Highly Overrated But Still Good

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

You expect nuanced, heart-wringing performances from the likes of Susan Sarandon, Robin Williams, Penelope Cruz, and Alan Arkin. They've got the acting chops for almost any role, and they are a director's dream cast for an ensemble piece with the sweet sadness of this quiet Christmas film. They deliver. Sarandon has seldom been so luminous, Cruz so vulnerable.But Paul Walker? It starts off as a familiar role - the cop, the blue-eyed good guy - and rapidly moves beyond that stereotype into territory and emotional range I honestly never though he could traverse. No car chases, no punch-ups, no us-versus-them and emerging triumphant over evil. This role, in this movie, shows where he could have gone, to become one of this generation's great character actors. In that stellar company of actors, he was not outmatched.Oh, yes, and the script is pitch-perfect. Each separate plot is internally credible and consistent, each looped through at least one other like garland around the holiday tree, all gleaming gently in the glow of many heart-warming lights.Prepare your hankie. You'll need it.

During the holidays, Christmas is thought to many of being the most enjoyable time of year. Rightfully so. With all the bouncy and energetic music, it's difficult not to feel like there's something to be happy about. Then again, not everyone will be as happy as others will and that's understandable too. Not everything goes well during Christmas. All kinds of unfortunate and crappy things go down that remind people every year why the holidays stink (according to them). When telling a story there's nothing wrong with telling either end of the mood, but it would seem slightly more difficult for the negative view point because of how the season is perceived overall. Sadly the creators behind this film rather missed the point. It does have areas that endear to make sure the viewer watching the film tries to feel something, but as to what that is, is another story. Directed by Chazz Palminteri (mostly known for acting) and written by David Hubbard (his only holiday film credit) lack the required expertise to make this film an effective watch.The script is set up like another ensemble cast picture where a number of character threads come together and influence each other. Susan Sarandon plays a middle-aged loner who only focuses on work and cares for her unresponsive mother. Paul Walker and Penélope Cruz play a couple looking to get married but struggle with their own trust. Lastly is Marcus Thomas playing a lazy bum looking to relive one moment of his childhood for another year. All of these stories take place during Christmas Eve of where each main thread receives a special gift in some fashion. Of them, there are also appearances from Alan Arkin and Robin Williams. The stories sound okay but the way they're executed flat out underplays its own premise. Most of the stories are schmaltzy (which is average) but it's the wildly uneven tone that makes it hard to deal with. At first the story starts out normal to almost upbeat but then immediately drops to dreary and almost uncomfortably melancholy. Adding to that are the numerous contrived plot development moments that seem too convenient for its own good.It's the mix of these problems that can make it difficult for audiences to connect with these characters. For a holiday film, it doesn't focus much on it and its tone is too melodramatic to feel like one. Regrettably this is not the end of its issues either. Making it more frustrating is the editing handled by Susan E. Morse. Having more than enough experience to know what makes a film flow easy, the editing between scenes are choppy and feels rushed when following the individual stories. Yet somehow, the pacing feels more than 90 minutes. How does that work? Plus few to almost no characters have the smallest bit of charm to them. Of the actors, Robin Williams and Paul Walker show more emotion than the rest even with their underdeveloped roles. The rest of the cast struggles to show any likability because of how troubled their characters are required to be. Of all this, the entire screenplay itself has trouble conveying its overall message. Even the critically panned film Reach Me (2014) had characters with flaws and was able to make a positive moral statement out of it. There's no real lesson a viewer can take away from this other than "miracles happen". Whenever that is. That's not to say the concept doesn't exist but the majority of viewers will already know this. Visually, the camera-work is appropriate. Russell Carpenter was head of cinematography for this feature. Although his work wasn't anything to note of in Jean- Claude Van Damme's Death Warrant (1990), he did prove himself later with James Cameron's Titanic (1997) and Charlie's Angels (2000). Here it's about the same. All scenes are well lit and look aesthetically appealing. The musical score provided by Alan Menken thankfully was another plus. For although the actual tone presented on screen fluctuates between appropriate to overly downbeat, Menken's work tries endlessly to make the viewer feel something. Working on films in the past like Disney's Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), Pocahontas (1995) and Hercules (1997), which are films that have balanced emotions throughout their story should be proof enough that he knows how to work music. Even after wrapping up, the score continues to try and get someone's emotions stirring and by that it's not desperately doing it. It literally felt like there was something to care about but there wasn't. The sound itself is created through a series of strings mixed with choral progressions and piano cues to help give it that seasonal Christmas touch. This is not enough to save it though, there just isn't an adequate mixture of components to help make this collaborative work feel like a whole. Maybe a holiday film wasn't what they were aiming for but when your film's title says a Christmas related name on it, people will think "holiday movie". It's an ensemble cast movie that wastes its given talent with a script filled with unnecessary twists, all-too convenient character development to feel anywhere relatable and an uneven tone to match anything close to the holiday spirit. Even though they show the most emotion not even Paul Walker and Robin Williams can help the script. The camera-work and music also do their job right but feel a bit late to be fixing anything.

