Greenberg, the Movie

Everyone knows that Jews have come so far in Hollywood.  Judd Apatow's films attest to that.  Jews are out.  So only in 2010 could a movie with such an obvious Jewish name as its title even think of hitting the box office.  Check out the trailer for Noah Baumbach's upcoming film Greenberg and note how it is about a Jewish guy through and through.

Noah Baumbach and Jennifer Jason Leigh, along with Ben Stiller, will pull it off.

Stiller's father, Jerry, is Jewish.  Leigh was born Jennifer Morrow to Jewish parents.  Baumbach , creator of the award-winning The Squid and the Whale, and one of the most erudite writer-filmmakers of our day, we are just guessing, is Jewish.  Perhaps Baumbach was the original name at Ellis Island.  They're all originally from the alter heim, the Yiddish term for old home, or Eastern European communities where Jews lived for hundreds of years

We love how the opening scene of the trailer takes place in a classic, albeit treif (not Kosher), LA deli  (Canter's? Langer's?  Factor's?)  How appropriate that in our last post we were talking about happy deli experiences.

And, are those Eames Molded Plastic Sidechairs we see in one of the 1st scenes?  Keeping with the trend of everything Midcentury modern these days, they fit right into the current zeitgeist.  Though Charles and Ray Eames weren't Jewish, they surely are party of the Whole Phamily, as they have had such an influence over every-day American life.  That's a discussion for another time.

If you're a Greenberg, your family name is defined as "Green Mountain."  No, silly, not the awesome Vermont-based coffee company.  You could be Suzy Greenberg by Phish or Yitz Greenberg, the Modern Orthodox rabbi Jewish-American scholar and author.  Or just plain old Jason Greenberg.  Did you say Brad Greenberg?  No, you must have meant Karen Greenberg.

No, your last name is actually Green, Greenstein, Gruenberg, Grunstein, Greenfield.

Check out some of your family geneology starting at JewishGen.

Or just watch the trailer again, cuz it's looking pretty funny!