Mrs. Worthington's Party

This is a wonderful holiday movie. Highly recommend!

"Noelle" is a movie that is both wonderfully subtle and profound in the message it delivers. It is a Christmas movie, not because of the beautifully filmed winter landscape or the softly illuminated lighting, but because its' characters experience the true essence of Christmas: forgiveness.

The character development is slow and methodical, almost predictable at first. However, as the story progresses, the reserved tension between the two priests builds, forcing the true person within both characters to bubble to the surface, spilling out in an unexpected manner.

The movies music does a splendid job of capturing the loneliness many people feel at Christmas, and the main characters in Noelle are no different.

The story is not predictable in its' outcome from the outset, although an hour or so into it, the viewer gets a feeling it may twist in a certain direction because you almost want it to.

I felt great empathy for the character of Father Keane, because his job was the one no one would relish in doing. It is a thankless position that keeps him at arms length with the Church, the Almighty, and himself, creating an empty life within the shell of a "holy man".

If you are expecting gags and laughs to be dished out like Halloween candy like so many cheesy, box office hits, you will be disappointed. The real humor is in the dry wit and the naiveté of the characters that lay just below the surface throughout the movie. Save the fact that Father Keane does not know how to ride a scooter very well and takes some very predictable falls in the snow and ice, the real laughs will be within yourself as you begin to recognize members of your family, or even the person you see in the mirror, in how each character reacts to one another.

The movie has a serious message and is not for younger audiences because of the subject matter, but is tastefully done without explicit information being thrown in for dramatic effect.

I found Noelle heart-warming, well-done, and definitely a movie that will be on my Christmas watch list each year.

Who ever changed the title should have stuck with the original title, Mrs Worthington's Party. It's an unfortunate renaming because titlling it Noelle may be confused with the Disney movie Noelle with Shirley MacLaine. Having said that, the lead actor, David Wall, playing Father Keene, bares a stunning resemblance to a young Robert Redford; his hair, his front teeth, the jawline - and his acting ability! I'm surprised David Wall is not in more mainstream/famous movies - he exudes lead actor, and his acting is a joy to watch. Surprisingly, his Wikipedia page is sparse. Back to the movie, David Wall as Father Keene is the reason I stuck it out with this movie. There are a lot of likable and quirky characters, along with a love story, that fill and complete this movie. And the snowy location is charming. But David Wall is the stellar actor in this performance and makes this version of Noelle worth watching.

I was fortunate enough to screen "Noelle", then Mrs. Worthington's Pary, at the "Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival". I was not sure what to expect from a movie written, directed and starring the same person. The first thing I noticed was the enormous amount of people that were coming into the screening. There must have been almost 600 people for the showing. From the start the Cinematography was purely outstanding. The film was shot on 35mm and was absolutely beautiful. The scenery was breathtaking, the music magical and mysterious, a true testament to great Independent Film making. The acting also greatly surprised me as the movie was comprised of all unknown actors. The performances were very strong all the way down to the beautiful ghostly child. The movie uses Priests as the main Characters and thoughtfully takes you through a true to life journey of problems and circumstances that any everyday man or woman could relate too. The wonderful writing and story gently and magically carry you through the movie like a journey back in time to the great Holiday Classics long gone. I found myself deeply involved in every Character and every aspect of the story, a credit to David Wall's writing and directing. I do not wish to give away any of the story, as that would be tasteless. I can tell you that if you are looking for a true Holiday movie, with a wonder inspiring story that is destined in my opinion to become a Holiday Classic, then you owe it to yourself to see this movie.

As the movie was ending, I looked over to my right to notice a man in his sixties gently wiping away tears from his eyes, just as I had done. The lights went up and to my surprise everyone was still there. As the music stopped, all 600 people stood almost in unison for a standing ovation. I had already been to six screenings with barely a round of applause at the ending of each. It seemed as if every single person got it and felt the same thing. This was a great movie. Last I could not help watching as a Catholic Priest made his way to David Wall in the lobby outside the theater. I was curious what he thought of the movie since the movie revolved around Priests. As I stood near, the Priest walked right up to him, grabbed his hand and arm, and said thank you with glossy eyes. I was amazed. Even the Priest loved the movie. The movie went on to win "Best Director" and a nod for "Best American Indie".

There are many things you could say about this movie, "Wonderful" is all that comes to mind.

Am I the only one who thinks Mr. Wall looks like Mr. Redford? The film was very well done. I enjoyed it. I also love that it was a family project.