Okay, you’ve got a chef, a food critic, and a newfound family to make this film a really fun and interesting one to watch. Also, the two stars of the film are Mia Kirshner and Ben Savage, a.k.a. Catherine Wyler from Not Another Teen Movie and Cory Matthews from Boy Meets World. It’s like a dream come true, am I right? Love, Lights & Hanukkah! follows Christina (Kirshner), a chef, as she discovers that she is part Jewish from a DNA test which leads her to meet some new family members — including her biological mother, Ruth, played by Marilu Henner. With the help of a family friend, David (Savage) a.k.a. the food critic, Ruth and her family do their best to introduce Christina to all the wonderful things about her culture, including Hanukkah. Not only do they all bond as a family, but Christina and David find more than just food to connect with during the holidays.
I’m a 90’s girl at heart so, of course, the draw for this film was Ben Savage, whom I absolutely loved in this movie. He was so endearing as David, always checking in on Christina and making up any excuse to see her. Christina, on the other hand, I did not love. I found her to be really rude in the beginning, especially when she interacted with David. At one point, while visiting Christina at her restaurant, David is there just to say hello and comment on some fun food trivia only to be met with a super snarky Christina. Ben, ever the gentleman, admits that he just stopped by to see her and used said trivia as an excuse. I mean, how could anyone not love him at that point? I get that he wrote a bad review of Christina’s lasagna the year before, but even she admitted that she wasn’t in the right headspace when she made it, seeing as her adoptive mother had just passed away. Nevertheless, if I were David, I would’ve stopped after that first visit to her restaurant following the family revelation. But I guess that’s what I loved most about him — his sweet disposition and eagerness to include Christina in all of their Hanukkah traditions.
In terms of including Christina, Ruth and her family does a great job of doing just that, especially Ruth. While I found her confession about being Christina’s biological mother a little abrupt, I did love how eager she was for Christina to become a part of the family. To the point that when looking for the perfect gift to give her for Christmas, she enlists David’s help who suggests that she connect Christina with her biological father. That scene alone, when Christina finally calls her father, is one that I wish more movies would include when covering stories about adopted children meeting their biological parents for the first time. It was so sweet to watch both of them get so excited to be in each other’s lives, compared to other movies where, most of the time, the meeting is awkward or uncomfortable. If any of you watched last year's A Christmas Love Story, the movie has similar elements in terms of the adoption storyline, which I thought was really charming.
While David and Christina’s relationship did get off to a rocky start, I have to admit, that once they started spending time together, I really loved watching them. In fact, seeing Christina interact with everyone in her newfound family was really sweet. From learning how to cook with Ruth to introducing David to her Christmas traditions, this film had some great moments that everyone would enjoy watching.
I think it’s safe to say that while this movie, just like David and Christina’s relationship, got off to a bumpy start, it doesn't stay there. Once we got into the meat of it, Love, Lights, Hanukkah! is definitely one that anyone can enjoy, whether you celebrate Hanukkah or not. Although I do have to admit that after watching this movie, I did want to try my hand at some latkes. Do they not sound delicious?
What did you all think of this movie? Let me know in the comments below!
***I do not own this photo.
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