The Noel Diary

Last updated
The Noel Diary
The Noel Diary poster.jpg
Official release poster
Directed by Charles Shyer
Screenplay by
  • Charles Shyer
  • Rebecca Connor
  • David Golden
Based onThe Noel Diary
by Richard Paul Evans
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyAshley Rowe
Edited by
  • David Moritz
  • R.C. Fill
Music by Dara Taylor
Production
companies
  • Johnson Production Group
  • Off Camera Entertainment
Distributed by Netflix
Release date
  • November 24, 2022 (2022-11-24)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Noel Diary is a 2022 American Christmas romantic comedy-drama film directed by Charles Shyer. [1]

Contents

The Noel Diary was released on November 24, 2022, by Netflix. [2]

Plot

Jake Turner, best-selling author, is contacted by his mother Lois's lawyer to inform him of her death and that he has inherited everything, including her house in Connecticut. Returning home for the first time since he was 17, 20 years ago, he returns to clear out the hoarder's house and settle his estranged mother's estate.

Jake reacquaints himself with the next-door neighbor Ellie, who brings him lunch the next day. He finds out his father Scott, who had abandoned him and Lois shortly after his older seven-year-old brother had died in an accident, had been at his mother's funeral hoping to see him. Ellie asks Jake to help her with a dating app. He quickly writes her profile and gets her up and running.

Just as Jake discovers a diary, Rachel Campbell, a woman he has seen peering at the house ever since he arrived, comes by and introduces herself. She coincidentally has shown up at the same time in search of information about her birth mother, Noel, who used to be Jake's nanny.

As Jake suggests Rachel talk to Ellie and she has gone out, he proposes they have dinner. As he's a writer she insists they go Dutch, not realizing how successful he is. Over dinner Rachel tells Jake about her need of certainty and stability, including her tax attorney fiancé Alan. She hopes finding her birth mom will fill a void she's felt being adopted.

Back at the house, Jake and Rachel connect over a song, she sings the words to a tune he plays on the piano. They then spend the evening clearing out the room. Waking to the sound of Ellie's morning return, they go over in search of answers. Not remembering Rachel's mother well, Ellie suggests they talk to Scott, who lives off the grid in the mountains in Vermont.

Initially refusing to go, Rachel offers to help Jake find the right words. Taking his Land Rover on their journey, she would rather navigate analog. Rachel shares more, mentioning she hasn't told Alan about the possible UN job or about looking for her mother with Jake. She finds a diary in his bag, written by a 17-year-old Noel Ellis, who she is convinced must be her mom.

On the road, due to an impending storm, they have to stay over in an inn. Rachel, as she's curious, buys Jake's first book. She stays up all night reading it, the next day they almost kiss but she reminds him of her engagement.

Arriving at Scott's, Rachel encourages Jake to stay until he's beyond the anger. Not only do father and son connect, but Scott is able to tell her about her mom, even show her wedding invitation and where she probably lives now. Rachel and Jake finally sleep together, however she gets spooked, leaves him a goodbye note in which she says she can leave him and Noel behind, satisfied to know she'd been loved.

Jake hunts Rachel down at her parents, declaring his love, but she says it is not reciprocated. He finds Noel Hayden, who lets him know she's open to meeting Rachel. Jake returns to his mom's, locating the letters he had never read from his dad. As he is leaving he finds Rachel outside, smiling.

Cast

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 69% of 16 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.4/10. [3] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 63 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>P.S.</i> (film) 2004 American film

P.S. is a 2004 American drama film directed by Dylan Kidd. The screenplay by Kidd and Helen Schulman is based on Schulman's 2001 novel p.s. The film stars Laura Linney and Topher Grace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Hartley</span> American actor (born 1977)

Justin Scott Hartley is an American actor. He has played Fox Crane on the NBC daytime soap opera Passions (2002–2006), Oliver Queen on the WB/CW television series Smallville (2006–2011), and Adam Newman on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless (2014–2016) which earned him a Daytime Emmy nomination. He also had recurring roles in the third season of the television drama series Revenge (2013–2014) and in the final three seasons of the drama series Mistresses (2014–2016).

