H eadlines
‘My Unorthodox Life’ Typical Reality Fare
T E L EVISION
ANDY GOTLIEB | JE MANAGING EDITOR
IT’S A GOOD THING
Christopher Lasch isn’t around
today to consider reality shows
such as “My Unorthodox Life”
and others of its ilk.

Lasch, a historian and social
critic, gained a modicum of
fame for his book “The Culture
of Narcissism.” He posited that
the post-World War II United
States produced a growing
social epidemic of behavior
consistent with narcissistic
personality disorder — where
people have, according to the
Mayo Clinic, “an inflated sense
of their own importance, a
deep need for excessive atten-
tion and admiration, troubled
relationships, and a lack of
empathy for others.”
Considering that Lasch
published his book in 1979 —
years ahead of social media,
reality shows and the ever-in-
creasing trappings of celebrity
— he was only scratching the
surface of narcissism’s rise.

Reality shows have thrived
for the past two decades,
and show creators are always
looking for the latest variation
on a theme.

Enter “My Unorthodox
Life,” which debuts July 14 on
Netflix. The nine-episode show
follows the life of Julia Haart,
CEO of Elite World group
model management agencies,
and her family.

The kicker: Haart left an
Orthodox community in
Monsey, New York, seven years
ago, and the show purports to lambasting her lack of freedom. she’s experienced should, at
show how she’s thrived and At one point, she leads a this point, be old hat.

enjoyed the freedom gained male-bashing
In the first episode, Haart
dinnertime with that change in lifestyle. Her discussion about how women also leads heated family criti-
lush Tribeca digs, high-profile in Orthodox communities are cism of her son-in-law Ben
Weinstein, who is married to her
position and expensive clothes second-class citizens.

seem to back it up.

In the second episode, she older daughter Batsheva. Turns
The problem: The show is returns to Monsey to visit her out Weinstein is clinging a bit
abysmal. Vapid barely begins 14-year-old son Aron, who still more to his Orthodox past than
to describe it.

lives with her first husband. A the others and is uncomfortable
Perhaps the appeal of most significant chunk of time is spent with the idea of his wife wearing
reality shows like “Keeping Up showing a conversation between pants. He’s not domineering or
With the Kardashians,” “Jersey mother and son, as she criticizes demanding, just conflicted.

Between Haart lambasting
Shore” and the “Real Housewives” him for maintaining his faith.

her son-in-law, and younger
And the
series gives
short franchises is hate-watching
sister Miriam saying that poor
shrift to
her rise
to power
— because the characters are so
Ben is
just no good — mostly
perhaps because,
in part,
she got
reprehensible. But when Jews are
because he still holds some
remarried to
wealthy telecom
the ones being hate watched, it’s
Orthodox values — it’s kind
exec Silvio
Scaglia, who
likely a bit more problematic, especially
of nauseating.

To her credit,
helped her
climb the
ladder. when they’re trashing a portion of
Batsheva stands
by her man. In
A lot
of this
seems forced
the “Jewniverse.”
Bulletin Print
Ad episode
two, he
gives in to his
(and even
phony), as
well, since
In the first episode, Haart
wife’s wishes.

Haart left
the community
rails repeatedly about her
Problem two: location.

As mentioned
ago; the freedoms
former Orthodox community,
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H eadlines
Julia Haart
Courtesy of Netflix
in the introduction, these
characters are narcissistic to
the nth degree. And who in
their right mind would want
the whole world to know this
much detail about their lives?
In the opening scene, Haart
counsels her daughter and
son-in-law in fairly graphic
terms on ways to spice up
their sex life. Granted, the
scene’s there to hook viewers
with something salacious, but
really? EWWWWWW!!
Problem three: Yes, reality
shows have been debunked
numerous times, but “My
Unorthodox Life” seems
particularly contrived.

Between playing up the
newfound freedom angle — it
seems as if Haart was coached by
producers to mention it as often
as possible — to hitting every
politically correct touchpoint,
there’s just way too much that’s
tailor made for the camera.

Problem four: The family
and other characters simply
aren’t likable.

We’re told that Miriam is
attending Stanford University,
but she doesn’t come across
as too bright, unless your idea
of intelligence is saying “like”
in every sentence. It’s, like,
annoying to hear her say that,
like, every few seconds.

Batsheva’s voice is a cross
between a Kardashian and Fran
Drescher. She seems just as
privileged. Ben is milquetoast, as
is older son Shlomo, who
confesses to his mom that he’s
a virgin.

Elite World Chief Operating
Officer Robert Brotherton may
well have been the template for
Dan Levy’s David Rose character
in “Schitt’s Creek.” Funny on a
sitcom, cloying in real life.

Problem five: Is any of this
really entertaining?
Haart seems like she’s
pretty good at her job, but
assorted struggles, both real
and manufactured, fail to hold
one’s attention, unless you like
to hear her spout adjectives at a
record pace.

The first episode ends on a
cliffhanger: Will Elite World’s
fashion show to debut a new
clothing line fall apart? Turns
out the face of the campaign is
sick. Another model is sitting
in jail for some unclear reason.

But as we turn to episode
two — spoiler alert — every-
thing turns out just fine.

If you’re looking for a show
that would give you insight
into the Orthodox commu-
nity, you’ve come to the wrong
place. But if you’re a reality
show junkie, this is right in
your wheelhouse. l
agotlieb@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0797
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