Tango Shalom

This heartfelt though often amateurish dramedy looks at a Hasidic rabbi who enters a tango contest with a shiksa dancer despite the disapproving glares of his community.

A classic fish-out-of-water tale, "Tango Shalom" is a comedy with some dramatic elements about a cloistered community learning to accept one of their own who thinks and behaves a little differently. We sort of know how it's going to go, and then it goes that way, and we nonetheless feel pleased about being part of the journey.

The story here involves Moshe Yehuda, a Hasidic rabbi and pillar of the community (Jos Laniado). He teaches at the local school in his neighborhood of Crown Heights in Brooklyn, where traditional Jewish culture is gradually giving way to younger communities of color. But the students are few and the tuition donations are even fewer, and Moshe has financial problems and a large family to support.

Despite the script religious edicts under which he lives, Moshe is not a grumpy scold but embraces the joy of life and loves to dance. He also has a healthy sex life with his wife, Raquel (Judi Beecher), playing a nightly game of taking on various fictional personas, such as a bullfighter named Fernando Caliente, before jumping between the sheets.

It's nice to see a movie that recognizes people living in strict faith-based communities can still have frisky romance -- with a lifelong spouse.

Moshe can't find a job outside his Hasidic enclave and would feel debased working as an assistant at the rug store one of his friends owns. He stumbles upon a strange possible solution when he encounters a tango school run by Viviana Nieves (Karina Smirnoff), a fiery Argentinian woman much younger than him. Moshe discovers a natural talent for the tango, and Viviana, who has just been dumped by her dance partner and lover, suggests they pair up for a televised tango concert with a $250,000 first prize.

One problem: Moshe's faith prevents him from touching a woman who is not his wife. How can he dance one of the most sensual dances there is without being labeled an outcast in the community that is not just his neighborhood, but his entire life?

He seeks out various men of faith for advice, starting with his own senior rabbi, Menahem (Bern Cohen), a kindly priest at a nearby Catholic church, Father Anthony (Joseph Bologna, in his final film role), a Muslim imam and a Hindu pujari. Each offers heartfelt words, though no one seems to have all the pieces of the puzzle -- though maybe there's a mix-and-match solution.

The answer they come up with involves a balloon and a whole lot of careful camera angles, in which Moshe and Viviana do the tango without ever touching (sort of).

The story plays out as we expect, with the pair practicing in secret, an arrangement that is eventually found out, resulting in much aghast from other Hasidic Jews, including a pair of self-appointed private investigators who follow Moshe around with notepads and stern gazes.

His family is also mortified, including Raquel, though eventually she meets Viviana and finds a soulmate rather than a rival.

There are LOTS of supporting characters -- too many, really. There's a whole subplot involving the impending marriage between Moshe's younger brother, rivalry between the mothers -- Lainie Kazan from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" gets in some good one-liners -- and a possible indictment for insider trading. Moshe's kids are trotted out for meals and occasional heartfelt conversations, especially with his teen daughter who struggles between her family's old-school ways and 21st century communication and relationships.

"Tango Shalom" feels something like a home movie. It's not particularly well-made and contains a lot of amateurish line deliveries.

It's a bit of a family affair, with Bologna and Laniado writing the screenplay along with Laniado's brother Claudio, who also plays his brother in the movie. (I'm glad I checked that, because I was going to make a quip about them not looking anything alike.) Bologna's kid Gabriel directed.

I don't know exactly how old Jos Laniado is -- I'd guess 70s -- though he seems way too old to be playing a presumably middle-aged family man. He is quite lean and spry for his age, moving rather well for the dance scenes, though they cut away to just the feet quite a bit, moving much faster than the top half. It's a little jarring, if understandable.

I enjoyed the inside look at Hasidic culture and family, and "Tango Shalom" takes care to poke fun at some of their foibles, though always in an insider way of affection rather than derision. It's not a particularly good movie, but it always has its heart, and its feet, in the right spot.