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Historically, Hanukkah programming gets lost amidst the 30 days of Christmas movie countdowns, the 24-hour marathons of A Christmas Story, and the non-stop Christmas advertisements that flood our TV sets. Thankfully, here at Complex we would like to give new meaning to the holiday season and offer an alternative guide to your yearly routine.
To do so, we've researched and compiled the eight greatest movies and television programs that are perfect for getting into the Hanukkah spirit. From The O.C. to Inglorious Basterds, these shows should keep your dreidels spinning.
Broad City
After a delectable meal of latkes, lighting the hanukiah, and some communal "Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah," be sure to set yourself on the couch and unwind with the first season of Comedy Central's Broad City. Abbi and Ilana, those “two Jewesses trying to make a buck” in the big city, will help you finish off a night of laughter and gaiety. Nothing spells “Hanukkah spirit” quite like a few hours of stoner humor, and a heavy dose of Hannibal Burress.
Curb Your Enthusiasm
We initially selected Seinfeld for this list due to its array of Jewish characters, but anyone can catch that through syndication during any time of the night. For people trying to keep the ball rolling off of their Broad City high, there's nothing that sustains the holiday spirit more than catching a few episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm, starring everyone's favorite curmudgeonly Jewish hero, Larry David.
Don't have time to binge watch all of its seasons? Skip ahead to the classic season eight episode "Palestinian Chicken." One of the series' best, the episode shows us why Larry David's "If you can't laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at?" approach leaves us coming back for more. It ends with Larry torn between delicious selections of rotisserie chicken and his own Jewish obligations. Comically, culturally, and religiously it just doesn't get any better (or more politically incorrect) than that.
Annie Hall
Annie Hall is a classic Woody Allen production that provides a comedic peek into the rocky relationship of an aspiring singer (Diane Keaton) and her Jewish comedian/TV writer beau, Alvy (Allen). The film's uses religious stereotypes to poke fun at Jewish culture while maintaining an ironic tone that sets forth the prejudice of how quick people are to label a certain race or culture.
Its religious undertones were essential in portraying a 1970's New York culture. For instance, during a dinner scene with Annie's family, Alvy shows up with a full beard attempting to represent the exact illustration of how Jews are often portrayed.
Arrested Development
By this point in your holiday binge-watching marathon, you should be raging with spirit. If you're not yet feeling the Festival of Lights, pop in George Bluth's (Jeffrey Tambor) inspirational home video series, “Caged Wisdom,” which calls upon the lessons of Judaism that he's learned during his tenure on the cell block.
George's enlightenment, an ongoing storyline throughout Arrested Development, begins while in solitary confinement, where he encounters a shadow in the form of the Star of David. Taking it as a sign from god, he proceeds to cut off his left shoe and sport as a yarmulke. Later on, Michael seeks help from his father on behalf of his son, George Michael (Michael Cera), but George refuses to lend a hand due to the fact that it's the first night of Yom Kippur, which, as we know, is only one night (and had already been celebrated a few months back). Bluth sets up Torah study groups inside the prison and continues to wear his yarmulke in front of the court to gain sympathy.
It's an eye-opening spiritual journey that will keep the oil burning in all of us.
8 Crazy Nights
Arguably one of Adam Sandler's worst movies, this holiday tale is full of crude humor, not to mention a small amount of drug use. We're not totally knocking the film—if anything, 8 Crazy Nights allows us to reminisce on the days when “The Chanukah Song” was a satirical bright spot for Sandler.
The O.C.: "Best Chrismukkah Ever"
We'll kick it to the left coast for a cool minute, where the season of giving is 75 and sunny, and the odds of getting your tongue stuck on a pole are slim to none. Fortunately for Seth Cohen, the benefits of an Orange County Chrismukkah include eight nights of gift-giving followed by one day of many gifts. Along with whetting your holiday appetite, it's okay to feel a little bit jealous. Merry Chrismukkah to all and to all a good night(s)!
Inglourious Basterds
Spend a day with “The Bear Jew” (Eli Roth), his famed baseball bat, and his quest to scalp Nazis. This may be a seriously warped definition of holiday spirit, but it's still a fun, bloody ride. Inglourious Basterds, the ultimate Jewish revenge story, will make you want to go outside and play "The Most Dangerous Game" afterwards instead of spinning a dreidel for a few pieces of chocolate gelt.
Rugrats: "A Rugrats Chanukah"
Finally, a Hanukkah special for all ages, one for which we can sit the kids down after an exasperating eight days of hustle and bustle and take in the holiday's true meaning with everyone's favorite gang of babies. Crusading to defeat “The meanie of Chanukah,” this classic baby-adult misunderstanding takes us on the most charming and delightful story path this list has to offer.
One of the most classic family holiday specials of all time, “A Rugrats Chanukah” is imaginative, hilarious, and a great reinvention of the story of Hanukkah. Because, hey, “A maccababy's gotta do what a maccababy's gotta do.”