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Is This the Jewish James Bond?

Funny or Die’s solution to gratuitous violence in movies: a menschy 007

by
Stephanie Butnick
April 18, 2014
Jewish James Bond.(Funny or Die)
Jewish James Bond.(Funny or Die)

As the movie industry finally becomes attuned to the issue of gratuitous violence in blockbuster films often marketed to—or, at least, regularly viewed by—young audiences, and industry titan Harvey Weinstein pledges to make less violent films, it seems we’ve arrived at an important cultural moment. And since no cultural moment would be complete without a comic send-up, Funny or Die has a solution to the problem of violence on the big screen: Jewish James Bond.

This newest iteration of 007 is played by Everybody Loves Raymond creator Phil Rosenthal, who shudders at his weapons cache (“I’m one guy—how many guns does a person need?”) and would prefer to drive a Prius. “Bond. James Bond,” he says, his voice cracking. “But you can call me Jim, Jimmy…”

Stephanie Butnick is chief strategy officer of Tablet Magazine, co-founder of Tablet Studios, and a host of the Unorthodox podcast.