Round and Round

Each year Hallmark gives us a Hanukkah movie. For the last several years they have been a bit dry and focused on teaching the rest of the world what Jewish traditions are. Well forget all that. Round and round is a delightfully fun holiday movie that just so happens to feature a story that involves Hanukkah. Rachel gets stuck in a time loop and keeps repeating the same day over and over again. Through her loops she learns things about herself, meets a guy (often), and has a bit of caper-style fun along the way. This was a great movie that surprised me. I'd love to see Hallmark replay this one throughout the season. It's a keeper.

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.

This was unexpectedly funny and an enjoyable story. Amidst the seventh night of Hanukkah celebration, Rachel meets Zach...twice. The first time he bumps into her racing for the train and ruins the jelly donuts from Goldberg's, the second time it's an introduction by her Grandma Rosie. Amidst all the nerd jokes and the Groundhog Day theme, there is actually a decent romance...set to a great 1980's soundtrack.

The parents have a great origin story, but this is really all about Rachel and Zack...and a little about Grandma Rosie. The supporting characters were fun and the only actor that seemed a bit miscast or awkward was Bex.

I also really appreciated the train stop busker who played both Christmas and Hanukkah songs, as well as the art exhibition at the senior center that had both Christmas and Hanukkah art displayed.

I think if you have a sense of humor, like romance, and appreciate Hanukkah...you might like round and round.

Although the basic Hallmark story lines are there , this was still a bit different. Each jump changed the story just enough , kept it really interesting and moving forward.

Leads were excellent, hadn't seen them before that I could remember, but hope to again. The secondary characters were great also. Especially liked the comic store owner , grandma and cousin. But possibly the biggest surprise was seeing Rick Hoffman again. Hadn't seen him since Suits , and in he was great as ever. And the ending was a complete surprise. Start to finish this was one of Hallmarks best in my opinion. Hope to see all the actors in future projects.

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.