dir. Séan Geraughty
Most of Hanukkah on the Rocks plays out exactly like a typical Hallmark holiday movie. Tori loses her job as a high-powered lawyer, but discovers a new lease of life when she becomes a bartender at a local bar. Of course, she meets an incredibly bland man there who becomes her passionate love interest despite having no personality at all. Most of this film is exactly what you’d expect, without particular pros or cons. Plus, it’s nice to see Hanukkah celebrated, and the blue-and-white decorations make a welcome visual change from Hallmark’s standard red-and-green Christmas fare. However, the last 12 minutes or so swerve hard into the “third act conflict” we’re all used to seeing, and said conflict is possibly the most contrived and confusing ever put to screen. For some reason, everyone is really shocked to learn that the man in charge of the bar, is in fact in charge of the bar. And although Tori had confided in her grandmother about her job loss, she kept it from her parents – so it’s bizarre that her grandmother encouraging the parents to come to the bar and discover Tori’s new occupation is not painted as a deeply villainous act. Grandma even exclaims, “I’m no snitch!”, and somehow this goes without challenge. But, in true Hallmark fashion, everything still gets resolved within minutes, just in time for a closing kiss. Hanukkah on the Rocks is absolutely wild in its closing moments, but overall, it’s nothing much to celebrate.
BMDb 