Round and Round

There is another movie that this movie echoes as well as Ground Hog Day but if I say what that is then it will give away the twist. Actually there are a couple of fresh plot points on GHD. It doesn't really give away much to say that Rachel starts enlisting the help of two other people as she repeats her 7th day of Hannukah. This adds a nerd factor to the story and it also gives a chance for them to mention other nerdy titles which include games.

I like Rachel played by Vic Michaelis who is completely new to me. Rachel has none of the faults that Bill Murray had to get rid of. It is actually suggested to Rachel that eliminating her faults is why she is in the time loop. Rachel is humble and has a servant mentality which is also suggested as one of her "faults". Michaelis and Bryan Greenberg have good chemistry.

The acting is good and there are a lot of good jokes. Lines are often delivered quickly which is difficult for me with a hearing problem but I still caught plenty of good ones.

Add another good Hannukah movie to the Holiday Season lineup.

Each year Hallmark gives us a Hanukkah movie. For the last several years they have been a bit dry and focused on teaching the rest of the world what Jewish traditions are. Well forget all that. Round and round is a delightfully fun holiday movie that just so happens to feature a story that involves Hanukkah. Rachel gets stuck in a time loop and keeps repeating the same day over and over again. Through her loops she learns things about herself, meets a guy (often), and has a bit of caper-style fun along the way. This was a great movie that surprised me. I'd love to see Hallmark replay this one throughout the season. It's a keeper.

Hallmark has stepped up their game this year. While the network has added more Jewish programming to its holiday slate in recent years, most of it has followed the same rubric of all the other films, only with far too many on-the-nose Jewish references (Delis! Bagels! Brisket! Nosey moms! Oy vey!).

Round and Round is a delightful surprise. The synopsis will immediately make you think it's just Hanukah Groundhog Day, and while there's an element of it, the film is meta enough (and aware of the Bill Murray classic's existence) to forge its own path, sometimes in unexpected ways.

The chemistry of the cast was quite good, and I found many of the jokes and sequences surprisingly postmodern for Hallmark and much smarter than one would expect.

Jewish or not, you'll get a kick out of Round and Round, which has just enough originality despite its time loop premise and a handful of Hallmark staples to feel fresh and inviting. Or better said, you'll enjoy it not for the predictable warm blanket of a Hallmark film you might expect, but because it's actually a smart little, well-written movie.

This Hallmark holiday romance acknowledges that it is a variation on the film "Groundhog Day", then plots its own course through some twists and turns to a different take on the time loop story.

It all starts on the seventh day of Hanukkah, when Rachel (Vic Michaelis) encounters some difficulties, but makes it to the family celebration, where the drapes catch on fire.

After this complication, Rachel awakes the next day only to find that it is still the seventh day. Nevertheless, she sets about her daily activities---again with some difficulties---while aware of the similarities and differences from her yesterday. She confides in Zach (Bryan Greenberg), a new acquaintance who seems to be a part of the overall scheme of the day. Together they try to find any cause for the phenomenon or any way out of it. They bring others into their quest, which resets every morning.

The diverse cast includes some strong performances, like Paula Shaw who plays Rachel's grandmother Rosie with a strong presence.

The plot is part sci-fi, part mystery, part romance, and part comedy. And each part gets its due. The leads are strong. The story starts slowly, but that is necessary to set up the details of Rachel's day; soon enough the narrative gets going and the pace is enjoyable.

This movie was sharp, well-written and fun, with lots of really smart twists, turns and comments by the characters. I am going to have to watch again just to catch all the great little references sprinkled throughout. The script-writing at a much higher level than the usual Hallmark fare and the filming also seemed to be much higher quality. The cast was well-chosen. I loved the chemistry between the two main characters and the side characters were great, especially the two older ladies and the sci fi friends. Honestly, I am a huge Hallmark watcher and this is one of best movies they've made, definitely in the top 10. More like this, Hallmark -- please!!!