Hanukkah on the Rocks Review: A Meet-Cute with Manischewitz

Big city girl loses her job and finds herself in a small business redefining her life. It’s the way every Hallmark movie starts, right? Well, Hanukkah on the Rocks has a plot twist: the business (a family bar) is also in the big city!

I jest, but this is very much a couple hours of typical Hallmark holiday fare, even if the in this case the holiday is a Jewish one. And from the themed games to the themed food and drinks to the regular in-jokes, you’ll always be aware of that.

Still, it’s easy to see how Tory, jolted from her life as a workaholic by a merger at her company, is so easily liked by the family who owns the bar she stumbles into after she and a kindly stranger split custody of the last box of a beloved brand of menorah candles.

That stranger is Jay, whose grandfather, Sam, owns the bar. Before long, Tory is slinging drinks and helping the family redefine the place under a Hanukkah theme. Jay, a doctor in Florida, is also tasked with asking Sam to leave Chicago with him.

That’s the main hiccup in the eventual slow burn between Tory and Jay. But of course we can predict from the start how this ends: after some chaos with both their families, an emotional plea from Sam keeps Tory and Jay in the city together.

So yes, we can make the same criticisms of Hanukkah on the Rocks that we could make of any of the slate of TV movies coming out along with it: too fluffy, forced angst, unrealistic situations, and people who will do anything but communicate as they need to.

Amidst everything else, Tory refuses to inform most of her family about losing her job, and the inevitable blowup when the truth comes out is both a little over the top and then immediately brushed under the rug.

Still, these types of movies continue to succeed because Hallmark and other networks know we’ll watch them for the chemistry between the love interests and the general likeability of nearly all the characters on screen.

That’s very true here. Though the initial awkward discussion over the last box of Cohen candles fills many tropes, Tory and Jay work together naturally. Even before the romantic tone emerges, they’re great as friends who love to tease each other from the start.

Add to that Tory’s sharp-witted grandmother and the entire crew over at Rocky’s bar, and these two hours become easy to watch if only because you know you’d love to hang out with these people in real life. The delicious food and drinks don’t hurt, either.

Sam is especially skilled at making everyone feel welcome. Though his final speech is a touch maudlin, I appreciate him being the one to make his grandson and his new date stop denying what’s right in front of them in a way only he can.

There have been a few Hallmark Hanukkah movies now—enough to start forming their own mini genre—and none are likely to break the format holiday viewers know and love. With that in mind, it’s easy to add this installment to a list of favorites.

 

What did you think of this episode of Hanukkah on the Rocks? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Hanukkah on the Rocks is available on The Hallmark Channel

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