Eight Gifts of Hanukkah

6/10 - Hallmark's first unabashedly Hanukkah-focused movie (that Double Holiday movie that focuses more on Christmas does not count) is a really pretty sweet romance that perfectly follows the Hallmark formula.

Enjoyed the movie, Really likeable and relatable characters, however, like so many Hallmark movies, they cheat us out of a satisfactory ending. It's like, "If a bear s...ts in the woods and no one sees it. Did it really happen?" So if a couple kisses at the end of the movie (and they always do) and it's not noticed and reacted to by others, who cares? After watching a movie for two hours, I think we all deserve a little satisfaction. Geez!

I really enjoyed the online dating opening with Sarah going to meet online guys at a coffeeshop. Sarah is an eye doctor, she does meet one good one a top chef named Nigel. Also a client at her eye clinic also asks her out...things are looking up. If only she can get her confidence up from her breakup with Paul.

Hanukkah celebrating Sarah has been single for four months and is finally ready to try dating again. Her childhood friend, Daniel, is doing a remodel on her business and always has her back...this is where he comes in to bolster her confidence.

"I think this is my cue to remind you that he didn't deserve you."-Daniel.

"The bean counters are not just a garage band."-Sarah

The commentating on the dreidel spinning Hilarious!

This was one entire introduction to Hanukkah for Sarah's friend and Christmas celebrating business partner.

One the first day of Hanukkah Sarah receives an anonymous gift of white roses fro a secret admirer. This is followed by seven more gifts...leaving her to wonder who is sending these special gifts?

"Cardboard boxes are an unrelated medium."-Daniel.

"I'm like the Jewish Nancy Drew."-Sarah.

Let's begin with by stating the movie is only casually related to Hanukkah. It is about a guy trying to win the heart of the girl he pines for, with eight thoughtful gifts. Though the idea is not really innovative, it may still work for a romantic story. Sara(h), Inbar Lavi, is quite beautiful and accomplished and Daniel is rendered pleasant by Jake Epstein's somewhat endearing goofiness. The overall result is a show that has some substance and charm. An improvement would have been to characterize a bit more the spiritual side of the Holiday. A major one could have been to give more consistency to Sara(h) 's personality. She is purported to be a bright, sensitive young woman. How credible it is that she, receiving a series of gifts, clearly highly personal and reaching her more intimate thoughts, could even consider they would come from suitors she has just met? I guess this was done in order to create more drama. Yet, how can a viewer embrace a heroine who is wonderful and clueless at the same time? Thus said, I still liked the movie enough for a passing grade.

The anonymous gift premise isn't the most common and since this is Hanukkah, the traditional activities are different from all the Christmas movies, but there is still a charity function that all the romantic interests work on.

Jake Epstein's Daniel and Inbar Lavi's Sara (spelling as per the gift cards) have great chemistry despite supposedly being just friends. I'm beginning to really appreciate Epstein who seems to bond well with his opposite whether the story is about Hanukkah or Christmas. Lavi is new to me, but I liked her almost at once.

I think the viewer knows who the sender is almost from the first gift, but it's not long in the movie before he confesses to a friend. A lot of attention is paid to his frustration that all the other male candidates are getting.