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The Noel Diary

2022, Holiday/Comedy, 1h 39m

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The noel diary videos, the noel diary photos.

When best-selling author Jake Turner (Justin Hartley) 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 (Barrett Doss) -- an intriguing young woman on a mission of her own. Together, they embark on a journey to confront their pasts and discover a future that's totally unexpected.

Genre: Holiday, Comedy, Drama

Original Language: English

Director: Charles Shyer

Producer: Margret H. Huddleston , Timothy O. Johnson , Stephanie Slack

Writer: David Golden , Charles Shyer

Release Date (Theaters): Nov 18, 2022 limited

Release Date (Streaming): Nov 24, 2022

Runtime: 1h 39m

Distributor: Netflix

Production Co: Johnson Production Group, Synthetic Cinema International, Netflix Studios

Cast & Crew

Justin Hartley

James Remar

Bonnie Bedelia

Essence Atkins

Andrea Sooch

Barrett Doss

Vivian Full

Aaron Costa Ganis

Jeff Corbett

Charles Shyer

David Golden

Screenwriter

Margret H. Huddleston

Timothy O. Johnson

Stephanie Slack

Andrew Gernhard

Executive Producer

Norman Stephens

Ashley Rowe

Cinematographer

David Moritz

Film Editing

Dara Taylor

Original Music

Aja Kai Rowley

Production Design

Anthony Bruno

Art Director

Harlan Penn

Meagan Miller-McKeever

Set Decoration

Jaqui Getty

Costume Design

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The Noel Diary

The story of a man who returns home on Christmas to settle his estranged mother's estate. Once there, he discovers a diary that may hold secrets to his own past and of a beautiful young woma... Read all The story of a man who returns home on Christmas to settle his estranged mother's estate. Once there, he discovers a diary that may hold secrets to his own past and of a beautiful young woman on a mysterious journey of her own. The story of a man who returns home on Christmas to settle his estranged mother's estate. Once there, he discovers a diary that may hold secrets to his own past and of a beautiful young woman on a mysterious journey of her own.

Charles Shyer
Rebecca Connor
David Golden
Justin Hartley
Barrett Doss
Bonnie Bedelia
188 User reviews
41 Critic reviews
63 Metascore

Jake Turner

Rachel Campbell

Ellie Foster

Scott Turner

Matt Segreto

Fifty-Something Fan

Benjamin Turner

Candlelight Inn Receptionist

All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

Trivia Ava, the dog, is an Australian Shepherd named Skye (Outrun's Allagash Evening Skye).
Goofs Noel's diary is dated 1987 and she claims that Jake loved her to read Magic Tree House books to him. The first Magic Tree House book wasn't published until 1992, however.

Rachel Campbell : Jake, if you leave now, you are doing exactly what he did. Right? Why don't you just try being the first adult in your family not to take the exit?

Connections Features It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

Technical specs

Runtime 1 hour 39 minutes
Dolby Digital

More to explore

The Noel Diary review – a hollow romantic Christmas film with no chemistry

We review the Netflix film The Noel Diary, which does not contain spoilers.

The Christmas season brings some interesting concepts in the holiday setting, and The Noel Diary is fairly unique. When big-time author Jacob Turner ( Justin Hartley ) gets the call that his mother passed away, he returns to his hometown to gather her things.

When he gets there, he notices that a woman is waiting outside the house across the street. The woman approaches him and asks if he knows who her mother is because she has been trying to find her before she gets married.

The diary that is in the title of the film is Rachel’s ( Barrett Doss ) mom’s diary, and it explains how she had put her up for adoption because he got married out of wedlock. Her mom’s parents were against her raising the child, so she had to make a tough decision.

Rachel never knew her mom, so now she needed to find this missing piece before getting married. On this journey, the unlikely pair try to uncover more of Rachel’s story, as they go and ask the neighbors about what had happened all those years ago.

Along the way, she helps Jacob reconcile with his own father, as she finds her biological one.

This film does have its moments, but I do find it a bit odd that Rachel is so in love with her fiancé that she makes it a point to say it over dinner with Jacob. Naturally, as in all Christmas romantic comedies, the two of them start having romantic feelings for each other because they are working through tough, emotional situations with one another.

Instead of Rachel calling her fiancé and telling him about what’s happening, she refuses to answer him. It’s entirely possible to fall in love with someone, but this romantic film just isn’t believable enough to tell this story.

It happens in a short period of time, and infidelity is something that crosses a line in this film. It’s almost as cold as Jacob’s heart at the beginning of this film. They also do not have the best chemistry so it was a tough watch.