"The One with the Jellyfish" is the first episode of Friends' fourth season. It first aired on the NBC network in the United States on September 25, 1997.

<i>About a Boy</i> (film) 2002 romantic comedy-drama film

About a Boy is a 2002 comedy-drama film directed by Paul Weitz and Chris Weitz, who co-wrote the screenplay with Peter Hedges. It is an adaptation of the 1998 novel by Nick Hornby. The film stars Hugh Grant, Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, and Rachel Weisz. The film at times uses double voice-over narration, when the audience hears alternately Will's and Marcus's thoughts.

<i>Best Man Down</i> 2012 American film

Best Man Down is an American comedy-drama film written and directed by Ted Koland and starring Justin Long, Jess Weixler, Addison Timlin, and Tyler Labine.

<i>Tramps</i> (2016 film) 2016 film by Adam Leon

Tramps is a 2016 American romantic comedy film directed by Adam Leon and starring Callum Turner and Grace Van Patten. It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. It was released on April 21, 2017, by Netflix.

<i>A Bad Moms Christmas</i> 2017 American Christmas comedy film

A Bad Moms Christmas is a 2017 American Christmas comedy film written and directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. It is a sequel to the 2016 film Bad Moms. The plot follows the three moms from the first film dealing with their own mothers visiting during the Christmas holiday.

<i>Otherhood</i> 2019 American comedy film

Otherhood is a 2019 American comedy film, directed by Cindy Chupack, from a screenplay by Chupack and Mark Andrus. It is based upon the 2008 novel Whatever Makes You Happy by William Sutcliffe, and follows three suburban mothers who show up to the New York City homes of their sons unannounced. It stars Angela Bassett, Patricia Arquette, Felicity Huffman, Jake Hoffman, Jake Lacy, and Sinqua Walls.

<i>Let It Snow</i> (2019 film) 2019 American romantic comedy film

Let It Snow is a 2019 American Christmas romantic comedy film directed by Luke Snellin from a screenplay by Kay Cannon, Victoria Strouse and Laura Solon, based on the young adult novel of the same name by Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Lauren Myracle. It was released on November 8, 2019, by Netflix.

<i>The Half of It</i> 2020 film by Alice Wu

The Half of It is a 2020 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Alice Wu. It stars Leah Lewis, Daniel Diemer, and Alexxis Lemire, with Enrique Murciano, Wolfgang Novogratz, Catherine Curtin, Becky Ann Baker, and Collin Chou in supporting roles. Teenager Ellie Chu agrees to write a love letter for a jock while falling for his crush. Netflix released the film on May 1, 2020, to positive reviews. The film received the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival.

<i>Holidate</i> 2020 romantic comedy film by John Whitesell

Holidate is a 2020 American romantic comedy film directed by John Whitesell, from a screenplay by Tiffany Paulsen. It stars Emma Roberts, Luke Bracey, Jake Manley, Jessica Capshaw, Andrew Bachelor, Frances Fisher, Manish Dayal and Kristin Chenoweth. The film was released on Netflix on October 28, 2020.

<i>The Kissing Booth 2</i> 2020 film by Vince Marcello

The Kissing Booth 2 is a 2020 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Vince Marcello and written by Marcello and Jay Arnold. As a direct sequel to the 2018 film The Kissing Booth and the second installment in the Kissing Booth trilogy, the film stars Joey King, Joel Courtney and Jacob Elordi.

<i>The Last Letter from Your Lover</i> 2021 British film

The Last Letter from Your Lover is a 2021 British romantic drama film directed by Augustine Frizzell and written by Nick Payne and Esta Spalding, based on Jojo Moyes' 2011 novel of the same name. It stars Felicity Jones, Callum Turner, Joe Alwyn, Nabhaan Rizwan and Shailene Woodley.

