Goyband

Synopsis

Fading from the spotlight of his late 90's mega-fame, boy-band icon Bobby Starr (Adam Pascal) is clinging to days gone by and begging his agent Murray to land him a decent gig. What Murray does land for Bobby is a full week headlining the grand opening of the world's first Glatt Kosher hotel-casino, Mazel Hotel.

As it turns out, the real force behind Bobby Starr's curious invitation to this "Orthodox otherworld" is the hotel owner's persuasive daughter Rebekka Hershenfeld (Amy Davidson), who has harbored a huge crush on Bobby since childhood. Rebekka's world is guided by her arranged betrothal to Haim (Benjamin Bauman), the son of Grand Rabbi Sheinman (Joel Leffert), who is supposed to issue the casino's all-important "Kosher certificate."

Rebekka's only release from the pressures of preparing to be a future Rebitsin (Rabbi's wife) comes from singing along to Bobby's songs with her best friends Hani and Fani (Natasha Lyonne). They keep their practice session a secret, since their religion bars them from singing in public.

From the moment Bobby arrives at the Mazel hotel, he goes through culture shock: his TV goes dark at sundown, his beloved cell phone is confiscated during the Sabbath, and his Grey Goose Vodka is replaced with Manischewitz. All of this is set against the backdrop of an alien world where "Kosher enforcers" drag gamblers from their slot machines at prayer time; late-night "treyf smugglers" sneak non-Kosher contraband like cheeseburgers and fried shrimp into the hotel; and where slot machines display Shofars, Menorahs and David Stars instead of lemons, cherries and dollar signs, and chime "Hava Nagila" for lucky winners.

Arranging for Bobby Star to play at her father's hotel might have started out as an act of rebellion for Rebekka, but when infatuation blossoms into romance, Bobby offers Rebekka a once-in-a-lifetime ticket to freedom from the constrictive life that threatens to hold her back.

Behind the scenes

Adam Pascal was already familiar with this kind of resort, having spent summers in the Catskills while growing up.

Name change

On September 14, 2009, MarVista Entertainment announced both their distribution rights to the film Goyband and their choice to rename the movie Falling Star (note the one "r", which is different from the name of the title character).