The Smile of Isaac

Sara and David were already a hundred years old and the great disappointment of their lives was that they had had no children. God was moved by their distress and said to them in his typical big booming voice 'Don't worry, I will give you an heir'. How did the future parents react? Did they kneel down in adoration? No, they burst out laughing at the incongruity of the situation. An early - and characteristic - display of Jewish humor. And, according to Gérard and Stephan Rabinovich, the authors of this excellent TV documentary, an epitome of this unique form of derision. Jews have a knack for making fun of their community in general and of themselves in particular. What makes Sara and David laugh is to picture themselves becoming YOUNG parents at an age where they should be GREAT-GREAT GRANPARENTS! God's miracle is only secondary to them at this moment : they just see the ridiculousness of the situation. In " Isaac's Smile ", a succession of guests (filmed in Paris, New York or Israel) try to analyze or define the notion of Jewish humor while others are content to tell - hilarious - Jewish jokes. And to add pleasure to pleasure, the whole thing is interspersed by clips from movies and TV shows featuring kings of laughter like Woody Allen, Jerry Lewis, The Marx Brothers and many others. If you have a sense of humor and are not afraid to laugh at yourself or to deal with serious or tragic subjects with a smile, this well-made rich documentary is for you.