Round and Round

There is another movie that this movie echoes as well as Ground Hog Day but if I say what that is then it will give away the twist. Actually there are a couple of fresh plot points on GHD. It doesn't really give away much to say that Rachel starts enlisting the help of two other people as she repeats her 7th day of Hannukah. This adds a nerd factor to the story and it also gives a chance for them to mention other nerdy titles which include games.

I like Rachel played by Vic Michaelis who is completely new to me. Rachel has none of the faults that Bill Murray had to get rid of. It is actually suggested to Rachel that eliminating her faults is why she is in the time loop. Rachel is humble and has a servant mentality which is also suggested as one of her "faults". Michaelis and Bryan Greenberg have good chemistry.

The acting is good and there are a lot of good jokes. Lines are often delivered quickly which is difficult for me with a hearing problem but I still caught plenty of good ones.

Add another good Hannukah movie to the Holiday Season lineup.

8.4 stars.

Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators...

This is a wonderful movie about a woman in a time loop who must learn a life lesson before she can escape. We've all seen a movie or two like this, based on the original 'Groundhog Day' from the early 90's, and I feel 'Round and Round' follows that blueprint more closely than most others, but with a twist. And of course there has to be a twist, we can't have too many similarities. This one is different in that there is more control (you'll see) and it's not about Groundhog Day, but about Hanukkah and Jewish families and nerds and science fiction and oh so fun. This is a most wonderful rendition that Hallmark has concocted, I am blown away. It needs no explanation, it's a "reliving the same day over" theme, what else do you need to have an entertaining evening? But how it's presented is masterful. Nothing will compare with the original Bill Murray film, which I saw in the theater, and that says more about my age than I'd like, but I laughed more with it than any movie before, or since. 'Round and Round' is not as hilarious, but it's so clever.

Hallmark has stepped up their game this year. While the network has added more Jewish programming to its holiday slate in recent years, most of it has followed the same rubric of all the other films, only with far too many on-the-nose Jewish references (Delis! Bagels! Brisket! Nosey moms! Oy vey!).

Round and Round is a delightful surprise. The synopsis will immediately make you think it's just Hanukah Groundhog Day, and while there's an element of it, the film is meta enough (and aware of the Bill Murray classic's existence) to forge its own path, sometimes in unexpected ways.

The chemistry of the cast was quite good, and I found many of the jokes and sequences surprisingly postmodern for Hallmark and much smarter than one would expect.

Jewish or not, you'll get a kick out of Round and Round, which has just enough originality despite its time loop premise and a handful of Hallmark staples to feel fresh and inviting. Or better said, you'll enjoy it not for the predictable warm blanket of a Hallmark film you might expect, but because it's actually a smart little, well-written movie.

It's the holiday season and things are starting badly for Rachel (Vic Michaelis). Her boyfriend Adam cancels on her family gathering with an airport cold. Zach (Bryan Greenberg) bumps into her at the train station and she loses all her sufganiyot. Unbeknownst to her, her grandmother had invited acquaintance Zach to the gathering for her. Her parents are selling their house. When she starts to spin the dreidel, the drapes catches on fire. She wakes up next morning to find the day is starting again. Hanukkah is Groundhogging.

Grandma is right. The meet-cute is good. It's interesting that Hallmark is dipping into Hanukkah. With a gazillion Christmas movies, they can afford to do one or two non-Christmas celebrations. I probably have seen Vic Michaelis in some TV episodes, but I don't remember her. Bryan Greenberg exudes nice guy energy. They make for a nice coupling. They're nice without the movie star heat. They are low-key funny when they do the fast cross-talking banter. It works for Hallmark. This is better than most Hallmark Christmas movies.

I watch a lot of Hallmark movies and this one blew me away!! Top notch comedy, amazing chemistry, and lots of twists I didn't see coming. An amazing holiday romcom! I love Vic as a comedian, and that really showed through in this performance.

Hallmark really took the time to develop the side characters in this as well. Seth was a hoot, as was the cousin from England/Jersey. This movie really got the point across that i DO NOT want to get stuck in a time loop (unless it's with a boy as cute as this leading man of course!)

Truly one of hallmark's best. From jokes about Dr. Dre(idel) to heartwarming family talks about following your true passion, this movie had it all. I couldn't stop laughing!!