A handsome Washington, D.C. doctor and a young New York woman fall in love at an unusual time...after they get married. Leah Lever is married to an Orthodox rabbi, Benjamin Lever, whose brother, Jake is a successful cardiologist and a non-practicing Jew. Jake is stunned when Benjamin dies suddenly, but not as stunned as when he is told that, under an ancient Jewish Law, he is expected to marry the childless Leah to carry on Benjamin's name.
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Am i the only one who thinks........Average?
The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.
While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.
While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.
So "Loving Leah" is a little schmaltzy, even for a love story. I loved it anyway. It's a real pleasure to watch a movie that is respectful of Jewish customs and presents a non sensationalized, exploitative, or prejudiced view of Jewish religious practice. Usually the only portraits of Jewish life I see on TV are tragic stories set during the Holocaust or comedies. I appreciated that Leah's mother was strict and scared her daughter enough for her to put up a show of the pretend marriage, but ultimately she cared for Leah, wanted her to be happy, and encouraged her to go back and make up with Jacob, even if he wasn't Orthodox, and even if he and Leah would attend a Reform Temple with a woman rabbi. I appreciated that none of the characters were stereotypes or played for laughs. Well done Hallmark!
I saw Loving Leah recently for the first time and a few times since. Lauren was faithful to the character throughout and nudged her "replacement husband" from his almost terrified responsibility to his deceased brother for the good of his brother's name and Leah. Jake seemed barely into the idea of marriage as it turned another relationship upside down in a way that was slightly comical as Jake squirmed as he dealt with the two women in his life and not being sure which way to turn. (Having know a woman co-worker years ago who lived a closely guarded with chaperons on dates and strict public and private moral behavior, I think I can in a small way understand what Leah was going through.) Leah was like a butterfly emerging from the restrictions that bound her to her faith and duty for her deceased husband and this new husband and ever so subtly made the new life inescapable for Jake who tried to carry on his own life as a doctor while being drawn into Leah's innocent charm. Leah's quiet charm had me falling in love with her too!
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...
I liked this movie a lot. I thought Lauren Ambrose was great in the role of Leah, an orthodox Jewish woman living in brooklyn who's husband dies leaving her a widow, and according to tradition, which I've NEVER heard of that she should be encouraged to marry the brother of her dead husband so she can have children and carry on the family name.The catch is that the living brother is extremely reformed in his ways while the deceased was extremely devout. They decide to marry, but both agree it's for convenience only and she moves to DC to live with him while he works on his medical fellowship.She's a free spirit and is happy for the opportunity to renew herself and wants to pursue a college degree against the wishes of her mother who believes a womans role is to serve her husband and children.What happens next is largely predictable, but it didn't bother me becuause the development of their relationship seemed to come very naturally and honestly.What struck me most about this movie was the charming childlike innocence of Leah as she was learning this whole new life. It was as if she was an amish person who moved to the big city and had to adapt to the pace and modern ways of life in addition to trying to maintain her OWN way of life through the way she decorated her room to her cooking traditional meals and taking on wifely duties....It was like she was trying to figure out how she could merge two worlds into one.It was a typical Hollywood ending no surprise. After all this was a hallmark hall of fame movie, but I really liked it.