They tried to sell their odd little love story, but it doesn’t work as well as they would have hoped. Sure, Jacob softens up because he realizes life is short and there’s no need to waste it on negativity, which he learned from Rachel.

It has some sweet moments, but it doesn’t necessarily work because Hartley is a bit too detached from the role and doesn’t sell the romantic lead at all. Doss at least adds some spunk in her line delivery and actually shows some emotion when falling for Turner.

What did you think of the Netflix film The Noel Diary? Comment below.

Article by Amanda Guarragi

Amanda Guarragi joined Ready Steady Cut as an Entertainment Writer in June 2022. She is a Toronto-based film critic who has covered TIFF, Sundance Film Festival, Austin Film Festival, and HorrorFest International. Amanda is also a growing YouTuber, with her channel Candid Cinema growing in popularity.

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Screen Rant

The noel diary review: hartley & ross have electric chemistry in emotional drama.

Charles Shyer’s adaptation of The Noel Diary is charming and sweet, nailing the concept of personal growth within the confinements of its genre.

Justin Hartley’s rise to stardom comes as no surprise to fans of his work. From his early days as Fox Crane on NBC’s soap opera Passions , to roles like Green Arrow on Smallville, and his recent acclaimed performance on the award-winning series This is Us , Hartley time and again proves his ability as an actor when it comes to choosing diverse projects and executing them accordingly. In his latest, Hartley takes on life as a self-isolated writer hoping to grow from his past to make room for a great future. Adapted from Richard Paul Evans’ novel of the same name, The Noel Diary brings love and loss to the forefront of its script. The film exceeds expectations with respect to being a Netflix Christmas production, but it is thoughtful and sincere all the same.

The story follows Jake Turner (Hartley), an acclaimed author of a popular book series whose life has been centered around loss. After learning of his estranged mother’s passing, Turner returns home for Christmas to settle her estate affairs, reliving the memories of his once joyous childhood. There, Jake meets Rachel (Barrett Doss), the fascinating young woman who is on a quest to learn about her own past. Through learning about one another, Jake and Rachel realize that they’ve come into each other’s lives exactly when they needed. Together, the two embark on a journey that challenges their spirits about their past, love, and loss — discovering that they share connections in more ways than one.

Related: Christmas With You Review: Aimee Garcia Exudes Star Power In Genuine Holiday Rom-Com

Director Charles Shyer’s adaptation of The Noel Diary is charming and sweet, nailing the concept of personal growth within the confinements of its genre. Through Jake Turner, viewers can expect a journey of introspection amidst loss, and how that may shelter a person from being open to love and trust in the future. The showcase of this concept through the film’s characters is intricately detailed yet subtle, which translates to a watching experience that viewers can relate to and enjoy. Luckily, the added element of this being a Netflix Christmas romantic drama never interferes with the storytelling. Rather, the setting enables an atmosphere that feels as joyous as it is revealing.

As with stories like this, viewers may be expecting grandiose romantic scenery in between emotional conversations experienced by Jake and Rachel. However, Charles Shyer and David Golden’s script incorporates restraint, relying on Hartley and Doss' chemistry and the natural emotion of the story. Suffice it to say, there are some lovely moments that would get any romantic’s heart beating faster. However, Golden and Shyer balance these moments well, which strengthens the movie overall. This balancing act isn’t revolutionary by any means, but somehow other films struggle to do so, which is why this one exceeds expectations.

Whether it’s finding the strength to rebuild relationships with estranged family members or researching unknown family history to learn more about oneself, The Noel Diary beautifully encapsulates the uncertainties that come with life, loss, and love. But these concepts really don’t work without the strong performances from the film’s cast. Justin Hartley has really come into his own as a capable actor. And in this case, his performance is stellar, showcasing his ability to emote on screen through dialogue and tone, facial expressions, and body language. It feels as if the role of Jake Turner was written for him. Barrett Doss as Rachel is simply exceptional. She commands every scene she’s in, and her chemistry with Hartley radiates off the screen and will find its way into the hearts of viewers.

With the tone of its script and beautiful storytelling of personal growth — all while being wrapped up in a setting that doesn’t mind leaning into the expectations of its genre — The Noel Diary is delightfully sweet and relatable. Though the ending leaves much to be desired, the electric chemistry between Hartley and Doss is enough to stand on its own. Additionally, Shyer’s direction, along with his and Golden’s writing facilitates, makes for a watching experience that is both entertaining and emotionally compelling. There will likely never be a time in movie history where holiday romance drama films like this one cease to exist. But if they continue to bring the quality like in The Noel Diary , they definitely won’t have to.

Next: Leonor Will Never Die Review: A Wild Ride That Is Gorgeous & Inventive

The Noel Diary is now streaming on Netflix. The film is 99 minutes long and not rated.

