I feel bad putting Hanukkah On Rye under the Christmas movie banner because it’s not a Christmas movie. But, alas, we only get one Hanukkah movie per year.
Jacob’s (Jeremy Jordan) family runs a Jewish deli in California. Looking to expand the business, he travels to New York City to sign the lease for a second location on the east coast. He meets Molly (Yael Grobglas), whose family runs the oldest Jewish delicatessen in New York City. When their grandmothers sign each of them up to be paired with a soulmate through a Jewish matchmaker, the duo are unwillingly paired with each other. Will opening a competing deli ruin their budding love?
Jeremy Jordan is an amazing actor. I don’t think I have ever not liked one of his projects. Little did I know that Yael Grobglas would be a perfect pairing with him. A lot of times in Hallmark movies, it feels like the actors are just reading lines. These two feel like they ARE the characters. It was so perfect.
I don’t want to give too much of the story away, even though there aren’t really any surprises here. But I do think you should watch it. This may be one of the best holiday movies on the Hallmark roster this year.