Round and Round (2023)
Hanukkah Groundhog Day
Rachel’s physical run-in with a handsome stranger, Zach, kicks off a series of events around a family’s 7th night of Hannukah celebrations. The gift of an antique dreidel, when spun, has Rachel reliving that day over and over again. Desperate to make it to tomorrow, she enlists Zach’s help in stopping the time loop.
Overall, this was an enjoyable watch and a good reinterpretation of an existing IP in Hallmark form. Dare I say, maybe even more entertaining than Groundhog Day? While Bill Murray’s Phil is shown onscreen reliving the day 38 times, the film’s director estimated that Phil was actually in the time loop for over 12,000 days! Hallmark runs classic 90-minute movies though, so we don’t have that kind of time to play with here. Besides, any more time spent in the loop would have taken away from seeing Louis Litt #IYKYK in the flesh once more, throwing out references to “Uncle Harvey,” along the way. Snarly lawyer or proud Jewish dad - the both work for Rick Hoffman.
Unlike Phil in Punxsutawney, Rachel only needed to relive her day 7 times in the presence of her “true love” (Zach, obvs) to break the cycle. And when she does, lo and behold, the dreidel turns out to be a piece of magical family lore - she’s just the latest in a long line of family members who have spun the dreidel to secure their future with their soulmates.
You’ll like this if…
You appreciate the non-Christmas entries to the Countdown to Christmas, with a decent plotline that isn’t overwhelmed with romantic twee.
