adminSo very recently I reviewed a holiday rom-com on Netflix and said that the bar is actually very low for these to be entertaining. They just need to have some likable characters and a cute story, and then I'm all in well Netflix is bringing us another holiday romance this time. It'S called the Noel diary. So how does this one stack up when best-selling author Jake Turner returns home at Christmas to settle his estranged mother's estate? He discovers a diary that may hold secrets to his own past and that of Rachel an intriguing young woman on a mission of her own together.
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They embark on a journey to confront their paths and discover a future. That'S totally unexpected, so this Stars, Justin Hartley and Barrett Doss in the lead roles of Jake and Rachel respectively, and we also get performances from Bonnie, Bedelia and James Riemer. Now I know that I said the bar is extremely low for a holiday Romance movie to be decent, but good. Lord, I'm not sure I can make the bar low enough for this movie. This is a very disappointing mess of a film.
The premise is actually a very good one where we have this young Bachelor who's, pretty much a loner and he meets a young woman who happens to be searching for someone in her past. They then team, up and along the way, discover things that tie them together. In ways they didn't expect and of course they fall in love in the process, but there are so many odd choices in this. Regarding the storytelling, it just made me scratch my head: there's a point where Jake and Rachel are having a very emotional conversation and just as Jake begins to open up and tell Rachel about his thoughts, the musical score ramps up and it drowns out the dialogue. So we just watched the two pantomime they're seen with this orchestral music pounding everything out.
There'S also a moment where Jake is meeting somebody that he's not seen in a while, and The Scene goes on for an extended period of time, which does make sense, except all the while we're wondering where did Rachel go, I mean, is she just still sitting out In the car hours later, there's supposed to be baggage and hurts mixed with Jake and the one that he goes to see. But it's resolved instantly. I mean we're talking 30 years of junk and poof. It'S gone and all's right with the world in a blink of an eye. Now I'm not saying we need a long drawn out dramatic blow up, but I think the story deserves a bit of tense dialogue that shows our characters, learning and growing.
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To then make the resolution feel earned and then we got the final end of the film we watch characters say and do things that we're sure go against what they really feel. But that's how the story is playing out and then in a very sudden move. There'S another resolution that ends with the frame freezing on Jake in this very awkward smile like now. I know I'm complaining a lot about this and there is a bunch wrong with the movie, but there are some positives too. Both Justin, Hartley and Barrett Doss do have chemistry together and, I think they're charismatic on their own.
I also enjoyed watching the two together and I wanted them to be the couple that falls in love they're also both really nice people, so we're never really conflicted about how to feel about them. They'Re worth rooting for, and it's nice to see Pleasant people within a story. That'S a funny thing. I mean everybody in this. Film is extremely polite, like there's: zero Strife amongst any of the characters, and even when there is a bit of side drama with Rachel and a relationship of herds, I mean all of it is nice and amicable.
Now the visuals in this are sufficient for what the movie is, but don't expect something sweepingly cinematic. Let'S add more of the aesthetic of a Hallmark movie which is kind of what it is. So there's nothing really disappointing there. Now the movie's an hour and 39 minutes, and it does go by fairly quickly as once or twice where the Story begins to drag a bit, but then it continues on and the momentum is regained now the only demo is really bored with. This was because of how cringy a lot of the execution was, but that also kept me engaged, because I kept waiting for more scenes.
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That would make me roll my eyes or exclaim loudly at the TV there's some moments in this that are meant to be comedic, but really the comedy never landed. For me I mean some parts were cutesy in the line delivery, but I never laughed or even chortled. I mean at least when I was meant to – I certainly did laugh at moments, but those were because I was making fun of the film. So, even though the bar is set low for me with holiday romances, This One Missed The Mark when it came to just about everything other than likable characters. It'S fine!
If you need something casual to watch or you're. Looking for something, that's pretty positive, but if you want something memorable or highly engaging, this isn't the holiday romance to put on overall, the Noel diary features charismatic characters in a story that has a lot of potentials, but squanders it through Rush storytelling and odd stylistic choices. The positivity of the characters is refreshing, but not enough to make this memorable, captivating or even enjoyable, there's no sex or nudity a little profanity and no violence. I give the Noel diary two out of five couches. So, what's a holiday Romance movie that you gravitate towards, let me know in the comments below if you enjoyed this.
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