Mrs. Worthington's Party

Until the little girl whispers in David Wall's ear.

I was coming down with a cold last Saturday, and I didn't want to be bothered with anything other than streaming something to take my mind off my rapidly-filling sinuses.

On Prime Video, the ad for David Wall's indie film "Noelle" caught my attention because it didn't look anything like the 87 other Hallmark love-amongst-the-fake-snow wallows. My wife and I watched it, and we couldn't figure out if the movie was supposed to be in the Maritimes, Wales, or some alternate-reality state in our Union.

Noelle is a dry, somewhat humorous, and confusing joy. I sat there harumphing at the infuriating main characters' inability to seal the deal, to get me to buy totally into the story and suspend disbelief. Yet, I stuck with it, and as the story of a diocesan hatchet-man who is sent to close down a tiny-town parish church and finds out he really shouldn't be a priest unfolds, I began to appreciate the deeply-embraced Catholicism of the movie. The idea that a man can be a priest and despise the transactional humanity of his ministry is so foreign to me that I had to see how this movie, made for what appeared to be about a $143, resolved the large and small conflicts.

I wasn't sure if I could say I liked Noelle until the little girl whispered in the priest's ear. All of a sudden I had to grab a paper towel.

And it wasn't to mop up snot.

I stumbled across this after watching "It's A Wonderful Life" on Prime. Came up as a recommendation. I'm a fan of Christmas films and Faith/Family film in general.

What a great film, depicting people of faith as they really are! Not a film for those who want to see a sugar coated version of the Christian life, but one that shows struggles faced by all people.

Hats off to David Wall for writing and directing such a compelling Film!

Who ever changed the title should have stuck with the original title, Mrs Worthington's Party. It's an unfortunate renaming because titlling it Noelle may be confused with the Disney movie Noelle with Shirley MacLaine. Having said that, the lead actor, David Wall, playing Father Keene, bares a stunning resemblance to a young Robert Redford; his hair, his front teeth, the jawline - and his acting ability! I'm surprised David Wall is not in more mainstream/famous movies - he exudes lead actor, and his acting is a joy to watch. Surprisingly, his Wikipedia page is sparse. Back to the movie, David Wall as Father Keene is the reason I stuck it out with this movie. There are a lot of likable and quirky characters, along with a love story, that fill and complete this movie. And the snowy location is charming. But David Wall is the stellar actor in this performance and makes this version of Noelle worth watching.

Am I the only one who thinks Mr. Wall looks like Mr. Redford? The film was very well done. I enjoyed it. I also love that it was a family project.

Once again after reading the all horrible reviews, i was compelled to write a review. Evidently the religious theme has sent some viewers into orbit. Believe it or not, pastors/priests are people too. They have feelings. They get angry. Sometimes they abuse alcohol. The key thing to take away is pastors are human. They're not godlike creatures that never commit any wrong. And questioning faith, showing all things good and bad to it isn't the horror some of the other reviews have made it out to be. If your faith can't stand up to the hard light of day aka a few questions, you have a more serious problem than a movie.

Onto Mrs. Worthington's Party.

I saw this on Tubitv and it was under the title Noelle and i must say i prefer Noelle much more. The movie starts out very cold, very much based in the everyday world with very little holiday spirit. A small church is under review and could possibly be closed by the end of the year if the auditor deems it necessary. This causes a flurry of activity and emotions, both in the community and the pastors.

I loved this movie. There was so much personal growth made in the characters. This wasn't your typical holiday movie and thank God for that. One can only see so many girl sees guy, hates guy, loves guy, gets guy, saves Christmas formulas until your brain rots. :)

Merry Christmas everyone.