| Noel | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Chazz Palminteri |
| Written by | David Hubbard |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Russell Carpenter |
| Edited by | Susan E. Morse |
| Music by | Alan Menken |
| Distributed by | Convex Group |
Release date |
|
Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $2.2 million[1] |
Noel is a 2004 American Christmas-themed drama film written by David Hubbard and directed by Chazz Palminteri. It stars Penélope Cruz, Susan Sarandon, Paul Walker, Alan Arkin, Daniel Sunjata and an uncredited Robin Williams. The film focuses on intersecting storylines taking place on Christmas Eve in New York City. It was filmed in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
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Transcription
Plot
On Christmas Eve in New York, divorced publisher Rose Collins struggles to cope with caring for her mother, an Alzheimer's patient. As she contemplates suicide on a riverbank, former priest Charlie Boyd saves her life, and they spend the night together in her apartment. While Charlie explains that he has lost faith in God, the next morning he tells Rose that his faith has been restored by a telepathic conversation with Rose's mother, claiming that she wants Rose to move on with her life. Rose angrily ejects Charlie from her apartment.
Young couple Nina Vasquez and Mike Riley are on the verge of breaking up due to Mike's increasingly jealous behavior. When Mike attacks a homosexual platonic friend of Nina, she leaves him. When Nina goes to her family to celebrate Christmas there, she meets Rose, who has secretly sneaked into her parents' house, and confides her story to her. Feeling out of place, Rose and Nina go to a nearby bar.
Elderly waiter Artie Venizelos searches for his deceased wife every Christmas. He molests Mike, believing him to be his wife's reincarnation. When Artie collapses and is hospitalized, Mike learns from a colleague that Artie committed manslaughter in a fit of jealousy. As a result, his wife killed herself in a car accident. Mike sees this as a fateful sign that he must overcome his own pathological jealousy.
Jules Calvert is a depressed young man whose sole happy memory is a Christmas celebration in a hospital when he was a teenager. Seeking to repeat the experience, he allows the criminal Arizona to break his hand, only to learn that he cannot revive the past. Rose, feeling guilty over her treatment of Charlie, returns to the hospital and discovers that Charlie is in a coma in the room next to her mother's. Back on the riverbank, Rose decides to enjoy life again, and sets up a date with one of the doctors.
Cast
- Susan Sarandon as Rose Collins
- Penélope Cruz as Nina Vasquez
- Paul Walker as Michael "Mike" Riley
- Alan Arkin as Artie Venizelos
- Marcus Thomas as Jules Calvert
- Chazz Palminteri as Arizona
- Robin Williams as Charles "Charlie" Boyd (uncredited)[2]
- Sonny Marinelli as Dennis
- Daniel Sunjata as Marco
- Rob Daly as Paul
- John Doman as Dr. Baron
- Billy Porter as Randy
- Carmen Ejogo as Dr. Batiste
- Donna Hanover as Debbie Carmichael
- Merwin Mondesir as Glenn
Reception
Critics' reviews criticized the film's elements of sentimentality, with Dave Kehr of The New York Times describing it as a "heap of platitudes".[2] In a review that awarded 2 stars out of 4, Roger Ebert wrote, "I can be sentimental under the right circumstances, but the movie is such a calculating tearjerker that it played like a challenge to me. There's a point at which the plot crosses an invisible line, becoming so preposterous that it's no longer moving and is just plain weird."[3] He continued, "Some of the characters, like Sarandon's Rose, are convincing and poignant; others, like Arkin's lovesick waiter, are creepy, and [Thomas' Jules] should have tried the party at the Salvation Army, where they have great hot chocolate and sometimes you get a slice of pumpkin pie."[3]
Rex Reed of The New York Observer wrote, "The movie's biggest problem is that it has no clear focus on what it wants to say. On one hand, it convinces its hapless characters they are part of a force beyond control that is playing chess with their fates. On the other hand, it suggests that in the midst of chaos, everything happens for a reason."[4]
In a positive review, Ed Gonzales of Slant Magazine wrote "the pieces of Palminteri’s yuletide Short Cuts fit comfortably together. Though visually unexciting, Noel is warmhearted and manages to get considerable mileage out of a series of unpredictable and nutty spiritual flights of fancy."[5] He added, "Maudlin maybe, but Noel doesn’t so much ask to be believed as much as it asks for us to believe in its spirit of togetherness.[5]
On review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, Noel has an approval score of 28% based on 36 reviews, with an average rating of 4.4/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Noel strains for holiday uplift, but -- despite the involvement of an outstanding ensemble cast -- settles for treacly sentiment instead."[6]
See also
References
- ^ "Noel". Box Office Mojo.
- ^ a b Kehr, Dave (November 12, 2004). "Seeking Human Warmth Amid the Glitter and Tinsel". The New York Times. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
- ^ a b Ebert, Roger (November 11, 2004). "Sad 'Noel' feels contrived". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
- ^ Reed, Rex (November 22, 2004). "Coal for Noel". The New York Observer. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
- ^ a b Gonzalez, Ed (October 29, 2004). "Review: Noel". Slant Magazine. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
- ^ "Noel". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
External links
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This page was last edited on 5 March 2024, at 22:40