Director: Charles Shyer
Genre: Romantic drama
Duration: 99 minutes
Cast: Justin Hartley, Barrett Doss, Bonnie Bedelia, James Remar, Essence Atkins
Now streaming on Netflix
Just when bestselling author Jake (Hartley) is settling down for the holidays in his secluded home, he receives news that his mother passed, and her funeral already happened. He goes to her house to pack up her things and we see why he had no relationship with her. Turns out she had a hoarding disorder. But that is not The Noel Diary’s central story. The Noel Diary is about Jake helping Rachel (Doss), who shows up at the house looking for information about her biological mother.
Turns out Jake’s parents’ house is the last known address the adoption agency had on record. While Jake has no idea who Rachel’s mother was, his parents’ neighbour, Ellie does. She gives them information that sets them on a journey to finding Rachel’s mother. A diary Jake found in his mother’s things gives Rachel an idea of what her mother was like, including the fact that her name was Noel –hence the title of the movie.
The Noel Diary is definitely a feel-good Christmas movie but with far lesser cheesy elements. It gets us hooked right from the beginning with Justin Hartley, his dog and Land Rover. Then the mystery of why Jake’s mother was a hoarder keeps us going.
By the time, Rachel shows us our curiosity is truly piqued. The movie, therefore, does well in story development. The cast has wonderful chemistry, even with Rachel being engaged (as they always are in these movies). You would not expect it from a movie like this but some parts of the ending are surprising. This is a good watch after a long week during this end-of-year madness.
–Grace Kenganzi