Noel Next Door

'Noel Next Door' (2022)

Opening thoughts: Despite loving Christmas and Christmas films, expectations were a bit mixed here for 'Noel Next Door'. Really liked the concept, Hallmark have done many good Christmas films in the past and have liked Corey Sevier in other things. Have never personally been much of a fan of Natalie Hall, Hallmark has a variable track record when it comes to Grinch-like characters and 2022 has been very hit and miss for Hallmark (with Hall and Sevier's previous film 'Road Trip Romance' being a major misfire).

Luckily, 'Noel Next Door is a winner and a long way from a misfire. It doesn't start off very promisingly to be perfectly honest, but it really was well worth sticking with. It was a good start for the 2022 Countdown to Christmas block and is a million times better than 'Road Trip Romance'. Both Hall and Sevier come off well here and there is actual chemistry this time which already makes this a better film.

Bad things: As said, 'Noel Next Door' didn't start off too good at all. The dialogue is excessively cheesy and the story didn't really get much momentum for a while. But it was the emphasis on the supporting characters that hurt it most, and these characters are annoying and over-played. The son particularly.

Would have liked to have seen Hall and Sevier on screen more and longer.

Good things: However, there is a lot that is done really well. Have personally yet to see a better performance from Hall, she has never looked more natural or never this charming. She doesn't come over as too over sweet or too self absorbed and she has one of her few likeable and relatable characters. Was also not expecting Sevier to be this good, he has a difficult type of role here that has been overacted of performed stiffly elsewhere and has been written with too many exaggerated character flaws and nowhere near enough character growth. None of that happened here. The two have strong chemistry here that is sweet and easy to get behind despite it not being used enough.

Also did like their characters, ones that were true to life and even their flaws were easy to understand. The types of roles are familiar but given fresh slants. The supporting cast do become more subtle and comfortable later. The story didn't come as too predictable and it was light hearted and charming while also being moving and the harsher elements of the scenario aren't played too safely or overdone. The script isn't stilted generally and doesn't become too sugary or cheesy.

It looks attractive, especially the scenery and the festive decor is nostalgic. The music doesn't overbear and has variety, while the direction while not distinguished is more than capable. Did appreciate that the final act didn't feel contrived or the ending too neat.

Closing thoughts: Overall, not great and the weak start stops it from being one of the very best 2022 Hallmark films but good and worth sticking with if given a chance.

7/10.

The novel was "How the Grinch Stole My Heart".

I read the Kindle sample and the novel does NOT start out like a Hallmark movie ... more like the now abandoned Skinemax fare. LOL

But this story goes beyond the normal Hallmark fare. It's not about abandoning the city for a small town, saving a business, putting on a Christmas parade/pageant/event, or the girl moving on from a bad boyfriend.

Instead it's a story of a damaged man and a woman mired in a bad divorce. It's a classic antithetical romance, but where the man and woman like each other in person but hate each other remotely. Nice twist. In that way it's a bit like Pillow Talk, except here no one is pretending.

It's a story of recovery and redemption, and it's one we're likely to watch many times in the passing years.

8.1 stars.

Ah yes, very nice change of pace, change of atmosphere, and theme. I feel this is not solely a Christmas movie, it's a drama about an unfortunate chain of events that usurps a man's happiness. Not your garden-variety holiday film. 'Noel Next Door' is a reprieve from the mundane viewings I've been exposing myself to for the past week. This is my new second favorite of the 32 Hallmark Christmases so far this year.

The leading man is a very good looking well known Hallmark guy, but this time he's a stroke victim, his left arm doesn't function very well, and he uses a cane. Our main gal likes him very much, and the attraction matures in the midst of difficult circumstances. She has not seen his really grouchy side, but everyone else who encounters him knows him as the neighborhood scrooge.

As the story continues, more and more unfavorable incidents are piling up against him, various incidents of scroogery. When she finds out he is the ugly and unapproachable beast that everyone else knows him to be, will she have ample patience and heart to forgive him and restore the relationship?

There are at least 3 laugh out loud comedy moments, and equally touching, tearful moments. This is not a sad movie, it started with a shade of melancholy and delivers a most inspiring conclusion. What a trip. Bravo!

A must see every Christmas.

Countdown to Christmas is here and this is the first premiere of 2022.

This movie really doesn't follow any of the common plotlines other than a divorced mother having a conflict with dad over Christmas custody and that's really a minor thread here. Some movies in this genre have a hidden identity factor in them, but this movie approaches that differently. The movie is crammed with all the Christmas activities like baking cookies, snowball fights, a Christmas pageant, and so on. There are a couple, but it's not crammed.

No one is hiding an identity, but there is something about Jeremy that the audience knows from the beginning, but Noel doesn't, namely that Jeremy is the one her son is having problems with in the neighborhood. You could also say Jeremy doesn't realize who Noel is. It's a neat trick that the writers don't let the two discover that until way past the halfway point. That is a good scene when everyone is stuttering at each other.

Noel is an angel of a woman. There are several examples with one of the big ones being a spoiler related to her ex. Natalie Hall does a good job with this part - I think one of her better ones in this type of movie. She and Cory Sevier have quiet chemistry.

There is some humor in this move, I think Hall is the better comedian and Sevier more the foil of the jokes. The humorous moments sometimes border on the silly, but not overly so.

I'm disappointed with two things as far as this being Hallmark and they are about good old common sense values, maybe even call them family values. It is interesting that this movie has already resorted to this kind of values when Jeremy makes the jerk at the diner apologize to Noel. Why should he apologize? Because he was insulting her as a lady. Yet later in the movie there are two things I would say belong on the same level. 1 - Jeremy gets passed out drunk on hard liquor. This is a strike against this movie being good for children, which it could be. 2 - Noel lets Henry off for lying without any consequences. Given the situation, I could understand light consequences, but there should have been something. Henry went beyond the bounds of a rambunctious kid more than once and clearly lied. These criticisms have nothing to do with what many reviewers complain about Hallmark going woke in the past few years. These values have nothing to do with that, although lack of consequences seems to be more common among younger parents than it was for parents years ago.

This is a decent move. It is still something that most of the family can watch and it doesn't have the feel of a formula driven story. Some of the scenes are funny. Time will tell if I watch it again next season, but I think I might.

This Hallmark movie actually has a heart! The tough situations are realistic - guy whose wife left him when he had a stroke; woman whose husband cheated on her; preteen who is struggling with the changes in his life. I'm so tired of the superficial holiday movies that are all the same. This was a refreshingly real change of pace. Of course, it's Hallmark, so it's cheesy, but I really appreciate the portrayal of a disability and inclusion of some mild grittiness. Also, kudos to Hallmark for poking fun at flat-earthers/science deniers - didn't expect that! The movie did a great job being sweetly funny. Overall, I am quite impressed and this will be a repeat watch each year.