How Adam Sandler's 'You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah' drew on real-life Jewish celebrations

(JTA) - To prepare for their role in creating Adam Sandler's latest movie, crew members hit the Toronto bar and bat mitzvah circuit.

Production designer Perry Blake and set decorator Julia Altschul, guided by a local consultant on the Jewish coming-of-age ceremony, crashed 10 parties within a matter of weeks.

"We saw how amazing and big and outlandish and extravagant they were," Blake told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. "With a movie, you usually set your sights high - bigger than the real world. But that was like, wow, the real world is really amazing."

The team borrowed several features from...