Noel

In need of some Christmas spirit, I decided to watch "Noel" from 2004. All I saw was the name Susan Sarandon, so I didn't realize that the late Paul Walker and the late Robin Williams, who died within nine months of each other, were also in this film. Reason enough to cry right there.

Noel is the story of several people on Christmas Eve and Christmas. Walker is Mike, a police officer, engaged to Nina (Penelope Cruz). His jealousy is tearing apart their relationship. He has another problem. Artie (Alan Arkin) who runs a coffee shop is extra-attentive and shows up at Mike's house with a wild story.

Sarandon's character, Rose, is a successful book editor who is divorced. She is caring for her mother, who has Alzheimer's and doesn't talk. In the next room there is a man who seems to be in a coma. He's always alone, so Rose, as she's decorating her mother's room, goes into his room and puts an angel on his window. In the corner of the room, behind the door, sits Charlie (Robin Williams), who startles her.

Rose meets Nina after she leaves Mike and goes to her family's Christmas Eve dinner. And she runs into Williams again; he has a bizarre story as well.

Then there's Marcus who has someone to break his hand so he can be in the hospital on Christmas. As a child, it was his best Christmas ever. We can assume from that he didn't have a very happy upbringing. Mike, Dennis, and Artie all end up at the hospital at the same time.

This is a really lovely film about miracles and angels who walk the earth whom we don't recognize as such, and how we can touch each other's lives without knowing it. It was very sweet and uplifting and, as I said, a massive tearjerker given the presence of the two late stars. One chose death; one had death thrust upon him. Either way, it's tragic.

Rose (Susan Sarandon) is an author of children's books who is especially lonely this holiday season. Her mother, who is stricken with Alheimer's disease, is having difficulty eating normally and recognizing anyone around her. Rose, a divorcée, has not had a serious romance for quite sometime. And, although a young gentleman in the office makes a pass at her, she is not willing to have a one night encounter. Nina, a lovely young lady, has a good looking, police officer-fiancé but, alas. Mike has a jealous streak that produces sharp anger and abuse, at times. Nina is not certain she wants to continue the relationship. Meanwhile, others in NYC are dealing with baggage from abusive fathers, criminal pasts, and religious doubts. Is this truly the "most wonderful time of the year?" This is a very compelling but rather serious entry into the world of holiday movies. The subject matter is most sobering, even as there are moments of humor and happiness. All of the performers are fine and so is the lovely look of the film's design. If anyone is feeling down at holiday time, this is NOT the film to bring out for a showing. That said, if anyone wishes to watch a thoughtful movie about real issues, try to find this movie during the off season. It has many assets and will enlighten and entertain viewers at the same time.

The old Calypso song goes "If you want to be happy for the rest of your life, never make a pretty woman your wife." But, what are you supposed to do if your fiancé is Penelope Cruz? That is Paul Walker's (The Fast and the Furious) problem, and he has a jealous streak. Who wouldn't with Cruz, but it is going to kill his upcoming marriage. No problem, Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine) comes to the rescue in a strange way and saves the day.

But, Walker isn't the only one with a problem. Susan Sarandon (Dead Man Walking) has a mother with Alzheimer's and her life is a mess. Who to save her but a burned-out priest (Robin Williams). Well, they really save each other.

This is a sentimental Christmas tale with some laughs, but it is mostly about Christmas miracles. Watch it for the great cast.

No tree decorating, baking cookies or building snowmen. Instead this is a character study of several different people trying to make sense of life. (I counted 6, but maybe Charlie doesn't count.) They all cross paths, some more closely than others.

There are several more popular actors and all do at least a credible job. Susan Sarandon's story is perhaps the most interesting and she does it well.

The story wanders a bit, but I think intentionally. The TV replay I watched was chopped a little too much for commercials and so a couple of times the transitions were confusing.

"Noel" is a lovely holiday fable that has been unfairly savaged by critics. I found it a charming matching of everyday hard knocks (though only shot partly in New York City) and magic realism.

Key to its attraction are two of the central characters amidst the ensemble Christmas Eve stories.

Susan Sarandon is marvelous as a 40-something woman dragged down by her Alzheimer's mother who undergoes in effect a walkabout through the city to reexamine her life.

Paul Walker is wonderful as a very macho, very New York cop whose explosive jealousy around his fiancée pushes her away. As she is Penelope Cruz in the only English-language role I've ever liked her in, his reaction to how guys look at her is grounded in some reality. His own reaction to her sexy private dancing for him ratchets up the seasonal temperature in terrific chemistry of his blue-eyed blond and her sultry darkness, though I don't know if the televised version on TNT cut anything from the theatrical version.

The central characters are touched by oddballs, played by Robin Williams and Allan Arkin, who are as unlikely as Clarence from "It's A Wonderful Life" or the old man in "Prelude to a Kiss," and similarly help them reach important epiphanies at dawn.

The pay-off also finally comes in a side story about a man with nostalgia for Christmas in the E.R., but is more heavy-handed.

The repeated jokes about straight guys misidentified as gay are of the heavy handed "Will and Grace" mode but are useful to specific plot points.