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‘The Noel Diary’

Based on a novel by the bestselling author Richard Paul Evans — a master of holiday tales, best known for “The Christmas Box” — the romantic melodrama “The Noel Diary” sets itself apart from other “love blooms in late December” movies with its depth of detail. Justin Hartley doesn’t just play “a writer.” He’s Jake Turner, a mega-successful spy novelist who is handsome, witty and stubbornly alone. And Barrett Doss isn’t some generic jolt of positivity, sent to shake up the protagonist. She’s Rachel, a woman searching for her birth mother, Noel, who was Jake’s nanny when he was a toddler.

Further complex wrinkles ensue, as Jake and Rachel take a Christmastime road trip to sort out some of their old business, all while reading the journal Noel left at the Turner house decades ago, before tragedy tore that family apart. Accomplished director Charles Shyer (who also co-wrote the script with Rebecca Connor and David Golden) lets this story and the people in it develop naturally, never forcing conflicts or overplaying the diary gimmick. For the most part, this is a down-to-Earth kind of holiday romance, about fundamentally good people who are just a little broken inside.

“The Noel Diary” does eventually succumb to convention, as Jake has an overdue reunion with his estranged father and Rachel reckons with how an inconvenient fiancé complicates her affection for Jake. But overall, this picture is a refreshing alternative to the synthetic, simplistic Christmas movies that proliferate this time of year. Ditch the mistletoe and holly and it would still be a well-crafted, well-balanced character sketch, following two lost souls as they discover what they’ve been missing.

‘The Noel Diary.’ TV-PG for mild themes. 1 hour, 40 minutes. Available on Netflix

‘Falling for Christmas’

There’s only one real reason to see the holiday rom-com “Falling for Christmas,” and it’s not the plot, which is an unimaginative retread of the “self-centered aristocrat gets humbled” premise, following a vain influencer who develops amnesia and relearns how to be a real person while regaining her memory. There’s no reason to watch it for the festive trappings either, given that the movie is set in the same kind of quaint wintry locale — a ski town, in this case — that provides a backdrop for most of these kinds of films.

No, “Falling for Christmas” is all about its star, Lindsay Lohan, who brings every bit of her earthy charisma to a rare leading role. She plays the influencer, Sierra, an heiress with an insipid boyfriend/manager, Tad (George Young). When the two of them tumble off a mountain during a picturesque, Instagram-ready engagement announcement, he ends up getting lost in the woods while she is found by Jake (Chord Overstreet), a widower who runs a small, old-fashioned lodge that has been struggling in the shadow of Sierra’s father’s nearby luxury hotel. Unable to recall who she is, she becomes Jake’s employee — and a mother-figure to his young daughter.

This picture is predictable even by the formulaic standard of Christmas movies, with the characters rushing through plot-points that borrow liberally from “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Miracle on 34th Street.” But the overall mood is warm and cheery, and Lohan brings a spontaneous sincerity to even the corniest scenes. The movie’s wrapping is shiny and plastic, but its star quality is genuine.

‘Falling for Christmas.’ TV-PG for fear. 1 hour, 35 minutes. Available on Netflix

‘Christmas With You’

Like most holiday-themed TV movies, “Christmas With You” has a laborious setup, with multiple plot contrivances working to dislodge the heroine from her rut and get her to the place where she can recover her Christmas spirit. Once the story really gets going, though, it’s a low-key charmer, aided immeasurably by the performances of Aimee Garcia as a soul-sick middle-aged pop star named Angelina and Freddie Prinze Jr. as Miguel, the small-town music teacher who helps her break her creative block and write a Christmas song.

Angelina finds her way to Miguel when his 15-year-old daughter Cristina (Deja Monique Cruz) covers one of her songs on a fan site. In need of an ego-boost, Angelina pays Cristina a visit, fleeing New York without telling her panicked record label or her needy ex-boyfriend. She winds up getting spiritually refreshed by spending time with a happy family — and reconnecting with her Latin roots.

“Christmas with You” tries too hard to create complications and to trot out one-dimensional villains, none of which are convincing. It’s obvious from the moment Angelina meets Miguel and Cristina that all of her problems — romantic, creative, career, you name it — have just been solved. Still, Garcia and Prinze are so likable that it’s satisfying to see them spend an hour or so of screen time figuring out what the audience knows right away.

