New Thanksgiving Film About Coming Out—As Vegetarian and Gay—Debuts This Month

Holiday comedy Lez Bomb—about a young woman who goes home for Thanksgiving to tell her family she’s both vegetarian and gay—debuts in theatres nationwide on November 9. From executive producer Bobby Farrelly (known for his films Dumb & Dumber and There’s Something About Mary) and writer/director Jenna Laurenzo, who plays lead character Lauren, Lez Bomb features a dysfunctional family who disregards Lauren’s coming out announcement by focusing on the fact that she no longer eats animals. “Having the family members miss the whole sexuality thing while fixating on the fact that I’m vegetarian felt right to me, and was grounded in my own experience,” Laurenzo told VegNews. “My family is still more fixated and preoccupied with my ‘dietary restrictions.’” To further promote the film and its vegetarian angle, Laurenzo contracted vegan chef Leslie Durso to create a veganized version of the film’s Thanksgiving menu, such as Aunt Maggie’s Spinach Dip, Uncle Mike’s Cranberry Sauce with Red Wine, Mom’s Mashed Potatoes, Grandma’s Spicy Sprouts, Not-A-Turkey Spinach Roll, Blueberry Pie, and Lauren and Hailey’s Berry Crumble. “Having Leslie design this menu is such fantastic way to demonstrate that there aren’t restrictions when you go meatless,” Laurenzo said. “In fact, there’s an endless world of vegetables awaiting creative dishes that beat out all traditional Thanksgiving dishes.”