Hanukkah on the Rocks

I never like it when the lead loses her job right off the bat. It's too depressing especially for a Christmas movie. Well in this movie, Tory bounces up right away. Believe it or not, she goes from a lawyer to a part time bartender and she's perfect for the job. So is Stacey Farber. She is really growing on me as a Hallmark lead. She and the rest of the cast have good dialogue to work with that is upbeat and fun. For a while the story isn't that complex. Obviously there is a guy spending time in the bar trying to convince his grandfather to go back to Florida to be with the rest of the family. But the story doesn't need more than that for a while because it's about the people with Farber's Tory being the center of everything. It works.

There is a secret hanging over Tory's head in that she doesn't want to tell her parents she lost her job. You know that will do something to interfere with how things are going at the bar and with Jay. That and the fact Jay lives in Florida. And there is an additional little surprise conflict.

Farber and Daren Kagasoff have great chemistry. The acting is good.

There is an element about family that gets stronger in the second half. It even leads into a really good ending, although a lot of things get tied up pretty quickly. (I was surprised the one big thing isn't completely tied down. Usually Hallmark movies put bows on every possible thing for an HEA.)

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.

Hallmark's 2024 Hanukkah on the Rock's was one of the better releases this season. The leading actress, Stacey Farber who plays Tory was very good and hopefully we'll see her in more leading roles in Hallmark movies, but the real star of this movies was Marc Summers as Sam Rosen. My wife and I were pleasantly surprised to see him in this movie because we were fans of his old Food Network show Unwrapped for many years. He's was superb in this movie. We enjoyed the story a lot despite several tropes, because it was really heartwarming and festive and a nice change of pace watching mature adults enjoying Hanukkah inspired cocktails in a grown up's bar versus "hot cocoa stands" and "building snowmen". The only reason I'm giving this 8 stars versus 10 is because the brief "misunderstanding" trope towards the very end really felt like a square peg in a round hole and was totally contrived and unnecessary in this movie.

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.

I watch just abouy all the new hallmark movies each year, this was already on my list with much knowledge of what it was abouy or who was in it. Then I heard Marc Summers on a radio show promoting the movie and then I was even more intrigued to watch it and it did not disappoint! I really enjoyed this one, Marc summers was SO good! I heard him saying he's not an actor but I thought he did a great job!! All of the actors really did in this. It was one of my favorites this holiday season.

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