So many Jews stars in this comedy, so few chances for them to shine

Amanda Peet plays a former child star in ‘Fantasy Life.’ Courtesy of Greenwich Entertainment

By Dan Friedman January 27, 2026

At the heart of Fantasy Life, which marks Matthew Shear’s directorial debut, is a sweet relationship between dropout law student Sam (Shear) and mother-of-three Dianne (Amanda Peet). Sam is — as the movie clunkily establishes — a clumsy mess with some mental health issues; she is a former child actor who, at 51, feels washed up as an artist.

They are brought together when her husband’s parents suggest Sam as an emergency babysitter for her young daughters. Sam’s “mannying” opportunity arises when he visits his therapist after getting laid off, because he needs to confess a compulsive antisemitic tic he has developed. His imperturbable therapist (Judd Hirsch) employs his wife (Andrea Martin) as office administrator and it is she who extends both repeated good wishes to his parents and the possibility of him looking after her granddaughters. Over the course of the seasons around which the film is structured, Sam becomes the girls’ nanny and, since Dianne’s rock bassist husband David (Alessandro Nivola) is away on tour they get to know each other. The two find solace and hope in each other.

Although Nivola portrays David as a douche, and although there is sexual tension between the two leads, their relationship is treated gently and with nuance. David and Dianne’s marriage is on the rocks, but is limping along. Much to the relief of Dianne’s wealthy parents (Bob Balaban and Holland Taylor) as well as to the movie audience, the film does not — as it threatens — lurch into the tabloid spectacle of “Manny Beds Mommy.”

Shear is best known for his acting, with supporting roles in a number of Noah Baumbach films and, most recently, a similar ensemble role in Nathan Silver’s Between the Temples. As a director, Shear is clearly in love with Peet who, thus encouraged, gives a luminous performance. Shear, who also wrote the film, tries too hard to evoke the three distinguishing characteristics of his role: appealing, awkward, smart. It’s his movie but he does not look like he’s enjoying starring in the action. Perhaps he should have just cast his look-alike Adam Pally (Dr. Peter Prentice in The Mindy Project) as Sam.

Shear’s experience in the film industry has given him access to some high profile actors. His willingness to use them means that he sets the bar for his first film too high. After all, sending what is effectively his student film to SXSW for its premiere is a bold statement as is casting Zosia Mamet along with the aforementioned Balaban, Taylor, Nivola, Hirsch, Martin and Peet. Having this many celebrity names in a single production earns it attention, I guess. But it also means more scrutiny for a production than you might otherwise expect, or even want.

Though Shear succeeds in gently evoking an odd, imbalanced relationship between two people on either side of a familiar community but in different stages of life, he often does so in ways that are crudely conceived, not fully realized, or lacking a unified aesthetic. The film bills itself as a comedy, but there are few laughs and the drama lacks sustained intensity.

The film grew out of an idea Shear had brought to Pizza Club — what his friend the actor Ashley Zukerman (who does not appear in Fantasy Life) described as a few friends “going out for pizza under the guise of helping each other with projects.” Shear has been picking up bits of stories here and there, and you can feel the elements of authenticity: For example, Dianne gets recognized at a restaurant, but the star-struck waitress thinks she’s Lake Bell.

Too often, though, the scenes feel contrived. A detail announces itself as a choice rather than something organic, or a scene’s very presence seems justified only by what it’s meant to explain. It’s easy to hear the director telling the actors what to do — “Judd, do that thing with your hands”; “Andrea, just stand around helplessly tearing your hair out.” Scenes function less as drama than as annotation, dutifully clarifying Sam’s social awkwardness or her agent’s thinly veiled contempt for Dianne. Or to highlight some relationship development — let’s show how Dianne and Sam view the manny-Mommy relationship differently by showing two bumping into each other when he has the kids: He looks at her, she is happy to see him and kids, but is quite as happy to move off again.

As far as the production goes, the design is unobtrusive and the cinematography is crisp and clear. And, though he under-uses the excellent actors at his disposal — Balaban has a far wider range than the one note of disgust at the schmuck manny that he evinces repeatedly — he does not betray them. The celebrity pantheon actually adds to a homely feeling. It’s almost a joke itself, when you recognize almost every character in the movie because they are well-known actors. And that sense of familiarity is totally in keeping with the movie’s New York vibe.

Fantasy Life will conclude the New York Jewish Film Festival on Jan. 28.