Long in the past, when there have been comparatively few, I’d re-watch a Hallmark or Lifetime vacation film or two, however in 2024, when the channels have added 44 new films between them, it is develop into pointless. Anyway, you may principally write them down in your thoughts. Except for a type of hypnotic rest, even watching appears out of the query.
Every at times, although, one thing catches the attention; my curiosity, private in addition to skilled, is piqued. And so we come to Hallmark’s uncommon Jewish-themed “Hanukkah on the Rocks,” a feel-good, frictionless story from screenwriter Julie Sherman Wolfe (additionally the author of this 12 months’s Hallmark film “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story”) premiering Friday, and, after all, that is as a result of I’m additionally Jewish (of the atheist selection, however no much less Jewish) and taken with seeing what this machine does to my folks.
We are in Chicago, that’s to say in 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, though she hoped to make accomplice; up till that time, she’s been the poster youngster for the everyday workaholic working lady, who finally ends up having breakfast together with her grandmother, Bubby (Marina Stephenson Kerr), the second her telephone rings.
Jay (Daren Kagasoff) is a radiologist, returned to the Windy City 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 is, , older, and as soon as fallen. (Sam is in any other case the image of vigorous well being.) Jay and Tory meet tenderly over a field of Hanukkah candles – she despatched them to purchase from her grandmother, he from his grandfather – a supposedly superior model of which he is just one field left. all of 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)
Even although the field says it incorporates 42 candles, sufficient for seven Hanukkahs, the filmmakers suppose you have not observed and as a substitute go together with the concept that there’s sufficient for one. And so when Tory and Jay cut up the candles between them – after she follows him to the bar the place Sam frequents (and the place he lives) to ask for half – there might be some form of miraculous intervention, or something however miraculous stroke of scene. essential to get by the vacations. “I’ve little doubt that we’ve sufficient candles to final all eight nights,” Sam says, “identical to the oil within the Hanukkah story.” You can look it up if you do not know.
Rocky’s is the bar, so pleasant it is like “Cheers.” “The Iceman is coming.” Tory, a red-haired ray of sunshine, makes every thing much more cheerful. Demonstrated how one can do an old school job after the standard bartender all of the sudden runs away to Cabo, she’s enlisted as a short lived alternative and, just like the oil within the story, one night time turns into many. This week and sometime he’ll remodel Rocky’s right into a Hanukkah retreat; inventing drinks with names like “bourbon shamash” (that is the candle that lights the opposite candles on the menorah), which is an quaint with a jelly doughnut aspect and a “jelly deal with,” served with chocolate Hanukkah cash; and encourage folks to be the perfect they are often. Obviously she too will develop into the perfect model of herself.
Along with Sam, the bar is stocked by Lottie (Lauren Cochrane), who seems to run the place and supply gourmet-level meals; Stacy-Lynn (Verity Marks), a waitress about to audition for Second City; and Anthony (Dan De Jaeger), a former accountant writing a novel about cocktail napkins who has a crush on Lottie, which he inexpertly expresses. Outside the confines of this impolite “front room,” as Sam likes to name it, apart from Bubby are Tory’s sister, Becca (Cora Matheson), who cannot see sufficient, and Becca’s son, Parker (Braden Blair), who he does not see sufficient. I even acknowledge Tory when she makes a really uncommon go to. His dad and mom will come too, and if I can discover their names, I’ll let you know who performed them.
“Everyone comes collectively,” says Sam, about to gentle the menorah on the primary night time of Hanukkah. “What if we weren’t Jewish?” asks Antonio. “Everyone means everybody,” Sam replies. “The menorah is a logo of hope: who does not want one?” (Latke bean bag toss and Hanukkah trivia to comply with.) Along with greeting card homilies (“You simply must comply with your coronary heart; the remainder will handle itself”), the movie is a carnival of Jewish signifiers (mah-jongg, Jewish faculty, summer season camp, dreidels) and Yiddishisms: schmendrick, punitim, putz, bubbala, mensch, gornisht, schlep, beshert, tsuris, cheek, altercocker, mishiga. I imply, that is good to listen to.
“Hanukkah on the Rocks” is a carnival of Jewish signifiers.
(Steven Ackerman/Hallmark Media)
And meals, after all, as a result of you need to eat. (“Aren’t you consuming?” Tory’s mother asks her.) No figgy pudding or, God forbid, baked ham, however black-and-white biscuits, lox and bagels, brisket, latkes, babka and cookie. Lottie, who shouldn’t be Jewish, cooks Manischewitz-braised brief ribs with horseradish sauce, fried dill pickle spears with every thing ranch bagel seasoning (if I heard accurately), challah bread pudding with vanilla icing. Grandpa Sam says, “Food has all the time introduced generations collectively, and I’m joyful we’re doing the identical right here.”
On one degree, this appears geared toward Jewish Hallmark followers who wish to see one thing nearer to dwelling: Many of us, after all, recognize Christmas film, by which I imply that primarily secular, pop-culture vacation about timber, presents and that man within the purple swimsuit. This is frequent property. (After all, we wrote your finest Christmas songs: “White Christmas,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “The Christmas Song” — the one about chestnuts roasting over the fireplace — “Santa Baby,” “Silver Bells,” “Santa Christmas is again on the town” and I might go on.)
Will it work the opposite approach round? In what is probably a aspect reference to the movie itself, when Hanukkah on the Rocks kicks off – as Rocky’s was quickly known as – Stacy declares: “Everyone says they see this sort of factor for Christmas, however by no means for Hanukkah. It’s all on Instagram already!”
There’s little battle, possibly not a lot, even for a Hallmark film. The important challenges are that Tory is avoiding telling her dad and mom that she misplaced her job, which after all she is going to, and that Jay imagines he’ll transfer again to Florida, which after all will not occur. There’s a synthetic, professional forma blowout between the budding couple, which lasts about 15 seconds earlier than an apology is obtainable, however their solely actual drawback is that the script will not enable them to kiss till the tip of the movie, a foregone conclusion . this sentence is not going to spoil something.
And there’s the difficulty of candles, however should you suppose that is critical, you have not been listening. Obviousness is a characteristic, not a bug.
