The Wicked breakout plays Stacy’s mom Bree, a loving family matriarch who has no time for nonsense from her daughters — or her husband.

“Adam loved working with her [on Uncut Gems], and we all agreed that she was a natural fit for the Friedman family and for the film as a whole,” Cohen said. “I joke that this is the happy side of their on-screen marriage.”

Uncut Gems, Enchanted, Frozen, Rent, Uncut Gems

"Lydia’s mom Gabi is played by Jackie Sandler. Sandler has appeared in more than 20 movies, starting with 1999’s Big Daddy.

Little Nicky, Kevin Can Wait, 50 First Dates, Grown Ups, Just Go with It

As in real life, Sandler plays Sunny and Sadie’s father. He’s loving and helpful — if a little embarrassing. Dads, you know? What are you going to do?

“It made me nostalgic about my own childhood, about my own dad,” Cohen said of directing Sandler with his family. “It felt like we were making a movie and memorializing these very real moments in life. One of my favorite scenes in the film is a sweet candid moment that Danny has in the car with Stacy. He does this bit where he fake spills coffee on her to make her laugh. It’s sweet and silly and perfect. As much as that scene is Danny and Stacy, it’s also Adam and Sunny.”

Punch-Drunk Love, Uncut Gems, The Waterboy, The Wedding Singer, Funny People, Big Daddy, Hotel Transylvania, 50 First Dates

Stacy’s older sister Ronnie is played by Sunny’s real-life older sister, Sadie. She’s supportive, if long-suffering, and always ready with a barb.

“Sadie has this natural ability to be effortlessly hilarious,” Cohen said. “Her dry humor and grounded delivery comes from a very real place. She’s obviously a natural when it comes to comedic timing and delivery, but she’s also a really strong dramatic actor.”

Stacy is our bat mitzvah-planning protagonist, a 13-year-old with some big plans for her party. Of course, as with most things in life, not everything goes according to plan. Soon Stacy is at war with her best friend, and the biggest night of her life is at risk of blowing up in her face. 

“She feels like a real kid,” Cohen said of Sunny. “She’s got this incredible free-spirited nature, a natural silliness that elicits moments of charming vulnerability. It makes her lovable, relatable, and the kind of person you’ll still root for, even when she’s making bad choices.”

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, Grown Ups, Grown Ups 2

Lydia is Stacy’s lifelong best friend, who’s busily planning her own bat mitzvah. When a boy comes between the pair, their parties will go their separate ways — and a few silly mistakes might just end their friendship forever.

“Sunny and Sam had natural chemistry right away,” Cohen told us. “I just continued to foster a real friendship off-screen. I’m big on world building, improv, and imagination work. I had them make a best friend handshake, we improvised and created childhood memories, talked about previous school years and all of the life experiences they’ve had together.”

The Walking Dead: World Beyond, Kid Stew, The Love Advisor, The Kid Who Only Hit Homers

Andy is the boy threatening to break Stacy and Lydia’s friendship, a middle school heartthrob who becomes the third point of an unlikely love triangle. He’s been Stacy’s dream guy for years, but when he and Lydia hit it off, trouble is on the way.

“It’s relatable. It’s messy,” Cohen said of Stacy and Lydia’s on-the-rocks bond. “It encapsulates the first kind of love many of us experience: your childhood best friend.”

Next

The Saturday Night Live star plays Rabbi Rebecca, the quirky and treadmill-loving Hebrew school instructor who tries to guide her students through their awkward adolescence. 

“I knew I wanted a female rabbi and had been a fan of Sarah’s avant-garde comedy for years,” Cohen said. “One day I’m hanging with Adam and Sunny, and Sunny brings up Sarah. She loves her. It was kismet. We wanted someone who felt fresh, someone who could handle the religious aspects of Judaism with care but could also bring a sense of levity to the role.” 

Saturday Night Live, Three Busy Debras

Longtime Saturday Night Live writer Bulla plays Cantor Jerry, the musical instructor of the Friedmans’ synagogue. 

Israeli actor and sketch comedian Mosseri plays DJ Schmuley, the community’s go-to bat mitzvah party starter. You may recognize his voice if you’ve ever watched SpongeBob SquarePants in Hebrew (he’s SpongeBob). 

You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, Kfula, The Jews Are Coming

The iconic comedian plays Irene, a bat mitzvah fixture of the golden-years table.

Only Murders in the Building, Birdman, Feud: Bette and Joan

Zaara is Ronnie’s best friend, who hangs around the Friedman house so persistently that she may as well be part of the family herself. She and Ronnie are happy to offer up advice to anyone who will ask — or not ask. 

The prolific character actor and Wednesday star pops up as Lydia’s dad Eli, who’s in the middle of a divorce — and not too happy about heading out on a shopping trip.

Traffic, Boogie Nights, Punch-Drunk Love, The Taking of Pelham 123, Magnolia