Latkes and Time Loops

Finally! A Hallmark Hanukkah movie that feels realistic. Granted, “Round and Round” is a time-loop movie a la “Groundhog Day,” where the main character, Rachel, lives the seventh night of Hanukkah over and over again. 

Still, it is a heartwarming family rom-com, about the holiday, a magic dreidel and, most importantly, food. Latkes are fried and there is food or drink in nearly every scene. The donuts, aka sufganiyot, are such a main character, I am surprised they did not get billing in the credits.

The story starts with a flashback. Rachel shares how her parents met at a Jewish singles mixer on the seventh night of Hanukkah in 1986. Mom was the DJ, and Dad brought her latkes (“You look hungry,” he said.) They talked all night and ended up at Goldberg’s bakery, where they shared a jelly donut.

Every year, Rachel’s parents commemorate their meet-cute with a family Hanukkah party on the seventh night. Rachel, a frustrated book editor with a commitment-phobic boyfriend, is in charge of bringing three dozen donuts (two strawberry, one lemon) from Goldberg’s in New York to New Jersey for the party.

Rachel’s own meet-cute is a donut disaster. Seriously. Her eventual love-interest, Zach, literally runs into her, and her three boxes of donuts, in the train station. 

It’s a disaster! Sufganiyot everywhere. It’s literally hard to watch. Yes, I admit it, I screamed when this happened, even though I totally saw it coming.

Once arriving at her parents’ house, sans donuts, she is bombarded with love, latkes (although she is a bit miffed that her young nephew now gets the honor of putting the first latke in the pan) and endless questions about her personal and professional life by her extended family. Rachel also officially meets Zach, who her grandmother invited to the party as a set-up. 

Let’s see … lots of food, a nosy but loving family, an uber-competitive game of dreidel. Sound familiar? 

As anyone who has ever watched a time-loop movie knows, the main character has to relive the same day over and over again until they get it right. They need to confront their fears and go through some sort of change. For Rachel, this means coming to terms with her family selling her childhood home and dealing with the fact that her sister and her wife will be hosting the annual fete next year. She also needs to take charge of her own professional dreams, deal with that cad of a boyfriend, etc. 

Fortunately for her, Zach, who keeps his Dungeons & Dragons dice in a special case gifted to him by his zaide, is into DND (Dungeons & Dragons) and LARP (Live Action Role Playing). And, even though he keeps meeting her for the first time each day, when she explains what’s going on, he is keen to help.

As anyone who has ever watched a time-loop movie knows, the main character has to relive the same day over and over again until they get it right. They need to confront their fears and go through some sort of change. 

As anyone who has ever watched a Christmas movie knows, it’s fun to see such relatable family dynamics with a Hanukkah backdrop. The movie seamlessly and beautifully interweaves food, family and traditions, along with sci-fi references, in-jokes about pop culture and plenty of noshes. 

In time-loop movies, the main character has to go through some sort of change. Rachel tries multiple times – in multiple ways – to get to the next day. And, spoiler alert, when she finally finds a way to get the donuts safely to their destination, the viewer knows that’s also the day she is going to get nearly everything else right. What happens next, you’ll just have to see for yourself.

“Round and Round” stars Vic Michaelis, Bryan Greenberg and Rick Hoffman, and is written by Tamar Laddy. It began airing on Hallmark Channel on the fourth night of Hanukkah, Dec. 10.

Debra Eckerling is a writer for the Jewish Journal and the host of the podcast “Taste Buds with Deb.”