A Jewish comedy that breaks a lot of Shabbat rules.

“Bad Shabbos” is the second independent film I saw this year to deal with an unexpected death after the British dark comedy “The Trouble with Jessica.” That one had with upper class people dealing with a suicide that could set off a bad chain of reactions. This one is set in the East Side of Manhattan, where the main characters are celebrating the Jewish tradition known as Shabbat, until an accidental death occurs.

Of course, the word “murder” is used a lot in the film, and it often irritates me when people use the term when it comes to accidental deaths, because murder is supposed to be intentional. But I suppose, in other people’s eyes, it could look like a murder if the characters don’t just call 911 and explain the situation.

Let me tell you how “Bad Shabbos” plays the genre.

David Paymer and Kyra Sedgwick play Richard and Ellen, who are hosting Shabbat with their children the sensitive David (Jon Bass), the arrogant Abby (Milana Vayntrub from “Werewolves Within”), and the black sheep Adam (Theo Taplitz from “Showing Up”). They also invite David’s Catholic fiancee Meg (Meghan Leathers from “Don’t Look Up”), her parents John (John Bedford Lloyd) and Beth (Catherine Curtin), and Abby’s jerky and unfaithful boyfriend Benjamin (Ashley Zukerman from “Succession”). It should be a night for family, Meg trying to impress her in-laws, her parents experiencing Shabbat for the first time, and Abby dumping Benjamin soon.

However, the night becomes even more problematic when Adam’s prank towards Benjamin backfires, and the boyfriend dies. At this point, they must remove the body with assistance from their door man Jordan (Method Man).

He acts like Winston Wolfe from “Pulp Fiction,” when he gives the family instructions on how to do so. In fact, he has more common sense than the family does, when Meg’s parents ask where Richard is and they’re all stuttering without saying calm and normally “He couldn’t make it” or “Something came up and he had to cancel.” This doorman couldn’t be more versatile.

We do cringe at some of the behaviors, but we also laugh at the honest awkwardness within the family and their traumatic experience. Within this specific genre, “Very Bad Things” made some very poor choices, and “Rough Night” was too dopey and inconsistent. “Bad Shabbos” and “The Trouble with Jessica” both have more honesty and humor within. And plus, they can be more than just the unexpected death; they can be also be about life choices that affect the characters.

The best performances in “Bad Shabbos” come from Paymer, Taplitz, Leathers, Lloyd, and Method Man. They all manage to use the right mannerisms, comedic timing, and consistency, and writer/director Daniel Robbins (“Pledge,” “Citizen Weiner”) directs them quite well. And I’m also delighted by the intro and outro sequences with Josh Mostel talking to his friend about a joke. It’s all about the execution that I don’t want to spoil how for the sake of the viewers. The ones who search for lesser known films.

I’m not Jewish, so I’m sorry if I’m not too familiar with all traditions and rules. But I’m pretty sure this comedy breaks a lot of rules on this night, and it has a fun time doing so.

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