A Cantor's Tale

Jackie Mendelson, the suburban cantor and hazzanut (Jewish liturgical music) champion at the center of this earnest if not particularly exciting documentary, is a real mensch. Born and bred in Brooklyn’s Borough Park, he revisits the old ’hood, tells anecdotes about his troubled upbringing and bursts into song at the drop of a yarmulke, as various Semitic luminaries (lawyer Alan Dershowitz, the indestructible Jackie Mason) attest to his brilliance. If you’re looking for something to do with your bubbe, this film is a great alternative to the Jewish Museum. (Now playing; Two Boots Pioneer.) — Raven Snook