8 Hanukkah movies to enjoy during Festival of Lights

Hanukkah is celebrated with traditions like menorah lighting, the dreidel, and festive movies. Check out these Hanukkah-themed films and TV episodes.

The holiday of Hanukkah is celebrated with various traditions such as lighting menorahs, spinning the dreidel, exchanging gifts, and coming together with loved ones to enjoy a festive movie. It seems that for every holiday, there are a handful of movies and TV episodes that cover the subject, and Hanukkah is no different. These films are sure to get you in the spirit of the season.

One such movie is "Full-Court Miracle," a Disney Channel film released in 2003. Inspired by a true story, it follows the journey of a struggling basketball team at a Hebrew school in Philadelphia and their enlistment of a former college star to help them succeed.

Another option is "Little Fockers," the final installment of a trilogy that follows beloved characters from the series in a holiday season comedy.

For those who enjoy adult animation, "Eight Crazy Nights" features Adam Sandler voicing the leading character, Davey Stone, who has a criminal record and is ordered to do community service during Hanukkah.

In "Mistletoe & Menorahs," a Christmas-loving toy executive named Christy Dickinson is invited to an important Hanukkah party but knows nothing about the holiday. She teams up with a Jewish man, Jonathan Silver, to learn more about each other's annual holiday traditions and create a strong bond along the way.

"Hitched for the Holidays" stars Emily Hampshire and Joey Lawrence, who pose as each other's significant others for the holiday season, leading to a potential romance.

In "The Parent Trap," identical twins of divorced parents swap lives and spend time with the parent they never got the chance to know. Meanwhile, in "All I Want Is Christmas," Ira J. Finkelstein does a life swap of his own, finding himself in Christmastown, Washington, for the holidays.

For those looking for a more recent addition to the Hanukkah lineup, "Hanukkah on Rye" is a 2022 release that follows two characters who connect through a matchmaker and begin to grow a bond by writing to each other anonymously, leading to complications when they discover each other's true identities.