Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish festival of lights, culminates this week, on Friday. Which means it’s perfect timing to curl up by the light of the menorah with a plate of latkes and stream some Hanukkah or Hanukkah-adjacent movies (before it’s all Christmas, all the time next week). Unfortunately, there is quite a dearth of films that actually feature Hanukkah, so this list of streaming suggestions also includes films that are at least thematically attuned to the Jewish holiday. And hey, Hollywood, let’s make some more Hanukkah films, OK?
Adam Sandler has himself contributed two important pieces of Hanukkah culture, including “Chanukah Song” and his 2002 animated film “Eight Crazy Nights.” The PG-13 rated movie isn’t quite kid-friendly though, with its raunchy Sandler-signature humor, so it’s not exactly a family film, but rather a nostalgic throwback for millennial Sandler fans. Stream it on Hulu, Showtime or a $3.99 digital rental elsewhere. Or go all-in with Sandler in the 2019 film “Uncut Gems,” his best performance to date. He won an Independent Spirit Award for his harrowing depiction of the gambling-obsessed Howard Ratner in the pulse-pounding drama by the Safdie brothers. Although it’s actually a Passover film, it’s so good that it’s worth the (re)watch this Hanukkah season. Stream it on Netflix.
Another one of our finest contemporary Jewish comedians is Seth Rogen, so make it a double with his 2015 holiday film “The Night Before” and his 2020 satirical comedy “An American Pickle.” While “The Night Before” is technically a Christmas movie, as he, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anthony Mackie troll NYC looking for the best holiday parties, Rogen reps the Chosen in an ugly Hanukkah sweater. Rent that on all platforms for $2.99. In “An American Pickle,” Rogen connects to his Jewish roots in a film based on a Simon Rich short story about a turn-of-the-century Jewish immigrant who is perfectly preserved in a vat of pickle juice and has to learn to reckon with the realities of 2020 Brooklyn. That’s streaming on HBO Max.
You could also opt for some classic Jewish cinema like “Fiddler on the Roof,” Norman Jewison’s epic 1971 film adaptation of the musical, about a Russian Jewish peasant trying to marry off his daughters, streaming on Netflix. Or watch iconic singer/actress Barbra Streisand’s 1983 directorial debut “Yentl,” in which she stars as a young woman disguising herself as a man in order to partake in Jewish religious training. Rent it for $1.99 on Amazon Prime. Finally, the Coen brothers’ canon has many films that contemplate Jewish identity, including their fascinating 2009 drama “A Serious Man,” starring Michael Stuhlbarg, about a Midwestern physics teacher who encounters a series of unfortunate events, his life unraveling as he seeks to understand this turmoil. Watch it on Netflix.
It wouldn’t be a holiday movie season without cheesy made-for-TV romantic comedies, and although the Hanukkah content is lacking on Hallmark, Lifetime, and Netflix, there are a few selections that fit the bill. “Love, Lights, Hanukkah!” debuted on the Hallmark Channel this past Saturday. Starring Mia Kirshner, Ben Savage and Marilu Henner, it seems to be an actually good Hanukkah rom-com that’s not just about cultural cluelessness. Subscribe to the Hallmark Movie Channel to check it out. For more Hallmark Hanukkah rom-com action, check out “Double Holiday” starring Carly Pope (“Popular”), or the 2019 Lifetime movie “Mistletoe & Menorahs,” though it has received some criticisms for its out-of-touch depictions about Hanukkah traditions. Watch it on Lifetime, free on Tubi, or rent it for $1.99 on Amazon or YouTube.
