This movie makes a valiant effort to work some Hanukkah traditions into the standard Hallmark format. Unfortunately, it uses up all its good ideas within the first half hour, and then gets overwhelmed by the boilerplate.
The first act sets up an interesting plotline: Christmas-obsessed gal discovers that she's part Jewish, finds her biological family, and approaches her cultural heritage with admirable openness. Explored deeper, this really could've been something special. Instead, the plot quickly shifts gears into a bland romance, and all the cultural exploration stuff is shuffled to the background.
The first act sets up an interesting plotline: Christmas-obsessed gal discovers that she's part Jewish, finds her biological family, and approaches her cultural heritage with admirable openness. Explored deeper, this really could've been something special. Instead, the plot quickly shifts gears into a bland romance, and all the cultural exploration stuff is shuffled to the background.