As soon as upon a very long time in the past, when there have been comparatively few of them, I used to evaluate a Hallmark or Lifetime vacation film or two, however in 2024, when the channels have added 44 new movies between them, it’s develop into pointless. Anyway, you possibly can virtually write them in your individual thoughts. Besides as a type of hypnotic leisure, even watching appears irrelevant.
Every now and then, nevertheless, one thing stands out; my curiosity, private as a lot as skilled, is piqued. And so we come to Hallmark’s uncommon Jewish-themed “Hanukkah on the Rocks,” a pleasing, frictionless story from screenwriter Julie Sherman Wolfe (writer additionally of this yr’s Hallmark film “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story”) premiering Friday, and, positive, it is because I’m Jewish myself (of the atheistic selection, however no much less Jewish for that) and to see what this machine makes of my individuals.
We’re in Chicago, which is to say, Canada. Tory (Stacey Farber, from “Virgin River”) is a company lawyer who loses her job in a merger, a job she has already determined she hates, although she’d hoped to make accomplice; as much as that time, she’s been the mannequin of the Hallmark workaholic working girl, operating out on breakfast together with her grandmother, Bubby (Marina Stephenson Kerr), the minute her cellphone pings.
Jay (Daren Kagasoff) is a radiologist, again within the Windy Metropolis from Florida, despatched by his dad and mom to persuade his grandfather, Sam (Marc Summers), to affix them within the Sunshine State — as a result of he’s, you understand, older, and as soon as fell down. (Sam is in any other case the image of vigorous well being.) Jay and Tory meet cute over a field of Hanukkah candles — she dispatched to purchase them by her grandmother, he by his grandfather — a supposedly superior model of which there’s just one field left in all Chicago.
Marc Summers performs Sam, Jay’s grandfather, an everyday at Rocky’s, a bar the place a lot of the story takes place.
(Steven Ackerman / Hallmark Media)
Despite the fact that the field says it comprises 42 candles, sufficient for seven Hanukkahs, the filmmakers belief you haven’t observed that and as a substitute go along with the concept that there may be simply sufficient for one. And so when Tory and Jay break up the candles between them — after she follows him to the bar the place Sam hangs out (and which he lives over) to ask for half — some form of miraculous intervention, or lower than miraculous plot twist, will probably be essential to make it via the vacation. “I have no doubt we have enough candles for all eight nights,” says Sam, “just like the oil in the Hanukkah story.” You may look that up when you don’t realize it.
Rocky’s is the bar, so pleasant it makes “Cheers” appear like “The Iceman Cometh.” Tory, a redheaded ray of sunshine, makes it even cheerier. Having demonstrated how one can make an old school after the standard bartender abruptly runs off to Cabo, she’s enlisted as a brief alternative and, just like the oil within the story, one night time turns into many. Throughout this week and a day, she’s going to rework Rocky’s right into a Hanukkah haven; invent drinks with names like “bourbon shamash” (that’s the candle that lights the opposite candles on the menorah), which is an old school with a jelly doughnut gap garnish, and a “gelty pleasure,” served with chocolate Hanukkah cash; and encourage individuals to develop into their greatest selves. She, in fact, can even develop into her greatest self.
Together with Sam, the bar is stocked with Lottie (Lauren Cochrane), who appears to run the place and gives its gourmet-level chow; Stacy-Lynn (Verity Marks), a waitress about to audition for Second Metropolis; and Anthony (Dan De Jaeger), a former accountant writing a novel on cocktail napkins who has a crush on Lottie, which he inexpertly expresses. Outdoors the confines of this hamish “historic lounge,” as Sam likes to name it, apart from Bubby, are Tory’s sister, Becca (Cora Matheson), whom she doesn’t see sufficient, and Becca’s son Parker (Braden Blair), who doesn’t even acknowledge Tory when she makes a really uncommon go to. Her dad and mom will present up as effectively, and if I can discover their names, I’ll inform you who performed them.
“Everybody gather round,” says Sam, about to mild the menorah on Hanukkah night time one. “What if we’re not Jewish?” asks Anthony. “Everybody means everybody,” Sam replies. “The menorah is a symbol of hope — who doesn’t need that?” (Latke bean bag toss and Hanukkah trivia to observe.) Together with the greeting-card homilies (“You just need to follow your heart; the rest will take care of itself”), the movie is a carnival of Jewish signifiers (mah-jongg, Hebrew college, summer season camp, dreidels) and Yiddishisms: schmendrick, punim, putz, bubbala, mensch, gornisht, schlep, beshert, tsuris, chutzpah, altercocker, mishigas. I imply, it’s good to listen to.
“Hanukkah on the Rocks” is a carnival of Jewish signifiers.
(Steven Ackerman / Hallmark Media)
And meals, in fact, since you’ve bought to eat. (“Aren’t you eating?” Tory’s mother asks her.) No figgy pudding or, God forbid, baked ham, however black-and-white cookies, lox and bagels, brisket, latkes, babka and kichel. Lottie, who shouldn’t be Jewish, cooks up Manischewitz-braised quick ribs with a horseradish sauce, fried dill pickle spears with all the things bagel ranch dressing (if I heard that proper), challah bread pudding with vanilla glaze. Says grandpa Sam, “Food has always brought generations together and I’m glad we’re doing that here too.”
On some degree, this does appear meant for the Jewish Hallmark fan who want to see one thing nearer to house — many people, in fact, do get pleasure from a superb Christmas film, by which I imply that primarily secular, pop-cultural vacation about bushes and presents and that man within the purple go well with. That’s frequent property. (We wrote your greatest Christmas songs, in spite of everything: “White Christmas,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “The Christmas Song” — the one about chestnuts roasting on an open hearth — “Santa Baby,” “Silver Bells,” “Santa Claus Is Back in Town”; I may go on.)
Will it work the opposite method round? In what is maybe a sidelong reference to the movie itself, when Hanukkah on the Rocks takes off — for thus Rocky’s has been quickly named — Stacy declares, “Everyone’s saying they’ve seen this kind of thing for Christmas, but never for Hanukkah. It’s already all over Instagram!”
There may be treasured little battle — little, maybe, even for a Hallmark film. The principle predicaments are that Tory is avoiding telling her dad and mom she misplaced her job, which in fact she’s going to, and that Jay imagines he’s going again to Florida, which is clearly not going to occur. There may be one synthetic, professional forma flare-up between the nascent couple, which lasts about 15 seconds earlier than apologies are proffered, however their solely actual drawback is that the script received’t allow them to kiss till the top of the movie, a foregone conclusion this sentence will do nothing to spoil.
And there may be that query of the candles, however when you suppose that’s a severe query, you haven’t been listening. The obviousness is a function, not a bug.
