The Noel Diary

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Smilingdog M This had a slightly different twist on a Christmas romance. Even though there were predictable scenes, they fit in nicely. The perfect casting and wonderful acting made it easy to watch till the end. The supporting actors never over played their rolls. The only problem I had was the standing out in the cold and all the candles in the room. Could I watch again someday, yes and so it receives 5 stars. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/02/25 Full Review Paula B I watched this movie and it had me sobbing—it was such a wholesome, sweet love story. I truly enjoyed it so much. The chemistry between the characters was incredible; I could feel the love through the screen. The storyline was beautiful overall. Absolutely amazing. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/27/25 Full Review Audience Member If you like to be manipulated, then by all means - enjoy this ham-fisted romantic, holiday, personal tragedy movie. But if you have a hard time swallowing lots of coincidences and manipulative plot devices, then walk away. Plus, as if the contrived plot weren't enough, the two leads had very little chemistry with Barrett Doss basically sleep-walking through the movie. The script was an amalgamation of every Hallmark movie slapped together by some AI algorithm. The plot is this: A rich, best-selling author learns that his mom died and has to return to his small-town home that brings back pain from his brother's death and his dad abandoning the family... during Christmas. But wait, that's only part of the story because at his family home he encounters an adopted girl, who's about to get married to a boring man, seeking information about her mom who happened to live in this house and secretly left behind a diary... oh yeah, and her birthday is coming up soon. It's as if this writer tried to cram in as many emotional holidays, special days and childhood trauma into one story as possible. I'm surprised the girl wasn't about to give birth before graduating from college while learning that she's got cancer! There were other subplots in this film, but they're all terribly trite. The problem with jamming in too many ideas into one story is that none of them felt real: the house gets cleaned up in minutes, a book is read in minutes and forgiveness is granted in minutes. Compressed time prevents the audience from feeling the real weight of an emotion. Justin was good- if that's enough, then go for it. But on a story-level, this was good direction trying to mask the poor writing of a story that should have been a mini-series. Can't recommend. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/03/25 Full Review Ralph S I'm not sure what movie most of these critics watched. The Noel Diary is a compelling movie centred around two people whose lives are missing an emotional and loving attachment to their families. The two main characters are special together and the development of their relationship is easy and believable Not a romcom Christmas movie at all. Happens to take place around Christmas and truly is a satisfying watch. Directing, Acting, Plot in this world of wars and you know what is a great break from the realities of life. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/24/25 Full Review Harper R It’s hard to get past the fact that the entire premise of this feel good Christmas movie is an engaged woman cheating on her fiancé. The two main characters have no chemistry, yet they open up about their deepest secrets minutes into meeting each other. The backstory about the main male character’s family troubles and estranged mother makes no sense and is never fully explained. The movie was entertaining because of how ridiculous it is. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 12/27/24 Full Review Bruce W Here is the plot of this “Christmas” movie: A happily engaged couple’s world gets torn apart when a handsome, rich, and successful author comes to town to deal with the loss of his mother. The well-intentioned betrothed woman offers to help the stranger deal with lingering family issues. At her insistence, The woman goes on a road trip with the man she just met so he can reconcile with his father. The betrothed woman’s fiancé stays home to plan their future together and supports his fiancé’s decision to help this man he’s never met. The engaged couple remains in contact during the road trip while the woman spends numerous nights in hotels with the attractive man. The betrothed man is depicted as everything women claim they want in a relationship. Her fiancé is communicative, attentive, caring, trusting, supportive and loving. He displays no hint of insecurity or jealousy. Their relationship is presented as otherwise ideal. No underlying issues or problems between the couple are revealed. For all intents and purposes, they are happily engaged. Little does the woman’s fiancé know she is cheating on him, sleeping with the handsome man she has known only a week. The woman comes home in time for Christmas Eve and unceremoniously dumps her fiancé for the handsome stranger. Merry Christmas. In a cruel twist, the story is told from the betrothed woman’s point of view and presented as an uplifting holiday movie. Who approved this script? How did this movie get green-lit? Bah. Humbug! Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 12/27/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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