‘Christmas with You’. TV-PG for substances. 1 hour, 30 minutes. Available on Netflix

‘A Christmas Story Christmas’

The 1983 holiday classic “A Christmas Story” is a riotously entertaining yet hard-to-replicate stew of heartwarming nostalgia, gentle social satire and broad slapstick, drawn from the memories of wry radio humorist Jean Shepherd . The sequel “A Christmas Story Christmas” can’t hit the original’s highs — and at times tries too hard to repeat the shtick that worked the first time — but it is trying something unexpected by catching up with Ralphie Parker more than 30 years later, as a fumbling family man in the early 1970s.

Peter Billingsley (who also co-produced the film and co-wrote the story) returns as Ralphie, who is an unpublished, unemployed science-fiction author living in Chicago when he gets the call that his father has died, and that he needs to return to Hohman, Ind., to help his mom (Julie Hagerty). A lack of funds and a series of mishaps keeps Ralphie and his wife, Sandy (Erinn Hayes), from delivering their kids the perfect Christmas they’d planned, but with the help of his old Hohman friends — played by the same actors as in the 1983 film — he’s able to channel the spirit of his dad and make the best of what he has.

This sequel could’ve been more rooted in 1973, in the way that the original draws knowingly on the pop culture of 1940. But like its predecessor, it is enjoyably episodic, jumping from one comic vignette to another. Some of these connect, while others land with a thud. But so it goes with Christmas. Not every present is a winner.

‘A Christmas Story Christmas’ PG, for language and some rude material/behavior. 1 hour, 41 minutes. Available on HBO Max

‘Santa Camp’

When it comes to long-running fantasy characters — and especially those beloved by children — fans can be stubbornly resistant to any effort to modernize, reimagine or in any way make these icons more representative of the broader population. The documentary “Santa Camp” is partly about the controversy that arises whenever a mall or a public event books a Santa Claus who doesn’t have the “traditional” appearance: white, tubby, bearded, aged and male. But director Nick Sweeney really only covers that story tangentially, while focusing more on the efforts of one Santa-training agency to diversify its graduating class. Sometimes challenging and frequently moving, this movie considers the deeper reasons why Santa Claus inspires people — historically and now — while reminding viewers that the only reason traditions are traditions is because someone did them once and then did them again. We can always create new ones.

‘Santa Camp.’ TV-MA, for language. 1 hour, 32 minutes. Available on HBO Max

Also on VOD

“One Delicious Christmas” is part of an expanded slate of Discovery+ holiday movies featuring guest appearances by venerable HGTV and Food Network personalities. This one has basic cable staple Bobby Flay playing a restaurant critic, whose harsh opinion of a Vermont inn’s food causes problems for its new owner, Abby (Vanessa Marano), who inherited the business — and its old-fashioned menu — from her dearly departed dad. Available on Discovery+

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Is This Is Us star's new Netflix Christmas movie worth watching?

The Noel Diary is out now.

preview for The Noel Diary trailer (Netflix)

Like everything else around this 'most wonderful time of the year,' things are not wonderful for our protagonist Jacob Turner ( This is Us ' Justin Hartley), a famous heartthrob novelist whose only true love is his dog, Ava. He learns of his mother's death thanks to a lawyer's phone call, and we learn of their estrangement as he picks his way through the neatest hoarder's house we've ever seen.

Enter Rachel (Barrett Doss): beautiful, fluent in several languages, upfront and honest. She's hoping he can help her find her birth mother who used to nanny for Jacob and his brother, who died tragically at only 7 years old. They go on a journey of self-discovery, mending traumas and finally learning to embrace life.

barrett doss as rachel, justin hartley as jake in the noel diary

Related: Is Freddie Prinze Jr's Netflix Christmas movie worth your time?

It speaks to the star power of the two leads that even against the clichéd backdrop, you become invested in their relationship and their journeys. Of course, there is an element of mystery to the film that helps propel the plot forward – there are literal questions that get literal answers – but despite the corny sex-pot author jokes, there's a sweetness to Jacob and an earnestness to Rachel that makes them instantly likeable.

The Noel Diary leans into all of the trappings of its genre – like the snowstorm that forces our couple into a B'n'B (in two rooms though, giving the film its best self-aware moment) – and your enjoyment of the film will certainly be dictated by your level of tolerance for this kind of framework, and the gilding that comes with it. (Most people who go in for this kind of film, though, will likely be aware of the strictures to which a schmaltzy Christmas film must adhere.)

Luckily, The Noel Diary isn't laden with side plots and sub-plots that detract and overstuff the narrative. We get a glimpse into the life of Jacob's neighbour Ellie (the always magnificent Bonnie Bedelia), but that's pretty much it. There's no best-friend/assistant, and even Rachel's peripheral people (we won't spoil it) feature so briefly that you aren't too bothered by their lack of well-roundedness.

bonnie bedelia as eleanor foster in the noel diary

Related: Falling for Christmas merrily tolls the bells of the Lohanaissance

The film rests squarely on Hartley and Doss' shoulders and the pair to a valiant job keeping the schmaltz of it all from getting in the way of their jobs. Both have some Capital I Important 'trauma' to work through, but neither let the melodrama of it (nor the sometimes cheesy writing of it) weigh them down.

