Noel

Name: Noel
Genre: Drama
Released: November 12, 2004
Duration: 96 min
Rating: 29
Cast: Penélope Cruz, Susan Sarandon

2004

METASCORE

Generally unfavorable reviews based on 15 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 11 Ratings

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6.0	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 11 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Screen Media Films | Release Date: November 12, 2004 | PG

Starring: Penélope Cruz, Susan Sarandon

Summary: This Christmas-themed movie follows the stories of several characters living in Manhattan.

Director: Chazz Palminteri

Genre(s): Drama

Rating: PG

Runtime: 96 min

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Critic Reviews

J.R. Jones

This ensemble drama by screenwriter David Hubbard isn't perfect, but its harsh honesty and sincere faith in humanity make it genuinely uplifting. Read full review

Roger Ebert

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. Read full review

Noel Murray

Palminteri and screenwriter David Hubbard desperately want the crazy misfits in their movie to move the audience, but they're all too cracked to inspire empathy. There's no holiday magic, just famous faces playing people who don't exist. Read full review

Leslie Camhi

Most of the redemptive notes ring false, as does the mythical Manhattan, where the snow is just too clean and everybody lives around the corner. Read full review

Todd McCarthy

Goes down like sour eggnog on Christmas Eve. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Angel Cohn

The individual stories are so truncated that they can't do much in the way of giving their characters real emotional depth. Read full review

Lou Lumenick

Excruciatingly maudlin. Read full review

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User Reviews

VeraM.

Oct 5, 2005

It's a delicate picture with a great cast. Watching it was worth for me. It made me feel happy and think about simple things in a different way.

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Jun 2, 2006

Highly under-rated. A fantastic gem. Scenery of a snow filled New York Christmas is just the perfect back drop for this beautiful story that will make you laugh and cry. Paul Walker breaks away from his usual roles and makes for a great performance in this romantic drama. Includes an Highly under-rated. A fantastic gem. Scenery of a snow filled New York Christmas is just the perfect back drop for this beautiful story that will make you laugh and cry. Paul Walker breaks away from his usual roles and makes for a great performance in this romantic drama. Includes an excellent supporting cast including Robin Williams and Susan Sarandon. A must watch for those who want to me touched and moved.… Expand

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Sam

Oct 24, 2005

It's not a very good movie. In fact, it's pretty close to being Torque bad, but it isn't, so I'll give it props for that. Only that, however.

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FilipeNeto

Nov 25, 2018

I decided to watch this movie on Christmas day afternoon with my family. I knew almost nothing about it but the title caught my eye... a movie about Christmas to watch on Christmas. Makes sense.

The script mixes the dreams and problems of three people: a middle-aged lady who dreams of herI decided to watch this movie on Christmas day afternoon with my family. I knew almost nothing about it but the title caught my eye... a movie about Christmas to watch on Christmas. Makes sense.

The script mixes the dreams and problems of three people: a middle-aged lady who dreams of her mother, Alzheimer's in a vegetative state, getting better enough to talk to her; a girl who dreams of solving her problems with her jealous fiance and, finally, this same fiance, who lives being pestered by a man who believes that he's the reincarnation of his deceased wife, of whom he didn't had time to apologize for a fight. Dreams, the yearnings of several people winding down on Christmas Eve... we've seen things like this in several movies before and this one doesn't bring anything new. What's interesting is to see so many familiar faces together in a movie that's not well known.

Penelope Cruz and Paul Walker gave life to the protagonists. She, of course, is a hot-tempered Latina and he's a man in love but jealous. Both are beautiful, played very well, and their chemistry worked in the romantic scenes. Susan Sarandon made a more complex character, full of deep psychological shadows and obvious difficulty in relating to people. In a way, she made this film deeper and emotive, prevented it from being dominated by the main couple. Alan Arkin and Robbin Williams made relatively brief appearances, but important for the script's unfolding. Of course, Williams was impeccable and Arkin made a lot of pain in his character, making us have some compassion for him.

Looking further, I understand the reason this movie never took off. If we exclude the star-cast and their good performance, we have virtually nothing here. It's just one of those movies we've watched and forget, so it will surely fall by the wayside... well, it was released in 2004, we're now starting 2018... looking back, does anyone remember this movie? I have my doubts. Still, if you're tired of watching always the same movies at Christmas ("Home Alone", "Sound of Music" or those eternal biblical epics released fifty years ago) and you're simply looking to surprise your family with something that none of them still saw, this movie might be a good bet for the Christmas holiday.… Expand

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