The Magnificent Meyersons follows an ordinary but complicated New York City Jewish family as they discover on one extraordinary day that although life, and family, can sometimes shock you, it can also lead to miraculous new places.

It’s a day in New York City just like any other, as the Meyersons deal with the ordinary concerns and petty annoyances that preoccupy all families. Matriarch Terri (Kate Mulgrew) is an oncologist, whose husband (Richard Kind) abandoned the family years earlier, leaving her to raise overachiever Roland (Ian Kahn); Daphne (Jackie Burns), who struggles with her own marriage; Daniel (Daniel Eric Gold), now a reluctant rabbinical student; and Susie (Shoshannah Stern), an ambitious young real estate agent in a lesbian relationship. But the Meyersons’ lives are suddenly upended by dramatic revelations both personal and universal. Conversations about faith, fate, and the meaning of it all comes to a head at a family dinner with an unexpected guest. As memories of their complicated past collide with a new and uncertain future, the Meyersons must navigate lingering heartbreak and shifting alliances as they are forced to reevaluate everything that they thought was true.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW

This movie is far from magnificent. It seems to jump all over the place with little continuity, other than the different scenes depicting members of the same family. It’s like one long episode of Seinfeld, basically about nothing. Each of the family member intertwine on the streets of New York City, and meet up once a restaurant, and that’s about it for cinematography. There are a few laughs here and there, but even those seem forced. The Rabbi son gives off one of the better performances of the lot, and credit should be given to the casting crew for including a deaf actor in a lead role. Other than that, it’s a long wait to the anti-climatic end.

Available from Argot Pictures

Premiering in New York City August 20 at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan; and Los Angeles August 27 at the Laemmle Town Center 5, Encino. The film is also available virtually on the websites of all locations. 

 

Written and directed by Evan Oppenheimer (A Little Game; Alchemy; Justice; The Auteur Theory), The Magnificent Meyers features a stellar ensemble cast that includes Kate Mulgrew (the upcoming Star Trek: Prodigy; Orange is the New Black; Star Trek: Voyager; Star Trek: Nemesis), Richard Kind (The Goldbergs; Inside Out; Argo; A Serious Man; A Bug’s Life), Shoshannah Stern (Supernatural; This Close; Weeds), Neal Huff (Mare of Easttown; Split; Spotlight; Moonrise Kingdom; Big Daddy), Melissa Errico (Billions; A Gifted Man; Life or Something Like It; Frequency), Daniel Eric Gold (Last Night; Definitely, Maybe; Charlie Wilson’s War; War of the Worlds), Lauren Ridloff (The Walking Dead; Eternals; Sound of Metal; If You Could Hear My Own Tune) and Barbara Barrie (Hercules; Breaking Away; Barney Miller).

 

More about The Magnificent Meyersons …

It’s a day in New York City just like any other, as the Meyersons deal with the ordinary concerns and petty annoyances that preoccupy all families. Matriarch Terri (Kate Mulgrew) is an oncologist, whose husband (Richard Kind) abandoned the family years earlier, leaving her to raise overachiever Roland (Ian Kahn); Daphne (Jackie Burns), who struggles with her own marriage; Daniel (Daniel Eric Gold), now a reluctant rabbinical student; and Susie (Shoshannah Stern), an ambitious young real estate agent in a lesbian relationship with Tammy (Lauren Ridloff).

 

But the Meyersons’ lives are suddenly upended by dramatic revelations both personal and universal. Conversations about faith, fate and the meaning of it all that come to a head at a family dinner with an unexpected guest. As memories of their complicated past collide with a new and uncertain future, the Meyersons must navigate lingering heartbreak and shifting alliances as they are forced to reevaluate everything that they thought was true.

 

Drama.  Not Rated.  Run Time: Approx. 88 Minutes.

 

Black Sand Pictures presents The Magnificent Meyersons. Written and directed by Evan Oppenheimer.  Produced by Evan Oppenheimer and Edward Schmidt.  Co-producers are Nerenda Eid and Carina Rush.  Director of Photography Derek McKane. Casting by Judy Hendersen CSA. Editor Evan B. Wood. Music by Daniel McCormack.

 

 

Available August 20, 2021 from Argot Pictures.

About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist with a focus on travel, lifestyle, entertainment and hospitality. He has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He enjoys discovering delicious eats, tasting spirited treats, and being mesmerized by musical beats.