Menorah in the Middle

Although the Menorah in the Middle is an old, clichéd Hallmark movie featuring a portrait of Hanukkah and Jewish customs, this one is really brilliant, particularly in its casting. The leading pair makes a perfect couple, despite they are appearing more like an elder sister and brother. And the storyline was great! Even the slow-paced bore scenes were enjoyable throughout the film , and I found myself fully immersed in the scenes which lacked emotions in it. The actors appears to be miscasting, but it was well covered with their poor efforts to show that there is something in this movie which no one can understand.

After watching some awful Hannukah movies, the bar was low but this movie far outpaced those and even most Christmas hallmark movies I've seen! It matches the campy feel-good vibes you'd expect from any hallmark-esque film while also feeling authentically Jewish! With a focus on Jewish values (l'dor v'dor- family and generational traditions) as well as a fantastic Jewish cast, I felt right at home watching it! If you are looking for a feel good watch for this Hannukah season I cannot recommend anything higher!

The comedy is cheesy and the story isn't so deep but that's what a holiday movie is for! The reviews marking this low don't seem to understand what they were going for here. This is a masterpiece of classic hallmark charm. Grab some schnapps and some sufganyot and enjoy!

I loved this movie. First LOL was when the busker sang about the "goy". I found the dialogue to be funny and the singing narrator hilarious. I love Jewish and Yiddish culture, which is why I searched for "Hanukkah " ( not easy to know how best to spell it in search!) looking for something a little different for the holiday season. It is a made for streaming movie, so keep your expectations appropriate, but I enjoyed it very much!

The setting in the "S. V." neighborhood was great. The characters were fun, well developed and not too over done. I liked how Chad was a frat bro with an accent, no explanation needed.

Watch it!

This movie is every bit as good as its Xmas counterparts - and better than many of those I have seen! The acting wasn't unbearable, the jokes were corny but obviously intentionally so, and I thought the story was well-paced.

If you're looking for a "rom com" this may not fit the bill but I would argue that these movies rarely do. Romantic, sure, but hardly comedies outside of a sprinkling of comic relief.

I must concede that the leads were both kind of spineless and hard to root for. However, I thought the story itself was interesting, the parents and brother were compelling characters, and even Chad had me wondering what his deal actually was (up until his "win win" scene).

I also enjoyed the dreidel game scene, the guest stars, and the b story of the brother.

I wasn't a fan of the weird lighting and did think it seemed like they went a little overboard with making Jewish references or jokes, but knowing how limited specifically Jewish movies are I feel like this may be the cause. Either creators haven't quite figured out the formula or audiences used to being inundated with Christmas and Christian references are more sensitive to Jewish references.

This is a hallmark Chanukah movie written by goyim who are taking their best guess. I am so unsettled and just straight flummoxed. I am Jewish and have a sinking feeling I am their intended audience. I'm from a Jewish area on Long Island where we went to summer camp. Other than that I am astonished at how un-Jewish this movie is, so much so that I can only assume Hulu had to step in to dial down the Judaism like NBC did with Seinfeld. There would be no emotional or heartwarming moments. There was such an absence of humor that it felt like a death. No one was fighting. The sanitizing of Jewish life is almost insulting but there are luckily great movies that get it right.. watch Wet Hot American Summer or Uncut Gems or Curb Your Enthusiasm instead.