AllMovie

Less a straightforward transposition to film than an inventive reimagining of the play that inspired it, Henry Jaglom's Just 45 Minutes From Broadway intercuts events from two onscreen realms: an everyday world and sequences in which the central characters act out passages from their daily lives on-stage. The movie centers on the Isaacs, a prestigious family of stage actors descended from the giants of classic Yiddish theater. On hand are patriarch George "Grisha" Isaacs (Jack Heller), matriarch Vivien Cooper Isaacs (Diane Salinger), Vivien's thespian brother Larry Cooper (David Proval), and houseguest Sally Brooks (Harriet Schock). The story begins when the Isaacs' free-spirited younger daughter Panda (Tanna Frederick) ventures to the family home in Westchester County, NY, having suffered a traumatic breakup with her thickheaded, emotionally stunted boyfriend. She's grateful to be surrounded by her beloved family once again, but upset by the news that her older sister Betsy (Julie Davis) is now engaged and will soon arrive for a visit with her fiancé Jimmy (Judd Nelson). As old tensions between the sisters flare up once again, Panda struggles to keep real life and theatrical life separate, but finds it increasingly difficult; meanwhile, a new side of Jimmy emerges in the presence of the Isaacs, which leaves Betsy both horrified and isolated. Also appearing -- in a lengthy Seder sequence -- are friends and relatives of the Isaacs family, played by Michael Emil, Simon Jaglom, Sabrina Jaglom, and others. Just 45 Minutes From Broadway marks writer/director Jaglom's 18th feature and his fourth screen collaboration with actress Frederick, who starred in his earlier films Hollywood Dreams, Irene in Time, and Queen of the Lot. The original stage production debuted in October 2009 at the Edgemar Theater in Santa Monica, CA.