Noël frappe à la porte

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.

Hallmark's first Christmas movie of the 2022 festive season will be difficult to top. As bad a some of these made-for-TV Christmas movies are, when Hallmark (or Lifetime and GAC Family, for that matter) get it right, they really get it right. And that is definitely the case here as rising stars Corey Sevier and Natalie Hall star as neighbours going through things close to Christmas. Sevier as Jeremy, a Scrooge type of guy who seems to hate the world, is struggling from a stroke that has left him partially paralysed and separated, whilst Noel is a single mother (with a young son) whose ex-husband is marrying his mistress and wants his son with them on Christmas morning.

The chemistry between Sevier and Hall is great. This isn't their first rodeo together and it shows. Their efforts are helped by a very good script, too. Sometimes the actors are good in these films but are let down by poor scripts. Not so here. Sevier is particularly good, portraying in a sensitive manner a person with a disability. He is the star of Noel Next Door, and deserves all the plaudits he receives. This was a good one.

Noelle is a single mother trying to give her son Henry the best Christmas ever after an ugly divorce. One day, while working, she encounters Jeremy and they hit it off. Meanwhile, Henry is playing around the neighborhood and he encounters grumpy Mr Gear who is not so kind with him.

It's a movie with real elements. An ugly divorce with the possibility of a fight for custody, a mistress, a grown man with a disability and the consequence of that. A grown man passing out on the couch after a drink and a woman buying tampons. Never thought I would see that in a Hallmark movie.

I thought the character's relationship developed quite naturally. Which I appreciate. I would have liked to see more scenes of the two of them together, but the chemistry was there.

It was a good start for the Christmas season.

I love these Christmas movies. They are usually a bit hit and miss, but I was pleasantly surprised. This one ticked all the boxes. The acting was really good, they had natural chemistry and I couldn't stop smiling the whole way through. Their reactions to each other felt organic and natural. The feelings it gave me is exactly what I want from a Christmas movie. The story line was believable and the romance was just enough. It was the acting that really sold it for me though. It may seem a bit daft commenting like this over a Christmas movie of this type, but compared to some I've seen it really was worth watching.

'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.