El diario de Noel

I was binging some cheesy Christmas movies and I saw this and I thought ok sounds like another typical 4, 5 average I'll pass the time.

I was surprised, it was a really very nice movie. I even shed a tear there at the end.

I really liked it. Great movie, great acting. It touches on so many painful subjects but not in a heavy way. The actors are all great, nothing cheesy and it does have a Christmas vibe to it. Ok well maybe a few scenes were slightly cheesy but the rest is really good and sad , that I was really thrilled and smiled at those cheesy moments. I finished the movie having a lot of thoughts about my own life and the people in it, so relatable. Definitely not what i expected feeling after a Christmas movie.

It's a heartwarming story; a feel-good story as most Christmas tales are although one might find it a bit cheesy.

The premise is rather unusual. How a diary could turn strangers into sweethearts, reconcile estranged relatives, and make a child fully understand her mother who abandons her is something to root for. And the movie brings out all the elements that make it a gem.

Justin Hartley and Barrett Doss have undeniably good chemistry on screen which makes their scenes together quite entertaining.

The soundtrack helps to energize it, and the cinematography captures the Christmassy feeling and tone.

There are many remarkable, quiet Christmas stories out there. This is one of them.

I wanted to like this movie because I am a Richard Paul Evans fan. I remember listening to the audiobook of this story a few years ago. In the book, the plot points are dealt with reverently and innocently (an Evans hallmark), unlike the writers of the screenplay who added characters that were not in the book and behaviors that were not in the book. They also left out some important reunions! Huh?!? All of this was very disappointing. I'm not sure Evans signed up for any of it.

In addition, there was a gloom hovering over the entire film. I'm not sure there was a sunny day anywhere. Every day was gray and snowy. The original story (as Evans wrote it) was about joy, forgiveness, and reunion.

Lots of missed opportunities. Skip this one and go to the library, a used bookstore, or Amazon and read the book instead. It's much better.

A famous author learns his mom has died and returns to his hometown to clean up her house. In the process he meets a woman looking for her birth mom and believes she had ties to his family.

I liked this movie a lot other than the pretty quick ending. Justin Hartley is really underrated as an actor. It was nice to see him out of Randall's shadow on This Is Us. The Vermont and Massachusetts winter scenery was beautiful and the cast dynamic was solid. The plot was simple but mostly believable.

As I said, my only complaint was the shotgun ending. Act 3 felt criminally short in comparison to the rest of the movie.

I'll admit, after Lindsay Lohan and Freddie Prinze Jr, Netflix was really dropping the ball on this year's cookie cutter Christmas films. But I am a glutton for punishment, so I, of course, had to watch this one immediately. The cast is great. I loved Bonnie Bedelia's character especially. I enjoyed the storyline. The acting was mostly good. The one major negative for me was the terrible editing. There were some really awkward camera zooms and just choppiness throughout and the cgi was unbearable at times. It was really distracting for me. I also really didn't buy the romantic chemistry between the main characters at all. Still, I was happy to see something a little different from the typical holiday film, as this movie delved into some heavier emotions; grief, abandonment, etc, which was a change of pace needed in this genre I think. All in all, worth a watch in my opinion.