Eight Gifts of Hanukkah

source: Eight Gifts of Hanukkah

Really sad when a man who does nothing but pine over a woman he has done nothing to deserve "Spoiler alert": Gets her in the end. That's not really a "spoiler" because you know how Hallmark movies end. The man should've been kept in the friend zone but noooo! She falls for her friend, because that's who she really wants?? Give me a break! This Hallmark movie I found truly annoying because the leading man played his "simp" role to the letter, and thus his victory in the end seemed truly unearned l. But what does Hallmark care?

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.

First, let me say I'm not Jewish, I'm Christian. Living in NYC, I am familiar with some of the Jewish traditions on Hanukkah, but I have never attended any of its celebrations. The story unfolded well, and introduced anyone without a knowledge of Hanukkah, to its beautiful traditions. I loved the tenderness between Sarah and Daniel. It was by far my favorite Hallmark holiday movie of 2021. Almost perfect. There are two minor details I would have changed. Firstly, I was a bit disappointed when Sara failed to see, by gift #7, that it was Daniel. Secondly, at the end, I would have added 'One Year Later', where there was a wedding photo in the frame, now in the home which Daniel built.

This movie was traditional holiday romantic tale on the backdrop of Hanukkah celebrations. I think we the viewers knew the story the minute the first gift arrived. And even with the predictability the movie still worked and was better than other holidays movies this year. The actors were great in their roles and had genuine chemistry, the supporting cast was good as well. I liked the adding of the Jewish tradition maybe little cheesy but that's also in other Christmas movies. In the end I really enjoyed this movie.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. However, two factors prevented me from giving this movie a solid 8. #1) The mystery of who the secret admirer was was poorly done and it was more than obvious who it was before the person identified themselves. It would have been nice to see a twist here or there to keep both the main character and the audience truly guessing about who it really was. I understand that it's a Hallmark movie, but it still would have been nice to see. #2) I found the main character to be charming and extremely likable. However, considering that she's meant to be intelligent as well, she's not very smart when it comes to guessing who the secret admirer is. It's almost like the writers dumbed her down whenever she was trying to figure out who it was. As the gifts became more and more personal, you'd think that she would immediately write off the suitors whom she'd only known for a few days. Yet she keeps them as prime suspects until the real admirer revealed themselves to her. It honestly made no sense at all. All in all, this was a very entertaining Hallmark holiday movie and I even learned a few things about Hanukkah. I just wished that they had put a bit more effort into the mystery and the main character's intelligence when it came to solving the admirer's identity.

Didn't see any real chemistry between Jake Epstein and Inbar Lavi, but they both did an adequate job. Plot: Only a causal; connection Hanukkah, I was hoping for more about Hanukkah. Sara is receiving gifts nightly from a secret admirer for Hanukkah. The gifts are clearly sent by someone who knows her well. So of course the first one she suspects is an Internet date, then a customer at her optometry business, then her ex-boyfriend who she broke up with because he always more attention to his job then he did to her. It never occurs to her that the guy who has been her brother's best friend since childhood and is always included in family events might be in the best position to know so much about her. Talk about clueless in Seattle, the Space Needle is in the opening scenes. IMDb does not put her name 1st or second, her picture and name are halfway down the page. But they do end up together, so I guess this is a happy ending, I just wanted more about Hanukkah and a leading lady who was not so clueless. Adequate movie, not a waste of time, but not one I would watch again. My advice: If you are a Hallmark Movie junkie watch it by all means. But if you are a Hallmark movie junkie, you might want to start with another movie.

I love the premise, however my goodness how does she not know....... About 1/2 way through even the lead guy is at best yelling "duh" in a Hallmark way. Either way the baby talk, and act is a bit much for me, no thanks lady. I can't deal with a leading lady that talks like she's five for some reason, it is very troublesome to me. No thank you add some presence to your voice. I don't know why the baby talk, and overwhelming helpless body movement is necessary, it doesn't speak to the modern women of the next generation that I would hope you are hopeful to talk to.

This is the plot where secret admirer turns out to be the dark horse best friend. Yes, it is a cliché, but, for me, it usually works. And by and large it works in this one. I liked the male lead very well. He was appealing in an average guy sort of way and conveyed his love and longing hidden behind jokey behavior towards the heroine very effectively. The female lead was OK despite her voice being very high and girlish. Also she giggled an awful lot for the mature usually poised and serious person she played. She was definitely channeling Lacey Chabert or Jen Lilley or both. I got used to it eventually, though it was distracting at first. Life long family friend and buddy, Daniel, who is working with Sara to renovate her office, tries to woo her by sending a thoughtful meaningful gift, on each of the 8 days of Hanukkah. It starts out being fun for all concerned, but as each day goes by and she still can't figure out who her secret admirer her is he starts to feel hurt and a little disrespected. She is being distracted by two new serious suitors. And they are both very nice and very eligible. Even her ex who dumped her starts to make some moves. He is a weasel. When Daniel's best friend, amusingly played by Doron Bell, asks him why he just doesn't tell her, he says, "Now it's becoming a test. I want her to figure out it's me." As they spend more time together (he teaches her to dance, for example) Inbar Lavi as the beautiful but blind as a bat optometrist (Eye See You-not.) Sarah does a good job of showing the increasing attraction she has started to feel for her friend and being confused by it. He knows she is starting to feel something, but wants her to figure it out on her own. It's a romantic dance and is very engaging. After nearing the last days of his courtship of gifts, which honestly only he could be the giver of, he overhears her speculating on the most unlikely possibilities and doesn't even consider it might be him. He is fed up. She finally figures things out, but he has lost patience. Is it too late? This has some corny lines and situations including an awkward Forrest Gump imitation, but I really liked it. Some of the efforts to infuse the story with Jewish culture stereotypes, and references seem a little forced, but who am I to judge? The ending, and the 8th gift was sweet and perfect.

Look, Jake Epstein was one of the more charming CTC leads in 2021, and the two leads even had some genuine moments of chemistry. But I was literally yelling at the tv for the entire second half. What gives him the right to complain about her not thinking he's the secret admirer when he hasn't done what the other guys on her list have done and ASK HER OUT?!? The least believable Hallmark movies always feature way too much "guys talking about their crushes with other guys" time as if they are in junior high instead of their mid 30s. And also, what was with a live band playing the track of Howie Day's "Collide" at the end complete with his vocal??? If you are a cover band, you don't play the original artist's voice over top.