Somehow, both roles are buoyant — they bring to mind a chocolate souffle, delicate and airy but full of flavour and richness. Nor does the film take too-manipulative shortcuts, namely they don't kill the dog (thank god, because as soon as that dog showed up there was an innate fear that it would die to exact tears from viewers, but we feel safe in spoiling for you that Ava lives a long happy life!).

All in all, if you're looking for a well-acted, if slightly rote, Christmas film to get you in your feels, The Noel Diary is it.

The Noel Diary is now out on Netflix.

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Gabriella Geisinger is a freelance journalist and film critic, and was previously Deputy Movies Editor at Digital Spy. She loves Star Wars , coming-of-age stories, thrillers , and true crime. A born and raised New Yorker, she also loves coffee and the colour black, obviously.

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The noel diary, common sense media reviewers.

Book-based melodrama tackles death, adoption, relationships.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

It is possible to learn from past mistakes and rec

Jake seeks real connection outside of his fame. He

The main characters, who fall in love, are White a

An adult is informed that their parent has passed

Multiple people flirt with a handsome author at a

Recognized products and services include Land Rove

Adults drink wine and beer on different occasions.

Positive Messages

It is possible to learn from past mistakes and reconcile with long-lost loved ones. Children can change the patterns of their parents' behavior. Just because a parent gives a child up for adoption doesn't mean they don't love the child.

Positive Role Models

Jake seeks real connection outside of his fame. He holds a grudge toward his parents for their failures. As an adopted child, Rachel has always felt something was missing in her life. She is engaged to marry a man she doesn't fully love because he provides her security. A character is described as a "hoarder." Noel was forced by her parents, who cited religious reasons, to give up her baby when she was a teenager.

Diverse Representations

The main characters, who fall in love, are White and Black. A Black woman was adopted and raised by a biracial couple. One scene features members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

An adult is informed that their parent has passed away. The deceased is described as having had mental health problems for years, apparently stemming from the death of their young child. The accident that killed the child is shown without graphic detail in a flashback. A character visits the child's gravesite and gets emotional talking about them.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Multiple people flirt with a handsome author at a book signing. A character joins a dating app for people over 50 and meets someone right away, apparently spending the night with them on their first date. Two characters fall in love and, though one is engaged to marry someone else, they spend a night together. They are shown dancing and kissing, and one of them is seen shirtless in bed the next morning. Later they gaze at their partner's bare legs as they read in bed.

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Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Noel Diary is a romantic drama based on bestselling novelist Richard Paul Evans' story about two people facing past trauma and falling in love. The film tackles topics like the death of a child (which is shown in a flashback without graphic detail), estrangement from family, adoption, and finding love. The story centers around Jake Turner (Justin Hartley), a successful author, and Rachel (Barrett Doss), who is hoping to start a career as a translator. Both are shy about commitment because of their own emotional baggage. But they find themselves falling in love as they journey together to discover answers about Rachel's birth mother. They ultimately spend one night together while she is still engaged to another man, but although there is flirting, dancing, and kissing, nothing overtly sexual is shown. Some social drinking is depicted. A number of products are clearly identifiable either visually or by name, including Apple and Google. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Parents say (2)
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Based on 2 parent reviews

Journey of forgiveness, healing and hope.

What's the story.

Jake Turner ( Justin Hartley ) is a handsome, wealthy, bestselling author who lives alone and is estranged from his parents, in THE NOEL DIARY. When he gets a call out of the blue that his mother has passed away, he travels back to his childhood home to clean it out. One day while there, a woman shows up at his door asking about someone who used to live in the house with his parents. Thanks to the memories of helpful neighbor Ellie ( Bonnie Bedelia ), Jake and the woman, Rachel ( Barrett Doss ), discover that the person she's seeking was Jake's nanny and Rachel's biological mother. The discovery sends Jake and Rachel on a road trip to reconnect with Jake's father ( James Remar ) and to try to find out more information about Rachel's mother. The trip will force Jake and Rachel both outside their comfort zones in confronting their past, and potentially into each other's arms.

Is It Any Good?