<i>The Christmas Chronicles 2</i> 2020 American Christmas comedy film

The Christmas Chronicles 2 is a 2020 American Christmas comedy film directed and produced by Chris Columbus, who wrote the screenplay with Matt Lieberman. A sequel to the 2018 film The Christmas Chronicles, it features Kurt Russell reprising his role as Santa Claus. Also reprising their roles are Goldie Hawn, Darby Camp, Judah Lewis, and Kimberly Williams-Paisley, with new cast members Julian Dennison, Jahzir Bruno, Tyrese Gibson, Sunny Suljic, Darlene Love, and Malcolm McDowell. The film had a limited theatrical release before moving to Netflix on November 25, 2020.

<i>The Kissing Booth 3</i> 2021 film by Vince Marcello

The Kissing Booth 3 is a 2021 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Vince Marcello and written by Marcello and Jay Arnold. The third and final installment in The Kissing Booth trilogy based on Beth Reekles' novel of the same name, the film stars Joey King, Joel Courtney, Jacob Elordi, Taylor Zakhar Perez, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Meganne Young and Molly Ringwald.

<i>Anatomy of a Scandal</i> American drama television miniseries

Anatomy of a Scandal is an American thriller drama streaming television miniseries developed by David E. Kelley and Melissa James Gibson, based on the novel of the same name by Sarah Vaughan. The series consists of six episodes, and premiered on Netflix on April 15, 2022.

<i>A Madea Homecoming</i> 2022 American film by Tyler Perry

A Madea Homecoming is a 2022 American comedy film produced, written, and directed by Tyler Perry and his second film to be released by Netflix. Besides Perry, the film stars Cassi Davis-Patton, David Mann, Tamela Mann, Gabrielle Dennis, and Brendan O'Carroll. It is the twelfth film in the Madea cinematic universe. The film tells the story of Madea partaking in her great-grandson's college graduation party as hidden secrets emerge and surprise visitors show up. It was released on February 25, 2022. It is adapted from Perry's stage play Madea's Farewell Play, the first Madea film to be adapted from a stage play since A Madea Christmas. The film is also a crossover between the Madea franchise and the Irish sitcom Mrs. Brown's Boys.

<i>Falling for Christmas</i> 2022 film by Janeen Damian

Falling for Christmas is a 2022 American Christmas romantic comedy film starring Lindsay Lohan as a spoiled heiress who loses her memory in a skiing accident and lands in the care of a lodge owner widower at Christmastime. The film is directed by Janeen Damian, in her directorial debut, from a screenplay by Jeff Bonnett and Ron Oliver. Chord Overstreet, George Young, Jack Wagner and Olivia Perez also appear in supporting roles.

<i>After Ever Happy</i> 2022 film by Castille Landon

After Ever Happy is a 2022 American romantic drama film directed by Castille Landon from a screenplay by Sharon Soboil, based on the 2015 novel of the same name by Anna Todd. It is the sequel to After We Fell (2021) and the fourth installment in the After film series. The film stars Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes Tiffin reprising their roles as Tessa Young and Hardin Scott, respectively.

<i>Happiness for Beginners</i> 2023 film by Vicky Wight

Happiness for Beginners is a 2023 American romantic comedy film starring Ellie Kemper and Luke Grimes, an adaptation of the Katherine Center 2015 novel of the same name. The novel was adapted for the screen and directed by Vicky Wight.

References

  1. ↑ "Justin Hartley To Star In Netflix Christmas Movie 'The Noel Diary' (EXCLUSIVE)". Yahoo! . 24 August 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  2. ↑ Holub, Christian (October 27, 2022). "What's new on Netflix in November 2022: Wednesday, Key & Peele, Manifest, and more". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  3. ↑ "The Noel Diary". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  4. ↑ "The Noel Diary". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.