A Novel Noel

The perfect storm of trying to recover from the 2023 writers and actors strikes combined with Hallmark's breathtaking avarice funneling resources away to other revenue streams has created a very disappointing season so far. This movie is one of the few I enjoyed enough to watch twice.

With a plot similar to Lifetime's quirky 2018 "Christmas Around the Corner", the. Bookstore setting gives it an automatic appeal. And while some of the plot developments were easy to see coming, the appealing cast made it an enjoyable watch.

My only issue was that the final denouement seemed a little awkward and rushed, but since that would describe the entirety of most other movies this season, I can't complain too much. Definitely worth watching.

A successful NYC editor wins an opportunity to spend weeks working at an independent bookstore and--get this, so exciting--live in the apartment over the bookstore. Gee!

The male lead runs the bookstore for his owner parents and has evidently turned the corner on profitability. From the small number of customers never buying anything, I'm not sure how. Plus, the two mains seem okay with locking the place up during business hours to go to Christmas Fairs and do holiday games?

Then it turns out that bookstore guy wrote a novel ... really good, of course.

The editor seems unaware of writing groups, so she's proud that she came up with the idea and started one in the store.

A side plot about Christmas Bingo adds nothing.

Then when she tells him she's a big-time editor, he gets miffed she didn't tell him earlier? This is no writer's reaction, EVER, to finding out a editor likes their work.

An author myself (36 books written), I look forward to some of these stories about writers ... when they get it right. This movie doesn't come close.

Despite this being a movie made in 2024, I had never actually heard about it. But of course, sappy Christmas movies is usually not my go-to type of entertainment. But every now and again during December will I sit down and binge-watch sappy Christmas movies, and 2024 turned out to be one such year. And thus, I had the opportunity to sit down and watch writer Betsy Sullenger and director Michael Robison's 2024 movie "A Novel Noel".

Thumbs up to writer Betsy Sullenger on the accomplishment of the script, as it proved to be a rather enjoyable storyline. I was genuinely entertained throughout the course of the movie. And it was a script that combined elements of what apparently makes a good sappy Christmas movie; that being romance, a pinch of drama, the spirit of Christmas, an idyllic setting, and a feel-good sensation. And the movie had all that in a good mixture.

I was not familiar with the cast ensemble in the movie, though leading actress Julie Gonzalo did seem somewhat familiar, but I just couldn't put any movie or series to her face. I will say that leading actress Julie Gonzalo really made this movie all the more enjoyable, because she put on a very committed and spirited performance. She carried the movie quite wonderfully. In fact, all of the cast actually put on good performances, but Julie Gonzalo she stood out as being extraordinary.

If you enjoy sappy Christmas movies, then you definitely should check out director Michael Robison's 2024 movie "A Novel Noel". I was genuinely entertained throughout the course of the 84 minutes that the movie ran for. And it is certainly a movie that I would recommend for fans of the sappy Christmas holiday movies.

My rating of "A Novel Noel" lands on a six out of ten stars.

Hold on to your seats, it starts out with a Hallmark familiar plot, a NYC worker, this time its a Book Editor, Harper, (Julie Gonzalo) who is burned out and needs a break from her job. She takes a break by working in a small town bookstore incognito for a month. There's a clashing of personalities between Harper and the owner's son, Sawyer, (Brendon Penny), as they each have very different ideas on how to make the bookstore more successful. The plot is well written and there are several surprises in the script. There's some entertaining moments as Harper gets involved in the town activities (reindeer games, singing carols at the pub) and as she makes friends with the locals. The Christmas Bingo Game is a fun element. Julie Gonzalo is Hallmark's best female actress, she puts a spark in the characters she plays in all of her movies, and also makes them authentic and relatable. At first Brendon Penny annoyed me but that had more to do with the way the script was written and how Sawyer's character evolves as he opens up to Harper, and he becomes more likeable. There's good chemistry and we experience the romantic feelings grow between the two leads. I love the couple of surprise twists in the story line. An enjoyable and entertaining movie.

This movie has some common elements in terms of a struggling bookstore, a burnt out publishing editor, rookie writer needing a push, and newbie shakes things up to help profits. It is also a bit unusual in that the editor appears to have paid to work there and live above the store as a kind of vacation. As another reviewer pointed out, there was one other movie almost exactly like that, but that's the only one I can think of.

I enjoyed this movie probably because I was tolerant of how annoying the two leads were with each other for a little bit too long. The reason I tolerated it was because I am very familiar with both Gonzalo and Penny. Their characters eventually connect and I got invested in their relationship. Beyond that though, the story doesn't stand out. The secret identity, if you will, of Harper comes out to Sawyer before halfway which is a bit unusual. There is a bittersweet twist towards the end.

The basics in acting and dialogue were decent, you might even say good.