Loving Leah (2009)

“In the days and weeks to come, when we think of Rabbi Lever, we may be compelled to ask God ‘Why?” Why would a man so full of life in his prime be taken from his wife and his family? We come into this word with a purpose. And because death is so much a part of life, we come to see Benjamin’s departure as a lesson which we must take as a gift. And in time, it will become apparent what his gift is to each of us.” – Rabbi Belsky

Number of Times Seen – 1 (8 Apr 2021)

Brief Synopsis – A young widow and her brother in law must decide whether to perform an ancient religious ceremony or get married following her husband’s sudden death.

My Take on it – Very intriguing idea that bring forth a rarely known or scene ritual and gives it more exposure.

The choice to use this as the basis for a romance film is great because it helps add so much uniqueness to the premise.

The cast is largely unknown and that is useful in this case because it allows things to feel even more realistic in the way it all plays out.

The story does take a few too many liberties regarding the Jewish religion and they bend things in ways that don;t make much sense or those familiar with things and that is the problem; because people unfamiliar will take this all as fact instead of a fictionalized version of things.

The plot moves along at a nice pace and stays engaging and entertaining the whole way through.

Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Loving Leah began as a play by P’nenah Goldstein and was brought to Hallmark by Ricki Lake, who also appears in a minor role in the film. (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy (7/10)