The Noel Diary

... the standard Christmas romance. The story had some depth and inspired real feeling and empathy for the two leads, each of whom was trying in their own way to resolve past traumas.

The cast were uniformly strong, and the leads had a believable chemistry. Both were likeable but imperfect (again, unusual in this genre but a welcome change!) Particularly enjoyed Bonnie Bedellia's turn as the romantically-inclined neighbour.

This movie managed to draw me in and make me care what happened to its characters - a sure sign of competent writing and acting.

Please Netflix - more like this! Real life has its challenges, as do real people, but they're so much more interesting than the standard Christmas movie versions we get served up.

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.

Firstly, this movie wasn't actually filmed in winter time and the green screen and CGI really took me out of the story. This isn't Hallmark - what gives?

Secondly, this movie had so much to work with, but just didn't have the guts to go there. Everything was kept at such a surface level that it was hard to care or relate to the characters. I cry over pretty much anything, but I didn't shed a tear watching a movie about a woman searching for her birth mother and a man dealing with trauma and abandonment. There was no heart, no passion, no drama. No love. Rachel's decision didn't satisfy, the "closure" of Jacob's relationship with his father was anticlimactic, and the romance gave nothing. No conversation or kiss or anything that made it feel complete or earned at the end. Basically, it's a pass as far as Christmas movies go.

There are some likable aspects to this film, but also some things I wasn't such a big fan of. What I liked most was Justin Hartley. He's a commanding presence on the small screen. You can count on good acting and charisma with him. He's a consistently believable character all throughout this story. Interestingly, The Noel Diary showed restraint in places where it could have really stirred up those feel-good, warm and fuzzy feelings in us. And then in other places, it didn't show restraint where it should have. For example, the primary romance isn't the sweetest as it feels a bit wrong at times given that one of the two protagonists is engaged to someone else throughout the whole movie. The deceit and cheating taking place definitely weakens the romantic aspect of the film, which is a major aspect. The other major aspect is the theme of abandonment and reconciliation with parents. This is handled better, though not utilized to its full potential. Still, with all the Christmas decorations and snowy scenery, it's very watchable if you're in the mood for a simple little Christmassy film to enjoy at the end of the day.

I expected a dreaded Hallmark movie with a very weak plot but decided I would give this a shot due to Justin Hartley. I ended up enjoying it. It is a very simplistic movie, but it is far better than anything you would find on the Hallmark channel. It's a sentimental holiday movie that feels very Nicolas Sparks-esqe. There is a believable chemistry between both the leads but because I need to fill up IMBD's 600 character requirement, my only critique would be that maybe the female lead needed to be slightly older because the male lead looked closer in age to the female lead's mother. However, that was not enough to keep me from enjoying it. She was a great actress. Still a very sweet movie that I thoroughly enjoyed.