Un amore sotto l'albero

"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.

This film is about how a group of seemingly unconnected people spend their Christmas Eve in New York.

"Noel" may look like a romantic comedy set around Christmas time, but it is much more than that. It excels at portraying their feelings and emotions, and therefore it is particularly engaging. Their live stories are real and down to earth, these events could happen to anyone. It helps viewers to connect with the characters. I find Arty's story particularly touching. The parallel between Arty and Mike, although a little contrived, is also nice as it leads to a happy ending.

"Noel" is a heartwarming film. It makes you care and feel for the characters. It might even make you feel for the people around you too.

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.

I was a bit distracted by some of the bad acting, but overall, I was happy I watched the entire movie. I loved the characters and "reality" of life and loneliness. Having a grandmother (now passed away) that was in a VERY SIMILAR situation to the woman in the hospital, it was very sad. I brought this movie to my mom's to watch, and she cried through the entire movie. She could relate to Susan Sarandon's character perfectly! I love exploring spirituality, so the areas in the movie that touched on that aspect were refreshing. Parts like that always bring a sense of hope about our own lives. Christmas movies are always so entertaining, as they portray a lot of what the holidays can REALLY be like in some families' homes. The chaos, the emotions, the old hidden resentments, etc. All in all, it was an enjoyable movie. LOVE Robin Williams, and Susan Sarandon. They both still look GREAT!!!

It is my favorit Chistmas theme film. for many reasons who, year by year, are more and more. first - as puzzle of gray lives. the second - for forms of love. not the last - for moral lessons, many not real profound or credible but useful for easy demonstrations about the structure of relationships. sure, it could be defined as forced, naive or childish, as sketch of serious film or as film using the Christmas only as pretext. but it has all the virtues to be one of expected films by viewer . for cast, off course. for Paul Walken , especially. for angels. and for the encouraging message. and, maybe, for its special beauty. like an Renaissance angel. so, for me, a special, real special film.