This well-acted romantic drama -- based on Richard Paul Evans ' novel -- offers a welcome change from the usual frothy fare released for the holiday season. Hartley and Doss make a handsome and enticing couple in The Noel Diary . Their interactions feel refreshingly mature as they connect over jazz music and reckon with their own life choices. The film wanders into melodrama at times, giving off a soap opera vibe, like in an unnecessary slow-mo flashback to a child's death. But, as a whole, both the drama and the romance work, and if the original novelist's success is any measure, this film will find a broad audience.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how romance and sex is portrayed in The Noel Diary . How does Jake and Rachel's relationship change throughout the movie? Are they respectful to one another as well as to others? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding sex and relationships.

Discuss why a person who was put up for adoption might want to find their birth parents.

Why was Jake estranged from his parents? Did you understand his feelings?

What role did music play in the movie -- both music the characters listen to and the soundtrack played over scenes? What feelings did the music evoke?

Movie Details

On DVD or streaming : November 24, 2022
Cast : Justin Hartley , Barrett Doss , Bonnie Bedelia
Director : Charles Shyer
Inclusion Information : Female actors, Black actors
Studio : Netflix
Genre : Drama
Topics : Book Characters , Friendship , Holidays
Run time : 100 minutes
MPAA rating : NR
Last updated : February 17, 2023

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DVD & Streaming

The Noel Diary

Comedy , Drama , Romance

Content Caution

two people and a dog driving a snowy car - The Noel Diary

In Theaters

Justin Hartley as Jake Turner; Barrett Doss as Rachel; Bonnie Bedelia as Eleanor; James Remar as Scott Turner; Andrea Sooch as Svetlana; Essence Atkins as Noel Ellis

Home Release Date

November 24, 2022
Charles Shyer

Distributor

Movie review.

What do you get when you throw two strangers, a cute dog and the old diary of a pregnant woman together? A Netflix Christmas rom-com.

Jake Turner is a famous spy novelist who hasn’t spoken to either of his parents in a long time. But after his mom passes away, he returns to his childhood home for the first time in 17 years.

Meanwhile, Rachel never met her birth mom, Noel. She was adopted. But now that she’s getting married, she has doubts about love. And she wants closure. She wants to know if Noel ever truly loved her. And that leads her straight to Jake’s.

Noel was Jake’s nanny while she was pregnant. And while she lived with his family, she kept a diary—a diary which Jake’s mom held onto for 35 years.

Together, maybe they’ll be able to find out what happened to Noel after she gave birth. And maybe Jake will find some closure of his own.

Positive Elements

We learn that the Turners took Noel in after her own parents kicked her out. Noel then brought great comfort to the Turner family after the sudden death of their oldest son, Benjamin.

A father and son reconcile after many years of silence. Jake eventually finds and thanks Noel for the kindness she showed his family after his brother’s death. He also reassures Noel that Rachel understands why she wasn’t raised by her birth mother. We learn a mother left her diary behind so her daughter would know how much she was loved. Folks are genuinely kind to each other throughout the film.

Spiritual Elements

When Noel became pregnant, her parents told her that God disapproved. However, Noel believes that God forgives mistakes and she makes the brave choice to make an adoption plan for her baby. Jake’s dad calls Noel a “godsend.”

Some Christmas carolers sing hymns. Someone says that the “universe” rewards the brave. We see stained-glass images of Christ.

Sexual Content

A couple makes out and it’s implied they have sex (she unbuttons her top and the next morning he wakes up without a shirt on). The woman neglects to tell her fiancé and moves forward with her plans to marry him.

It’s implied that an unmarried couple spent the night together, and we see them kissing the next day. There are some jokes about inns that only have one room available for two unmarried people.

Noel becomes pregnant unexpectedly when she is 17. We don’t hear many of the nitty gritty details, but we do learn that the father of her child never reached out.

Many women flirt with Jake and talk about his good looks. One woman tells him how to make a character in his books “sexier.” A same-sex couple asks him to sign their copy of his latest book. A woman wears some revealing outfits.

Violent Content

We learn that Benjamin died at 7 years of age after a branch broke on a tree he was climbing. A flashback shows the branch breaking and the ornament he was holding shattering.

Crude or Profane Language

God’s name is misused five times. There’s also a single use of “bloody h—.”

Drug and Alcohol Content

People drink wine and champagne. A woman wears a cigar ring as an engagement band.

Other Negative Elements

Though Jake’s mom never makes an appearance on screen, her character demonstrates how grief can consume a person. We see that she became a hoarder and a recluse. (The executor of her estate tells Jake that she rarely left the house and never allowed neighbors inside.) Hers and her husband’s grief eventually led to their divorce. And even though her husband wrote many letters to Jake, she found herself unable to deliver them, keeping them hidden in a box instead. This also led to a complicated relationship with Jake and resulted in him leaving the house for good when he was just 17 years old.