Noel is directed by (writer & actor) Chazz Palminteri. It stars Susan Sarandon, Penélope Cruz, Paul Walker, Alan Arkin and a cameo by Robin Williams. It centres on five strangers who are linked together by a series of events that take place on Christmas Eve in New York.Susan Sarandon is a middle aged woman coping with caring for her hospitalised mother who has Alzheimer's. Penélope Cruz and Paul Walker are a couple in a troubled relationship because of his insane jealousy. Alan Arkin is a café owner who is in search of his wife's forgiveness and thinks that Walker is his wife re-incarnated. Marcus Thomas is a young man who self harms so he can attend a Christmas party in the emergency room as it brings back happy childhood memories.Robin Williams is a former priest who lost his faith and befriends Sarandon.The film has an off centre and slightly surreal, even a supernatural edge but it really does not amount to much. There are four Oscar winning actors in this film so its an all star cast but the interlinking stories are not strong enough. It does not have feel-good edge that many other Christmas films have.

I found this film, and I had obviously never heard of it before reading about it, that is because it is a low budget independent film, but it was because of a good cast of stars I decided to try it. Basically it is Christmas Eve in New York City, and we see unconnected lives of people living in the city as they try to cope with their problems, all as difficult to deal with, even with the happy day approaching. Lonely divorced publisher Rose Collins (Susan Sarandon) is caring for her mother in hospital as she is suffering from Alzheimers disease, no longer recognising or communicating with her own daughter. Nina Vasquez (Penélope Cruz) is engaged to be married to cop Mike Riley (Paul Walker) who is constantly suspicious of her activities, which causes friction between the loving couple. Lonely bartender Artie Venzuela (Alan Arkin) is stalking Mike, believing he is the reincarnation of his dead wife, but a trip to hospital proves he is not the only person to hear this claim. Jules Calvert (Marcus Thomas) has not experienced a happy Christmas since he was last in hospital, and to try and reenact the enjoyment he had in this time he breaks his arm to have the warm spirit experience where he last had it, in hospital. Former priest Charlie Boyd (Robin Williams, who is uncredited) is a constant visitor for Rose's mother, and when he finds her thinking of suicide he comforts her and suggests talking and trying to make it through the night, and of course the spend the night together, he find himself able to find his faith again. In the end Mike sees poor Artie pass away, but he does get back Nina, Jules I suppose finds some solace, and Rose, after watching Charlie pass away peacefully, does find connection with her mother. Also starring The Usual Suspects' Chazz Palminteri, also directing as Arizona and Sonny Marinelli as Dennis. The cast do relatively well both to bring your spirits up and down, but ultimately to make you feel sympathy, Sarandon is alright as the woman trying to find a miracle through the despair, Walker, Cruz and Arkin do what they do fine, and Williams gets his time as the nice man, this is obviously the sort of film you would expect to see as an alternative and more serious Christmas movie, but it doesn't really do everything to pull you in with whatever silly twists it throws in, it is a slightly tedious, but not a completely awful seasonal drama. Okay!