Les Souliers de Noëlle

Your basic, entertaining Hallmark movie. But with a couple of unusual and welcome twists.

Jean Smart is a guardian angel of sorts. She shows up when the female lead (Candace Cameron) is having doubts and second thoughts. Not to take anything away from the others, because the cast all do credible jobs on their characters, but Smart to my wife and me was the real scene stealer, she is just so good. She is able to show a glimpse of what is to be if she follows her heart.

Anyway Christmas is coming and they have to put on a fund raiser for the big department store. The single guy, a firefighter, and the single lady, who works for the department store, follow the usual Hallmark path, their interests in each other grow, something gets in the way, and before the story is over they find a way to overcome all obstacles.

Pleasant and entertaining, we watched it at home on DVD from our public library.

I enjoyed this movie. Hallmark Christmas movies can vary from terrible to very good. This was one of the better ones. But don't make your viewing decision by reading the IMDb descriptor. It makes it sound like a Dickens remake. This is clearly inaccurate. Noelle is not a person who hates Christmas. She is just an individual who has not come to terms with her mother's death. She needs a little supernatural help, which she gets. But it is not your typical Christmas Carol. Other than her guardian angel, there are no spirits. Just examples of times in her life when she failed to take advantage of opportunities for happiness. So enjoy the movie, but don't expect any Ebenezer Scrooge moments.

I'm a big fan of Candace Cameron Bure. She seems to get more beautiful now that she is in her 40's. I've seen most of her Christmas themed movies over the past 10 years and this one is perhaps the best. She is in almost every scene and her interaction with the other characters is very entertaining. Her relationship with Luke Macfarlane is just right for this light hearted romp. Luke is a foot taller than her so high heels are much in evidence in a movie where shoes play a leading role. A very recent release, this movie is certain to become a seasonal favourite.

I ran into this while channel surfing. I joined about halfway through and although I channel surfed during the commercials, I kept coming back here to watch the rest. I enjoyed it. I thought it was sweet.

This year Hallmark found just the right movie for Candace Cameron Bure. She just shines as the script gave her a chance to show off her comedic side, and she also can break your heart. Luke McFarland has turned out to be the go to male lead on Hallmark. And Jean Smart is a real treasnure here.