as all the adults and most of the teens and tweens get drunk while engaging in debauched behavior.

Is It Any Good?

It's nearly impossible to convey how horribly crass this movie is. Let's just say that Donny's Bar Mitzvah makes the Adam Sandler movies of the '90s seem like dour dramatic plays. Pretty much every profanity is used by everyone from tweens to teens to adults. Everyone is binge drinking and using drugs. Teens have sex with adults, and most sex acts are either performed or discussed. It's all in the name of humor, but the thing is, the movie's not funny. It's just offensive and tiresome.

Indeed, the glib and crass dialogue and behavior of these debauched characters grows tiresome within the first 10 minutes. There are some decent moments of satire, and the expected pop culture circa 1998 references to AOL, Caesar haircuts, Pop-Up Video, and the like. But any legitimately funny moments are overshadowed by countless examples of situations like the one in which a closeted gay teen offers to perform a sex act involving the backside of his best friend's closeted gay father. Everything is so gratuitous, obnoxious, and over the top, it's painful. Teens and adults should look elsewhere for laughs.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Parents can talk about the gratuitous sex and profanity in Donny's Bar Mitzvah. Is it ever funny? Why do you think it features so prominently in the movie?

  • Why do you think some people find humor in movies that try to be as crass as possible?

  • How does the movie try to capture what it was like in the year 1998?

Movie Details

Our Editors Recommend

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate