“Goyband” the Movie: What is it and where did it go?

Or, differently phrased, why haven’t any of us heard of “Goyband”?

In reading about Natasha Lyonne in Wikipedia for a client (true story), I noticed the film title “Goyband” on her list of credits — drilling down I discovered it was a 2008 film that asked a burning national question: “What if Rent star Adam Pascal had been a 90s boyband success story who had fallen on hard times and had to take a gig at a Glatt Kosher casino?”

This was the central premise for “Goyband,” whose name was then changed to “Falling Star” (the poster features a Jewish star, get it, because he was a falling star and because Jews are involved?)

(Trivia about this movie you’ll probably never see is available at IMDB — see screencap above.)

So why haven’t you heard of “Goyband”? Having seen the trailer (see embed below), I can imagine it’s for any number of reasons:

1. The description of the film as “a romantic comedy that fuses music and pop culture with a satirical (albeit gentle) look into Orthodox Judaism and Kabbalah” failed to resonate with audiences.
2. Powerhouse actresses Natasha Lyonne and Tovah Feldshuh are both in the film — but Lyonne is only present in a glimpse in the trailer and doesn’t speak; Feldshuh is absent from the trailer entirely. #missedopportunity #femaletalent
3. It won four awards at the Long Island Film Festival. (Including best picture.)
4. They have an official MySpace site (that’s how long ago it was).
5. Their official Goyband.com website is now in Japanese.
6. On Rotten Tomatoes, it is marked “tomatometer not available.”

If you’re curious — and believe me, I AM — it’s available on Amazon for rental ($1.99) and purchase ($7.99).

Film screening, anyone?