Boring

A Disappointing Continuation

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

The basic plot about a young religious widow whose unobservant brother in law decides to "fake" marry her because he misunderstands Yibum / Halitzah (which by the way -almost always Halitzah- is still practiced and the brother in law doesn't have to be single ) and feels guilty about having lost contact with his suddenly deceased Religious "rabbi" (not all religious Jews are Rabbis) brother. Leah the widow agrees because she sees it as an option to get more freedom and control over her life - her mother is pressuring her to remarry and doesn't approve of her wanting to go to collage. This part of the plot while unusual could be believable. As a religious Jew, I found an number things unrealistic or overly omitted. Firstly no mention of Jake's (or anyone's) need to say Kaddish (a prayer in affirming g-d in honor of the dead) for his brother. Little things - like when did Leah change the dishes so she could eat off them and cook in his kitchen. But most unrealistic that Leah would go to a reform synagogue and spend Shabbat with a reform Rabbi woman or not(Reform Jews do not observe the Sabbath in a way Leah would /could identify with and generally do not keep kosher). Judaism is a very family and community based religion. While Leah might have wanted more freedom and might there for have avoided the very closed orthodox type of community she came from... it is more logical and reasonable for her to join a modern orthodox -young Israel community or at lest a conservative synagogue. She apparently found kosher food stores and a kosher Chinese restaurant. Also was a lack of spiritual growth in Jake that could make the meeting of their worlds and hearts more realistic. Again the film and acting was quite good but had there been more development of the growth and changes that were bringing Leah and Jake together it could have been much ,much better.

My wife and I are Orthodox Jews addicted to the Perry Mason of our childhood. We couldn't resist watching Hallmark's presentation of levirate marriage, or yibum, but never expected we could stomach more than 20 minutes of it.The writers and directors certainly get credit for coming up with an original plot device to create romantic tension and resolution. This is Hallmark, after all, and we didn't expect all the dramatic unities to be observed, but we were pleased at the overall high quality of the research, writing and acting. There are Orthodox men who make a living outside the rabbinate, and non-Orthodox Jewish men who aren't cardiac surgeons, but avoiding these clichés might been too distracting. The mystical / romantic motivation was never made quite reasonable, but much worse was the simple fact that marriages religious and secular require sexual consummation in order to be valid. The whole point of yibum is that the wife should get pregnant with her brother-in-law's child and therefore continue her dead husband's family and name. Such a beginning would have ruined the plot and perhaps run afoul of Hallmark's standards and practices.One may quibble about this or that presentation of Jewish religious practice, but on the whole this movie did a good and conscientious job with remarkable few cringe-inducing mistakes. In the end it worked as a romantic comedy/drama which held our attention to the end.

The story line wasn't full of any big surprises but the overall cleanness left my husband and me grinning for the rest of the evening. I Loved the fashionable modesty in this film..... even the non religious characters were dressed more modestly than the average cast. Except for Jake's topless moment there wasn't a lot of skin! I will recommend it to my friends who are picky about this sort of thingLeah's choices for head coverings after she let go of her wig are inspiring for any woman who is thinking of adding this to her way of life. I usually cover my head in public and I was truly blessed to see a film whose leading lady covered head and herself yet remained well groomed and didn't lean too far to the frump.Also, the biblical reference to Jacob and Leahs loveless marriage was fantastic. I doubt most viewers picked up on it but there it's there and that little triumph made it an even sweeter tale. Even my super manly husband said this is one we will enjoy again and again.

This title reminds me of a filipino actress: Lea Salonga. She had a show before title Love, Lea. and an album Leah in Love(1999). Well maybe that's how they came up with the title. Additional info: Leah Salonga sang as Mulan in Disney's Mulan Movie.it might not a high budget action movie. but will always be a favorite. well mine. I love this movie! by just watching this movie... i felt so happy all day. Leah isn't a usual woman. She lives her life w/ restrictions. She wants to live her life to the fullest you know. i'm not a jew but i can relate to her. She got what she wants in the end Freedom and L.O.V.E. Her journey is so romantic and liberating...