Hanukkah on the Rocks

6.6 stars.

The best word to describe a story set in a bar with a bunch of random people celebrating Hanukkah is: strange. I can't imagine a bunch of bar flies would be acting like normal, upstanding, sober people all through the holidays while they're celebrating Hanukkah in a dive bar in the big city. Where is the raucous behavior and the lewd comments? Where are the loud drunken conversations that become so overbearing that you have to vacate the bar at some point? None of the realistic stuff that happens in bars actually takes place in this film. Everyone is on their best behavior. Everyone is quiet, everyone is easy-going. It's a dive bar in the middle of a city!

This is why you don't see movies like this, because it's completely unrealistic to imagine a bunch of drunkards hanging out in a bar all day every day getting along and singing Kum ba yah.

All the above outrageousness aside, it's not a bad fabrication.

This is a rare Hallmark movie where even the dialog associated with the obligatory plot points is executed in a way that doesn't sound cliche. The imaginative games at the bar are a lot of fun with more interesting and quirky supporting characters than usual. The leads are engaging and have good chemistry. The "bubby" and the grandfather are both exceptionally well played. The different dilemmas unfold in the usual Hallmark way but enough fun stuff is chocked into the middle that it all seems more natural somehow. I think the Hallmark genre of movies needs to be rated on their own scale with enjoyment being the main criterion. As such. I enjoyed Hanukkah on the Rocks thoroughly and rate it a 9/10.

I'm not Jewish, I'm not a drinker and have never been to a bar, but i absolutely love this movie and will save it (I've already watched several times)! Stacey Farber is perfect in this role. I think this is third movie I've seen her starring in and she's been believable in each. I look forward to seeing her in more. I wasn't familiar with Daren Kagasoff but he played the grandson just right (I love his "calming" voice)! Marc Summers couldn't be more fitting for this role - loved him! Actually all the actors were great - seeming like a family! I loved the atmosphere and friendliness of the bar and would love being there even without a drink! 🤗

I never like it when the lead loses her job right off the bat. It's too depressing especially for a Christmas movie. Well in this movie, Tory bounces up right away. Believe it or not, she goes from a lawyer to a part time bartender and she's perfect for the job. So is Stacey Farber. She is really growing on me as a Hallmark lead. She and the rest of the cast have good dialogue to work with that is upbeat and fun. For a while the story isn't that complex. Obviously there is a guy spending time in the bar trying to convince his grandfather to go back to Florida to be with the rest of the family. But the story doesn't need more than that for a while because it's about the people with Farber's Tory being the center of everything. It works.

There is a secret hanging over Tory's head in that she doesn't want to tell her parents she lost her job. You know that will do something to interfere with how things are going at the bar and with Jay. That and the fact Jay lives in Florida. And there is an additional little surprise conflict.

Farber and Daren Kagasoff have great chemistry. The acting is good.

There is an element about family that gets stronger in the second half. It even leads into a really good ending, although a lot of things get tied up pretty quickly. (I was surprised the one big thing isn't completely tied down. Usually Hallmark movies put bows on every possible thing for an HEA.)

Here our lady MC loses her job at a law firm due to a merge and downsizing, and by a coincidence decides to work as a bartender for a while, as she had experience at the job while in college.

Of course, she doesn't want her parents to know, which is a little unhinged because she'd not looking for another job in the law immediately.

That's not the real focus of the movie, which contains plenty of interesting and sometimes amusing slice-of-Hanukkah life moments.

The writers came up with an interesting set of regulars at the bar, Rocky's, which serve for both plot activation and comic relief. Definitely worth a watch.