Holy Rollers: What's a Nice Jewish Boy Like You Doing With the Drugs?

A A A Comments By Mike Seely Wednesday, Jun 23 2010

First Independent Pictures

Eisenberg's student feels the secular pull.

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Runs at Varsity, Fri., June 25–Thurs., July 1. Rated R. 89 minutes.

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It's hard to determine which group Holy Rollers considers to be more villainous: Hasidic Jews, or former Hasidic Jews who con practicing Hasidic Jews into smuggling drugs into the U.S. from Amsterdam. Based on an actual Ecstasy ring based in New York City in the late '90s, this Sundance favorite's failure to render a moral verdict is but one of its many strengths. Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland, Adventureland, Roger Dodger) finally breaks out of the "guy casting directors turn to when Michael Cera is unavailable" mold as a rabbinical student led astray; and Justin Bartha, previously known as "the guy one of the Olsen twins dates," nails what it feels like to be on the twitchy downslope of an E-trip. But oh, what a trip up it can be; and the club music in Holy Rollers will make you instantly nostalgic for that ragged little pill. Holy Rollers also proves that Ari Graynor's tendency to walk off with a film while cast in a minor role, as she did with Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, is no fluke. If only real life could be as comfortable as when Eisenberg falls into her lap (literally) after pulling his first all-nighter.