Holy Rollers

The tag line for Kevin Asch’s “inspired by a true story” (read: 95 percent bullshit) Holy Rollers—“In 1998, 1 million Ecstasy pills were smuggled into the USA by Hasidic Jews”—is promising enough, but it doesn’t develop far beyond that catchy premise. Jesse Eisenberg plays Sammy Gold, a cloistered Orthodox Jew and aspiring fabric merchant who thinks only of earning enough to gain the favor of his Rabbi, the father of his intended wife. Soon enough, Sammy is recruited by his “black sheep” neighbor Yosef (Justin Bartha) to become part of an Ecstasy-smuggling ring that uses unassuming Hasidic Jews to move their product past pre-9/11 airport security. Eisenberg does his usual good work, and the picture is well-shot by Ben Kutchins, but Holy Rollers plays out in a manner that is far too literal and expected.