Hanukkah on the Rocks

I'm not Jewish, I'm not a drinker and have never been to a bar, but i absolutely love this movie and will save it (I've already watched several times)! Stacey Farber is perfect in this role. I think this is third movie I've seen her starring in and she's been believable in each. I look forward to seeing her in more. I wasn't familiar with Daren Kagasoff but he played the grandson just right (I love his "calming" voice)! Marc Summers couldn't be more fitting for this role - loved him! Actually all the actors were great - seeming like a family! I loved the atmosphere and friendliness of the bar and would love being there even without a drink! 🤗

This. This is what all of us watch Hallmark for. Or what we hope for as we watch. A Hanukkah movie ( or any movie) without the silly tropes and cliches - with people who seem real to us, people we recognize, people treated with dignity and who treat each other (and everybody else) with respect, patience, and kindness. Thank you.

The entire cast was above the norm. Every single one. Upbeat even through their difficulties, they managed to keep this in a positive frame and made us feel good - and our interest and time investment validated - a perfect holiday movie. Not being Jewish myself, it taught me things as the movie progressed. What could be better than all this. Again, thank you.

As a 90s baby, I was a big fan of both Degrassi: The Next Generation and The Secret Life of the American Teenager. When I found out that Stacey Farber and Daren Kagasoff were the leads for this Hannukah film, I knew I had to watch it. When I saw Marc Summers playing sweet grandpa Sam, I started smiling ear to ear. After my viewing, I am happy to report that I loved it! This little movie was full of charm, tradition, community, family, romance...all the things that my Hallmark faves are known for. As a Christian who celebrates Christmas and the birth of Christ, I thoroughly enjoyed this Hannukah film. At its core, it had themes that everyone can relate to and enjoy, whether they are religious or not. I hope Hallmark Channel will continue to cast Stacey Farber and Daren Kagasoff in future projects because they are great actors with a sweet chemistry. Viewers will find themselves rooting for them every time.

Here our lady MC loses her job at a law firm due to a merge and downsizing, and by a coincidence decides to work as a bartender for a while, as she had experience at the job while in college.

Of course, she doesn't want her parents to know, which is a little unhinged because she'd not looking for another job in the law immediately.

That's not the real focus of the movie, which contains plenty of interesting and sometimes amusing slice-of-Hanukkah life moments.

The writers came up with an interesting set of regulars at the bar, Rocky's, which serve for both plot activation and comic relief. Definitely worth a watch.

This is a rare Hallmark movie where even the dialog associated with the obligatory plot points is executed in a way that doesn't sound cliche. The imaginative games at the bar are a lot of fun with more interesting and quirky supporting characters than usual. The leads are engaging and have good chemistry. The "bubby" and the grandfather are both exceptionally well played. The different dilemmas unfold in the usual Hallmark way but enough fun stuff is chocked into the middle that it all seems more natural somehow. I think the Hallmark genre of movies needs to be rated on their own scale with enjoyment being the main criterion. As such. I enjoyed Hanukkah on the Rocks thoroughly and rate it a 9/10.