The Best Hanukkah Movies To Watch

When it comes to Hanukkah films, most people would say that they could count the good ones on a menorah and still have candles left over. In theory, the sheer lack of Hanukkah movies should make the best Hanukkah movie line-up seem easy. However, this lack of options has the opposite effect. With so few movies to choose from, you sometimes have to stretch the definition of what can actually be considered a Hanukkah film. In other words, a good Hanukkah film may not even take place during Hanukkah, but it may capture the Jewish experience perfectly, or it may just be a really great movie with fleeting Hanukkah references.

To help you navigate this tricky Hanukkah puzzle, here is a list of the best movies to watch for Hanukkah — whether they take place during the holiday, focus on Judaism, or even if they just have a solid holiday reference or two.

While not strictly a Hanukkah story, Don Bluth's animated classic ties perfectly to the Jewish experience — starting with the Russian-Jewish Mousekewitz family celebrating Hanukkah at the film's beginning.

In 1885 Shostka, the Mousekewitz family dreams of a better life in America, free from cats. Interestingly, the film conveys themes of antisemitism to its child audience by having human interactions and struggles happen in the background. The Mousekewitz family suffers collateral damage, and are similarly victims of this antisemitism.

As Fievel's father relays his dreams of America to his children, the Mousekewitz family is destroyed during a human antisemitic attack in the town square. And so, the family is forced to emigrate to New York City and, ultimately, Fievel is separated. Little Fievel must then find his way back to his family, facing the struggles of the new country along the way. Because contrary to the song, there are cats (antisemites) in America.

While obviously "The Night Before" isn't Hanukkah, it does feature Seth Rogan rocking a sweet Hanukkah sweater. Directed by Jonathan Levine, this Christmas comedy has more than enough Jewish ties to land itself on the list of the best Hanukkah films.

When Ethan loses his parents in a car crash, his two best pals, Isaac and Chris, promise to spend every Christmas Eve with him. However, as the years pass, Isaac and Chris move on, building their own careers and families. They can no longer dedicate each passing Christmas Eve to Ethan, meaning that after one final shebang with his boys, the annual tradition will finally come to an end.

In a lot of holiday films that feature Hanukkah, it is merely as a foil to Christmas. And while this is definitively a Christmas film, there is a hilarious scene of Seth Rogan's character freaking out in a church during a Christmas service while drunk and high. For any Jewish people who have felt uncomfortable in a Christmas-centric world, there is bound to be at least something for you in this film. 

For those who grow up Jewish, it's sometimes hard not to feel left out of all of the Christmastime celebrations. "Switchmas" perfect captures the experience of wanting to celebrate Christmas like the other kids.

Ira J. Finkelstein has only one desire once the winter months come around: Christmas. Coming from a Jewish household, Ira is presented with a recurring problem. When Ira is set to fly to Florida to celebrate Hanukkah with his grandparents instead, he runs into a boy named Mikey at the airport — who is none too excited to end his own holiday journey in a place called Christmastown. Knowing that he would never get another chance like this, Ira convinces the boy to switch places with him so he can finally celebrate the holiday he loves.

Since Ira's grandparents have exceptionally poor eyesight, they don't initially catch on to the switcheroo and bring Mikey to their Hanukkah celebration. The film explores both how Ira feels being separated from his family during one of the most exciting times of year and how his love for a Christian holiday fits into his family dynamic. On top of these timely holidays, themes are a fair number of "Parent Trap" style shenanigans that make "Switchmas" a fun, feel-good showcase of what color the grass is on the other side.

What do you get when a refugee turned pickle-factory-rat-killer is accidentally preserved in pickling brine for 100 years and must be taken in by his app-developing great-grandson? Apparently, the answer is "An American Pickle," starring Seth Rogan opposite Seth Rogan. As modern secular Judaism butts heads with old-world sensibilities, Ben Greenbaum struggles to help his great grandfather Herschel assimilate, while Herschel is disappointed in Ben's outward disinterest in his familial, religious, and cultural roots.

