Hanukkah on Rye

Who would have guessed that one of the best Hallmark all-around holiday movies of 2022 would be centered around Hanukkah, rather than Christmas? It is supported by tight scripting and a very capable cast, from the leads all the way down to the primary supporting cast and even down to the bit part players. From early on in the movie you can see that the roles are performed with pizzazz and a strong screen presence. Unlike many rom-coms, the plot doesn't dawdle once it gets rolling. You'll need to get through about 15 minutes of initial character and situational introductions, but by then the plot is already in second gear, and it starts accelerating from there.

This is one is of my Top 10 favorite 2022 Christmas movies of 2022. You can see my other favorite 2022 Christmas movies by clicking on my profile link above; then look for "2022 FAVORITE CHRISTMAS ROM-COMs" under "Lists".

I'm not Jewish, but I enjoyed this movie even though the Hanukkah syrup was poured on pretty heavy. My Jewish friends tell me Hanukkah really isn't that big of a deal for them but I appreciate Hallmark's continuing effort to be inclusive.

The coincidences, especially towards the end, were implausible, but French Israeli actress Yael Grobglas is beautiful and charming as Molly. Jeremy Jordan was also solid as Jacob. It was wonderful to see the mutual attraction of these two likeable characters grow based on their written words AND by getting to know each other in person. Without any annoying competition.

The anonymous "pen pal" storyline is one of my favorites. There's a great old black and white classic film about anonymous pen pals who know each other in real life (without realizing it) called The Shop Around The Corner starring Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullivan. That inspired the more recent rom-com classic, You've Got Mail with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan ("I wanted it to be you. I wanted it to be you so badly.").

Hallmark has successfully used similar anonymous "pen pal" storylines in Bottled With Love with Bethany Joy Lenz and Andrew Walker (one of my favorite Hallmark movies) and in Love Always, Santa, and The Christmas Promise. I really enjoy a romance based on the exchange of thoughtful letters (or emails or texts). But, unlike the older classics, the Hallmark movies tend to turn the inevitable disclosure of the identity of one of the anonymous writers into a conflict that never really rings true. It seems to me that learning the name of the person who has been sending you anonymous letters, and learning that person is actually someone you know and like in real life, would be good news, as it was in the older classics. But nearly every Hallmark movie has an often contrived conflict pop up in the fourth quarter that gets resolved in the last 5 minutes. This was no different.

I liked the inclusion of the dancing dinner rolls from Charlie Chaplin's The Gold Rush, but watching outdoor movies in NYC in December would usually be too cold to be fun. The Jewish song competition was also a bit weird. It featured two awful performers (who were meant to be funny but weren't). Fortunately, they were followed by Lisa Loeb performing a lovely song called "Light". I was inspired to listen to it again on Spotify after the movie along with her big hits "Stay" and "I Do".

I thought the role of the doorman was a bit 2 dimensional. He was used a little too frequently for silent reaction shots and never seemed like a real person. One of his few lines is a line about not saying anything. I appreciate Hallmark's increasing commitment to diversity, but when the only Black character in a movie is a cardboard character, that undercuts their attempt at progress.

But, overall, it was a fun movie thanks, mostly, to the leads. I'd like to see more of them, especially Yael Grobglas.

I really liked this movie. I loved Yael in Jane the Virgin so was interested to see her in another role. I was not disappointed. She acts in such a natural way, she draws you fully into the story. Her character was very likeable. The same with lead actor Jeremy. I thought he played a down-to-earth nice guy and I thought he aced it. The story was good, too. The typical miscommunication/plot twist felt natural, not contrived and I appreciated that. It shows respect for the fan. I learned a lot about the Jewish faith and it was interesting and fun. This was a fun movie and I recommend it whole heartedly!

I don't say that as critical of Hanukkah on Rye, it's just that the guy moving in with a "more modern business model" and the anonymous correspondence angle can't help but remind you of You've Got Mail, which reminds you of The Shop Around the Corner. :-)

This movie is great fun, with many warm moments and many amusing moments, including laugh out loud moments. It's also the first Hallmark Hanukkah movie I recall that was all Jewish. The other had one of the romantic leads pretending to be Jewish, or vice versa. We liked those movies too, as it turns out.

Watching this movie WILL make you hungry, as great looking and sounding food is displayed constantly in the delis represented. By the way, we're not Jewish, but we enjoyed this movie and will watch it again, more than once.

Sure this is a knock off on the famous movie You've Got Mail, but it is well done. And Jeremy Jordan and Yael Grobglas have sizzling chemistry. I really like Grobglas as Molly. There are so many parallels to the other movie, but about half way through things start going differently and get a little crazy. It occurred to me briefly how it might all turn out with the delis but I was like "nah".

The acting is good. The dialogue is excellent. There are a lot of funny moments. I really like how straightforward Molly and Jacob are about everything with each other.

This will be worth watching again.