Hanukkah on Rye

I'm not Jewish, so I don't know how accurate this movie was or how authentic the scenes of Hanukkah celebrations are.

I can say that I enjoyed the movie more than any other Hallmark Christmas movie this year.

I have enjoyed three of the Hallmark Christmas movies this year, 2022. I liked this Hanukkah movie better than the three best Christmas movies.

The script has snappy dialogue and the actors perform it well and keep the story moving quickly. The lead actors did a great job and all of the other characters are played by talented actors as well.

The story moves a lot faster than most really boring Hallmark holiday movies. And it's actually somewhat believable.

I recommend this movie.

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.

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 love finally having a Chanukah movie that made celebrating Chanukah seem like the norm. The conversations, the intonations, the references, the traditions - I felt like I was watching a movie about people who could actually be family. It just resonated with me. My only gripe was that when they were singing the prayers while lighting the menorah, the subtitles read "singing in Yiddish" when it's Hebrew. Otherwise, just a feel good Chanukah movie. It feels so good to write that! I didn't even realize I'd been waiting for a movie like this! We just don't have enough modern Chanukah movies and I've now found my new Chanukah movie to watch every year.

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!