Neither of the Greenbaums ends up celebrating any sort of holiday throughout the film, but it still maintains an air that lends itself to a Hanukkah celebration. Even though it's exaggerated and played for laughs, the film does an excellent job of centering issues important to many Ashkenazi immigrants who came from Eastern Europe at the turn of the 20th century.

But above all, the film demonstrates that even though some attitudes may change from generation to generation, there is still a core of traditions and values that tie people together. For a holiday based in deeply rooted tradition, "An American Pickle" is a refreshingly salty film selection.

In "Little Fockers," a Jewish family and a Christian family unite to celebrate "Christmakah" as they come to terms with the fact that they are all in-laws. Inevitably, hijinks ensue. One notable joke involves main character Greg Focker's parents surprising his father-in-law with the news that he is one twenty-third Israelite. The star-studded cast features Ben Stiller opposite Robert De Niro and also includes Barbra Streisand, Dustin Hoffman, Owen Wilson, and Jessica Alba bringing their A-game.

While some holiday films focusing on interfaith holiday festivities center on the harmonious and sentimental outcomes that such unions can bring, don't expect that from "Little Fockers." Genuine emotion isn't absent front the film, but the focus is much more on the friction that arises when strong personalities holding steadfast to their own traditions are forced to sit at a table with each other. Here, Ben Stiller's character tries to survive the holidays as the Gentiles get less than gentle in their ribbing. For anyone who has been in similarly uncomfortable familial standoffs, "Little Fockers" may be a cathartic way to wind down as the menorah candles burn.

"Call Me By Your Name" follows Elio as he spends the summer of 1983 doing a bit of self-discovery in the picturesque hillsides of Northern Italy. When Elio notices that he is also Jewish, he is immediately struck by Oliver, the graduate student that his father, an archaeologist, has invited to help with his studies. Though initially put off by his bold attitude, the two begin to develop a rapport and bond over music, their shared Jewish identities, and their attraction to each other. But of course, romance in the Italian sun is not the traditional Hanukkah setting.

What lands this romantic coming-of-age flick on this list is the film's epilogue. Months after the intense romance has blossomed and run its course, Elio receives a phone call from Oliver, where he announces to Elio's family that he has just gotten engaged. Still harboring passionate feelings for Oliver, Elio takes the news hard. After the phone call, he walks into the dining room and stares at the roaring fire in the fireplace as his parents set the table for their dinner on the last night of Hanukkah.

While the film contains no allusions to the Maccabees or dreidels, the constant allusions to Jewish identity and the frying of latkes are enough to make this film one of the best for the Hanukkah season.

"Mistletoe and Menorahs" is a Christmas film about Hanukkah and is clearly not targeted at Jewish audiences. The film's primary perspective is from an overly excitable Christmas-obsessed woman fretting over being invited to a CEO's Hanukkah party. She is so worried about this that she studies Hanukkah, stresses about it with her friends and family, and enlists the help of a co-worker's Jewish friend, Jonathan, to learn about the holiday festivities. In other words, this is primarily a movie for those outside the Jewish faith who empathize with Christy's ignorance and need to benefit from John's constant explanations.

But for you Hanukkah lovers out there, both the gentile confusion from Christy and the non-Jewish characters is highly humorous. Of course, we also get to see Jonathan learn about the tinsel towns or wearing red and green. But this is a bit of an odd comparison considering that most anyone growing up in America is likely vaguely aware of these widely celebrated Christmas traditions. But the idea is still cute.

That being said, Christy does legitimately embrace John's lessons and is excited and receptive to learning about his culture. This is the core heart of the film, and while there is some eye-rolling Lifetime corniness and a weird Pureflix-esque ending, the film is an overall sweet romance about a pair from two different backgrounds embracing and learning about their respective cultures.