Great comedic concept, poking fun at religious stereotypes, and especially Jewish stereotypes, which are hilariously lampooned. This clever comedy is destined for cult status. Some of the ideas seem to have been "borrowed" from Woody Allen, and in fact the Santa Claus in "The Hebrew Hammer" is a dead ringer for Woody, which makes it even funnier. Although wildly uneven, there is enough terrific, irreverent, material to maintain interest throughout. The idea of making a Jewish superhero patterned after "blaxpoitation" movies is pure comedy genius. There is something here to offend almost everyone, so if you are at all religiously sensitive, you would be advised to steer clear. All others prepare to laugh till it hurts. - MERK

Back in the 70s there was a genre called blacksploitation best exemplified by the classic "Shaft" about a super-cool black detective. Those movies were semi-serious but this show about a cool Jewish detective is played strictly for laughs and it delivers. Adam Goldberg plays Mordechai Carver who tries to be cool but sometimes just can't help but lose it. His stereotyped Jewish mother played by Nora Dunn esp drives him ballistic with her whining about how she wishes he was a lawyer and by her disgusting habits like changing the cat's diaper at the dinner table!! She is a scream.The plot centers on madman Damian Claus who murders his father Santa and then sets out to destroy Hannukah. He's played by Andy Dick who does a great job as the evil sadistic villain. May not sound funny but he is.My only complaint with the movie is with the grossness of some of the humor. You got people spitting on each other and then you see this green stuff running down their faces. If it wasn't for that i'd give this a ten. Of course if you're 12 or a republican you'll prolly think that's the best part . Still it's a great show and they even do a take-off on the super-famous music from Shaft. "He's a complicated man and no one understands him but his mother."

This movie reminded me of "UnderCover Brother". Sure, this movie was rather tasteless and obviously a low budget film. It was very funny. I myself am Jewish and was able to laugh and relate to this movie. I do not know if you would enjoy it if you were of another religion, but I still recommend this movie. There were many hidden references and of course some basic Yiddish humor packaged in. It easily could have been a modern Mel Brooks movie, and if you enjoy his humor i recommend this film. Although some jokes became repetitive, and were overdone, there are many MANY funny jokes that I could laugh about.This is one of those movies you should see multiple times. I guarantee you will catch more jokes and references making each viewing funny. So overall it was a cheap lo budget comedy. But a Funny cheap low budget comedy. A rare find indeed.

Let me be absolutely clear, this movie is HYS-TER-IC-AL! In a world where the same three holiday movies are played over, and over, and over again in a complex form of brainwashing by our local networks, it was a pure delight to see something fresh, funny, and outstandingly original in the holiday film circuit. Director Jonathan Kesselman has done his homework with this project. By homework I mean watching "cult" classics like Hot Shots! and Airplane! while using a similar structure to develop his own unique blend of humor and satire. While watching this you will be surprised at how little you see coming. That is due to the fresh feel of this film. We have not seen many films like it lately, it on all levels it worked. It left me wanting more, oh so much more.You can only credit the director for so much, it takes the talent from in front of the camera to really pull a film together. The feeling that actors have when doing a project definitely comes through the screen and onto the audience. Take Stepford Wives for example. You could tell that Kidman had no excitement on doing this project, and it consequently was horrible. I was never interested in Kidman's character because if she didn't care, why should I bother. This was not the case with The Hebrew Hammer. Goldberg was having a blast playing this zany yet kind character that cares more about his faith than anyone in the entire world. His eyes told the story, and allowed us to really follow this "leader" blindly into uncharted territory. I am an enormous fan of Andy Dick, not only does he carry my name, but he also bring to the screen his one style of comedy. He is notorious for being who he is, and while others may find him annoying, I only see him as comic genius a la Robin Williams. He is destined to be one of the greats and if he keeps with these films he will surely do well. The rest of the cast is superb, they really transport you into this world unlike our own. They really do define themselves and take this film to a new level. Adam Goldberg and Andy Dick are the staples of this film, while the rest assist in holding the film together.I would also like to take this time to say that I watched this film with my Jewish friends, and they thought it was hysterical as well. I have trouble seeing where offense could be taken from this film. This was a humorous story about the uneducated nature of our culture towards the Hanukkah holiday. It comes at a time when consumerism is up and family values are at an all time low. This was no Oscar film, but it did bring to the spotlight a holiday and culture that is normally left on the doorstep. I applaud Kesselman's hard work and excitement behind this picture. This could have easily been something that fell through the cracks, but instead it will be something I show to friends time and time again.Overall, I was extremely impressed with this film. The quality of the story, the witty and knowledgeable humor made me laugh as well as use my mind (which is a plus), and the honesty behind the characters was something other films should use more often. There was just a sense of fun with this picture, and it blasted through my television with the greatest of ease. This is our new Holiday film in our house. I am skipping the "classics" and creating new ones of my own. How impressive this film was! Grade: ***** out of *****