We hear that a teen girl’s parents kicked her out because they were ashamed when she became pregnant out of wedlock.

A woman repeatedly lies to her fiancé. And she as much as admits that she’s only with him because he makes her feel secure.

The thing about closure is that you never really know what will bring it. Rachel thinks that meeting her birth mother will absolve all her fears of being unloved. Jake believes that cleaning out his mother’s house will allow him to move on from his childhood trauma.

Both are wrong. And it’s a longer journey than they expected to find peace. But in the end, they wind up with something much better than they had anticipated.

The Noel Diary touches on some sensitive subjects: a teen’s unplanned pregnancy, a young boy’s accidental death and a family’s grief tearing them apart. However, it also reconciles these problems in some beautiful ways.

Unfortunately, the film also tries to “normalize” premarital sex. We never see the act on screen, but we know that at least three different couples copulate. And that’s perhaps a message that will prevent many families from watching.

Emily Tsiao

Emily studied film and writing when she was in college. And when she isn’t being way too competitive while playing board games, she enjoys food, sleep, and geeking out with her husband indulging in their “nerdoms,” which is the collective fan cultures of everything they love, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate and Lord of the Rings.

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‘The Noel Diary’ Ending Explained: Netflix’s Justin Hartley Christmas Movie Leaves Room for a Sequel

Where to stream:.

The Noel Diary
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In many ways, The Noel Diary , which is now streaming on Netflix , is your typical Christmas-themed romantic comedy. But there are parts that will surprise audiences, particularly when it comes to The Noel Diary ending.

That’s in part thanks to director and co-writer Charles Shyer, a veteran of the rom-com genre who directed notable ’90s hits like Father of the Bride and The Parent Trap. Shyer knows these tropes inside and out. He knows when to play them up, and he knows when to turn them on their head. And he does both of those things in The Noel Diary , a charming tale that stars This Is Us ‘s Justin Hartley as a dreamy, big-time author who returns to his hometown after the death of his mother.

For that reason, The Noel Diary ending might not be exactly what audiences are expecting. Netflix viewers are used to the streamer’s Christmas movies by now, and most come with a romantic resolution. But The Noel Diary handles the ending with a lighter touch that may leave audiences wanting more. Read on to learn more about The Noel Diary ending explained and what we know about a possible Noel Diary sequel.

What is The Noel Diary about?

The Noel Diary stars Justin Hartley as a best-selling novelist named Jake, who returns to his small hometown after he learns of the death of his estranged mother. While Jake is cleaning out his mother’s house, he meets a beautiful young woman named Rachel (played by Barrett Doss), who was adopted as a child and is searching for her birth mother. Rachel’s mother once worked for Jake’s family as a nanny, so she is hoping Jake can give her a lead. Though Jake doesn’t know anything himself, he agrees to drive with Rachel to visit Jake’s estranged father to gather more information.

Along the journey, Rachel discovers her mother’s old diary. It’s a treasure trove of information about her mom, whose name is Noel, and who worked as a nanny for Jake’s family when he was only four years old. Meanwhile, sparks are beginning to fly between Jake and Rachel. The only problem? Rachel is engaged to be married to some stick-in-the-mud named Andy.

The Noel Diary ending explained:

After Jake reconciles with his father, he and Rachel spend the night in a hotel room together, because, in the grand tradition of romantic comedy tropes, there was only one bed . The two drink, dance, and celebrate Rachel’s birthday, and end up sleeping together. But the next morning, Rachel feels she’s made a mistake by cheating on her fiance Alan. She slips out in the morning and leaves Jake a note, apologizing and telling him it won’t work out between the two of them. She also tells him she is going to give up on tracking down her mother, despite the fact that she now knows where her mom is. According to Rachel, the diary gave her everything she needed to know.

Jake decides to track down Rachel’s mother himself. He thanks Noel for what she did for his family, and tells her that her daughter Rachel is an amazing person. Then on Christmas Day, Jake goes for the big romantic gesture. He stands outside Rachel’s home and calls her on the phone, asking her to be with him. Rachel tells Jake to go away, and he responds that he will—if she can honestly say she doesn’t love him. After a moment, Rachel says, “I don’t love you,” and Jake leaves. Tough break!

But don’t worry, they don’t leave it at that. After the holidays, while Jake is preparing to finally leave his mother’s house, he happens to look up while getting in the car. Standing there, across the street in the snow, is Rachel. She smiles at him, and he smiles back. And with that, the movie ends.

While we don’t see them kiss, the implication is clearly that Rachel broke up with Alan (finally!) and is here to begin her life with Jake. According to an interview with The Hollywood Reporter , director Charles Shyer was adamant that the couple not kiss in the end.

