Loving Leah

2009 "A love story that defies tradition"
7| 1h35m| NA| en| More Info
Released: 25 January 2009 Released
Producted By: Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions
Country:
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

A handsome Washington, D.C. doctor and a young New York woman fall in love at an unusual time...after they get married. Leah Lever is married to an Orthodox rabbi, Benjamin Lever, whose brother, Jake is a successful cardiologist and a non-practicing Jew. Jake is stunned when Benjamin dies suddenly, but not as stunned as when he is told that, under an ancient Jewish Law, he is expected to marry the childless Leah to carry on Benjamin's name.

Genre

Drama, Romance

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Loving Leah (2009) is now streaming with subscription on Hallmark

Director

Jeff Bleckner

Production Companies

Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions

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Loving Leah Audience Reviews

Perry Kate Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!
ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.
Matho The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.
Kinley This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows
Larry W Mayes I saw Loving Leah recently for the first time and a few times since. Lauren was faithful to the character throughout and nudged her "replacement husband" from his almost terrified responsibility to his deceased brother for the good of his brother's name and Leah. Jake seemed barely into the idea of marriage as it turned another relationship upside down in a way that was slightly comical as Jake squirmed as he dealt with the two women in his life and not being sure which way to turn. (Having know a woman co-worker years ago who lived a closely guarded with chaperons on dates and strict public and private moral behavior, I think I can in a small way understand what Leah was going through.) Leah was like a butterfly emerging from the restrictions that bound her to her faith and duty for her deceased husband and this new husband and ever so subtly made the new life inescapable for Jake who tried to carry on his own life as a doctor while being drawn into Leah's innocent charm. Leah's quiet charm had me falling in love with her too!
Xjayhawker First, I would like to thank Hallmark for putting on this movie because in doing so they took a chance that people could actually relate..and not be afraid to throw in a story with a religious element..the old adage is never talk about politics or religion. While it is true that we delve into some fundamental issues of the Jewish faith, this is first and foremost a story of friendship offered and love found. One review called this a romantic comedy..others found faults here and there but there will always be those that look for some shortcomings. I see this as a tender story of two people discovering that they have much to offer each other after Jake's brother dies leaving a widow. She has her ways steeped in tradition and Jake has his ways..not being home much and a girlfriend and working long hours at the hospital..did I mention that his girlfriend initially encouraged Jake (Adam Kaufman) to befriend the young widow (Lauren Ambrose)?After all, she's family. The first days and weeks thrown together as "roommates" are played in such a realistic and touching way, you are drawn into "their" story..and it is theirs and the memory of his dead brother..and mothers wanting what's right for their kids..this is a sweet, innocent and tender. Telling of simple love..there's no comedy here..but the facial expressions and the eyes say this is really some fine acting..I waited for this to come on and was not disappointed. And neither will you.It's that good.
Marian Paroo As I am a secular Israeli, I would be very interested in seeing this film.Here, "halitza", as it's called, is nothing romantic and cute. There is no civil marriage, so if a Jewish widow wants to remarry, she MUST have it from her bro-in-law. This has been problematic when 1) the dead husband leaves a brother under the age of thirteen or 2) brother-in-law knows that charging her for doing giving it to her or 3) dead husbands family just wants to deny her the possibility of remarriage to be mean.I know a fellow that wanted to marry a widow, but her late husbands family were asking for an astronomical price to set her free, so they went to Cyprus to marry.We have the Hallmark channel, so I hope it eventually gets here.
vchimpanzee Jake is a Washington, D.C., physician who has been accepted into a fellowship program. He is engaged to Carol, who he met at the hospital when they were having lunch at the same time. Carol is pretty and seems to work at the hospital, but I'm not sure what she does.Jake, who grew up Jewish but is no longer observant, dreams that he sees his brother Benjamin, a rabbi who he has not kept in touch with, telling him everything is now all right between them. They used to be close, as shown in flashbacks. Jake then finds out Benjamin is deceased.Jake goes to Brooklyn to attend the funeral. He finds out that he obligated by scripture (Deuteronomy 25:5) to marry Benjamin's widow Leah. Neither Jake nor Leah wants to do this, but a halizah ceremony is required to release Jake from his obligation. The words Jake is forced to say would require him to denounce his brother, which he can't do. So he goes through with a sham marriage and moves Leah into his very masculine Georgetown apartment, giving her the other bedroom. The two rarely see each other.Still, you can imagine how this makes Carol feel. Meanwhile, there is an additional complication: the mothers of Jake and Leah don't know the marriage is fake. So they have to go through the motions to keep up the charade.Leah wanted to leave Brooklyn anyway; she wants to go to college and investigates the possibility. Very devout and conservative, she also seeks out a place of worship. The one she finds is very different from the one in Brooklyn; instead of lots of men with black hats and beards, this temple has a female rabbi.The "marriage" appears unlikely to succeed. But wait: why does this movie have the title that it does? Maybe there is hope after all.The leading actors in this movie all do a good job. Lauren Ambrose is pleasant enough, and she is attractive but very plain, though she has beautiful hair (it's actually a wig). I especially liked Ricki Lake as the female rabbi who helps Leah find answers in a new community of faith. Susie Essman plays Leah's mother as abrasive (but in New York City, that's actually love) and intolerant (would an on screen Jewish mother be anything else?). Mercedes Ruehl does an especially fine job as Jake's mother.It is rare to see this much detail about the Jewish faith. Most movies and TV series show Jewish people as non-observant or, where they are faithful, we often don't see the details of what is required of them. The Brooklyn Jews in this movie are the most conservative Jews I have ever seen portrayed. And yet the female rabbi teaches Leah a lot about how all the requirements may not be necessary. Leah and Jake have a lot to teach each other as well.It was worthy of the name "Hallmark Hall of Fame".