When the new Santa (Andy Dick) decides to destroy Hanukkah, it’s up to Mordechai Jefferson Carver (Adam Goldberg), a street-smart Jewish hero, to save the holiday.
Quick Review: I expected very little from a film titled The Hebrew Hammer, but it turned out to have some good performances and humorous concepts. Unfortunately, due to a nearly non-existent plot, some incredibly unfunny bits (Nora Dunn as a Jewish mother changing a cat’s diaper at the dinner table), and uneven dialog, my original expectations were just about right. It felt like a Saturday Night Live skit that got away. The Hebrew Hammer works best when it spoofs the blackploitation genre (with bad-assed Mordechai strutting down the street in pimp gear) or when the love interest, Ester (Judy Greer adding far more sex appeal than the film deserves), recreates the film noir heroine. Mario Van Peebles as the head of the Kwanza Liberation Front also has some good moments, but the rest is a mess. Andy Dick sinks to his normal level as Santa, but he can’t be blamed; the part is so poorly written that no one could have wrung a laugh from it. Goldberg and Greer almost carry what should have been a mildly amusing film, but the weight of tired lines and wasted scenes are just too much for them.