Tonight's Movie: Hanukkah on Rye (2022)

Mix a touch of CROSSING DELANCEY (1988) with a generous helping of YOU'VE GOT MAIL (1998), add in a unique voice of its own and you've got HANUKKAH ON RYE (2022), which debuted in December on the Hallmark Channel.

Molly (Yael Grobglas) and Jacob (Jeremy Jordan) are each part of different families who have owned Jewish delis for generations.

Molly, who will one day take over running Gilbert's Deli in New York, is looking for ways to ensure the historic deli's long-term future in the challenging restaurant business.

Jacob, whose family owns the less conventionally traditional Zimmer's Deli in Los Angeles, is looking to expand the business to New York...right down the street from Gilbert's.

Meanwhile, Molly and Jacob's grandmothers have each submitted their names to a matchmaker (Angela Narth) who insists her clients get to know one another by old-fashioned mail, delivered by courier. Molly and Jacob grudgingly cooperate and gradually warm up to their penpals; because they correspond using pseudonyms, they don't realize that they already know one another "in person," as competing deli owners.

The script by frequent Hallmark writer Julie Sherman Wolfe pays warm tribute to the older films, especially the classic YOU'VE GOT MAIL storyline, but it also goes its own way, including incorporating Jewish traditions and emphasizing the characters' strong family ties.

The lead actors are both charming and convey a nice sense of humor. The script deftly handles the conflicts, not drawing them out too long, and the final resolution was creative and moving.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I especially liked Tim Nhlazane, who offers solid comic support as the desk clerk in Molly and Jacob's building who facilitates their exchange of letters. His facial reactions are delightful.

HANUKKAH ON RYE was directed by longtime Hallmark director Peter DeLuise (son of Dom). It was filmed by Ken Krawcyzk with Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada standing in for New York.

This film is a great example of a top-notch Hallmark film which I believe would be enjoyed not only by Hallmark fans but by a wider audience. (And for classic film fans, there's even a scene with a Charlie Chaplin film!) Recommended.

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