Sarah is an optometrist who is having her office renovated by her childhood best friend Daniel, with whom she has remained friends. Four months after a breakup, she is getting into the online dating scene, and amid the losers, including a guy in a Santa suit who tugs down his beard and gives her a sexy "Ho, ho ho" leer, she finds a couple of possibilities including Adam, a shy but rich tech genius, and Nigel, a local celebrity chef with a charming English accent. Even her ex-boyfriend Paul is making noises about getting back together. On the first night of Hanukkah, as she gathers with her family and friends (including Daniel), someone leaves an anonymous gift for her on the front porch. Over the next few nights, a new gift appears, always anonymous and always a perfect gift from someone who obviously knows quite a bit about her. Observant viewers, or anyone above the age of 10, will realize immediately that Daniel is the mysterious gift giver; there was a moment in high school when the two could have hooked up romantically, but the moment passed. Now Daniel, still smitten with Sarah, wants her to figure out that the giver, who knows so much about her, is him. He admits to his buddy Jimmy that it's kind of a test and she's failing–even after she gets a pair of glasses she's wanted that reminded her of her beloved grandmother's glasses, she can’t quite figure out that Daniel, one of the only people she told about the glasses, is her secret admirer. As Sarah works hard on holding the annual Matzah Ball for the community (and gets all her would-be suitors to help out), will she finally realize that her true love is right there working away in her office?
Though this is set at Hanukkah and features Jewish leads (and an optometrist heroine!), this Hallmark holiday romance still follows the template of their Christmas romances. So yes, there will be conflicts and misunderstandings and jealousies, but Sarah and Daniel will finally kiss in the last two minutes. Sarah's inability to even come close to guessing that Daniel is the gift giver is frustrating, but the two lead actors carry the show here. Israeli actor Inbar Lavi is appealing as Sarah, and Jake Epstein is quite charming (and quirkily handsome) as Daniel. I especially liked the fact that he never acts snarky or petty toward the other men Sarah is dating. His passivity may go a bit too far–finally, on the seventh evening, he has to break down and tell her his secret, something that should have happened long before. But the final scene is satisfying. Notable in supporting roles are Andrew Zacher (Adam), Oliver Rice (Nigel), and Doron Bell (Jimmy). Despite the Hanukkah trappings, you will never forget that you're really watching a Christmas romance. [Hallmark]
No comments:
Post a Comment