Loving Leah (2009)

A quirky love story revolving around the unexpected wedding and unconventional married life of a 26-year-old widow and her late husband's brother, a handsome 30-year-old cardiologist.

Director:

Jeff Bleckner

Writer:

Pnenah Goldstein

Stars:

Lauren Ambrose, Adam Kaufman, Susie Essman

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lauren Ambrose	...	Leah Lever
Adam Kaufman	...	Jake Lever
Susie Essman	...	Malka
Harris Yulin	...	Rabbi Belsky
Natasha Lyonne	...	Esther
Christy Pusz	...	Carol
Ricki Lake	...	Rabbi Gerry
Mercedes Ruehl	...	Janice Lever
Tonye Patano	...	Emily
Donnie Keshawarz	...	Raj
Sylvia Kauders	...	Widow Goldfarb
Jayne Houdyshell	...	Mrs. Finkelman
David Rossmer	...	Rabbi Benjamin Lever
Tibor Feldman	...	Dr. Saloway
Jolly Abraham	...	Priya

Storyline

When his estranged brother dies suddenly, Jake Lever is confronted with an old Jewish custom. In days past, a man was expected to marry his deceased brother's childless widow, but it is now customary to perform a ceremony releasing the pair from the obligation. During the Halizah ceremony, Jake feels uncomfortable renouncing his brother's memory. Additionally, Leah wishes to escape the confines of her orthodox community and avoid her mother's matchmaking. On the spur of the moment, Leah and Jake decide to enter into a platonic marriage of convenience.

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Plot Keywords:

levirate | chick flick | character name in title | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

CBS

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 January 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

A bátyám cipőjében

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

Georgetown is in Washington, DC, not a separate city.

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Connections

References Doctor Zhivago (1965)

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Soundtracks

Everything
Written by Michael Bublé, Amy Foster-Gillies, and Alan Chang
Performed by Michael Bublé

User Reviews

Loving Leah

I was a religious Jew once or I pretended to be, and I did crazy things like Leah do in the film. That's perhaps the reason why I identify with the movie a lot. I love the way how tradition and religion is illustrated and introduced to people unaware of Judaism. I definitely believe the writer went through a very profound research to gather the story well. Yibbum and Halitzah is mentioned in the Torah (Deuteronomy 25:5-10) and truly is no longer practiced, but the Halitzah ceremony until now exist; Like the Pidyon haben (redemption of the first born son) and many other symbolic ceremonies that are part of the Jewish culture, religion and tradition. I am glad the movie is around for all of the reason above, I loved it so much that I expended one week every night watching it.