“The ending was really tricky,” Shyer said. “The inspiration for that is Claude Lelouch movies, which I’m a major fan of. In fact, this is very much like a Lelouch ending because I didn’t want something that was just so on the nose. The producers kept saying that we needed to have them kiss at the end but I said no.”

Will there be a Noel Diary 2 ?

While there is no official word either way on a possible Noel Diary sequel, right now it doesn’t seem likely that The Noel Diary 2 is happening. Neither the cast nor the director Charles Shyer has indicated that they are thinking about a sequel movie. And the book that the movie is based on, The Noel Diary by Richard Paul Evans, is a standalone story without a sequel, though it is part of a series of unrelated Christmas-themed tales called The Noel Collection .

That said, never say never. Netflix has made sequels to its Christmas hits in the past, including The Princess Switch franchise, so if The Noel Diary continues to do well for Netflix, it’s possible the streamer may want to continue the story. And there’s plenty of more story to tell. Rachel never got to reunite with her mom, and, of course, we never got to see the couple kiss at the end.

While Shyer didn’t exactly indicate that The Noel Diary 2 is his ideal next project, the director did state frankly in a candid interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he intends to keep working as long as he can, and that he’s much less picky about projects these days. “I just have a lot of energy. I want to keep going. I actually love the process and I love the camaraderie,” he said. “I love what I do. If I drop dead, maybe it will be holding a camera.”

Where was The Noel Diary filmed?

The Noel Diary takes place in Connecticut, across various small towns including Bridgeport, Cornwall Bridge, and Ridgefield. There was no Hollywood trickery at play here— The Noel Diary was filmed on location in various spots in Connecticut. Some real-life locations include RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT; the Griswold Inn in Essex, CT; and the town hall in New Canaan.

While it may look snowy and cold on screen, The Noel Diary was actually filmed in the middle of summer. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter , director Charles Shyer explained how it happened, saying, “We started out in Vancouver, we had location scouted, hired crew and everything, but then COVID-19 hit. We got booted out of Canada and had to move to Connecticut in the middle of summer when it was 90 degrees. Making a Christmas movie under those conditions was really a challenge.”

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25 Days of Bingemas, Day 2: ‘The Noel Diary’

On the second day of streaming delightfully absurd holiday movies, we’re gifted a Netflix joint about a mystery novelist, an estranged daughter, and some light adultery

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Share All sharing options for: 25 Days of Bingemas, Day 2: ‘The Noel Diary’

The Ringer ’s 25 Days of Bingemas is a guide for people who love original holiday movies; it’s a guide for people who hate original holiday movies; it’s a guide for people who occasionally watch these movies and want more; its a guide for people who never hope to watch these movies but would like to watch one writer descend into madness as she attempts to differentiate between 25 unique forms of holiday magic, 12 different fake countries, and eight different male leads who make you wonder, Wait, is that the guy from Mean Girls ? (It isn’t, except for the one time when it is .) Every day for the next 25 days, Jodi Walker will feature one of this season’s 169 original holiday movies, answering a curated series of questions in order to showcase the genre’s masterful formula, the dedication to chaos, and the commitment to consistently widowing lumberjacks that launched an entire genre of TV movie. On the second day of Bingemas, we turn our cheerful spirits to…

What are we watching?

The Noel Diary .

Where are we watching it?

Why are we watching it.

Because, per Netflix , “cleaning out his childhood home at Christmas, a novelist meets a woman searching for her birth mother. Will an old diary unlock their pasts—and hearts?” I don’t know, WILL IT? (You guys are not gonna believe this, but …)

How many Vanessa Hudgenses are in this?

Zero Vanessa Hudgenses star, but one Justin Hartley from This Is Us stars, which is, frankly, one Justin Hartley too many . I’m so sorry, I recognize that the man has eyes that seem to constantly be sparkling with tears, and the towering presence of a leading man in a TV movie based on a novel— but how could Netflix betray its homegrown star Chrishell Stause like this ? After building a reality empire off the power of her and her divorce via text ?! I can set the treachery aside for the sake of Christmas spirit, but it has been noted and documented. Barrett Doss—who has probably never broken the heart of a woman who was named after a man who helped her mom after she went into labor at a gas station—also stars.

How believable are the lead characters’ ostensible careers?

Jacob Turner is a bestselling author so famous for his spy novels that he has to say, “Yes, that Jacob Turner” every time he calls a hotel concierge. His gorgeous face covers the sides of buses like he’s Carrie Bradshaw in 2002. ( And I couldn’t help but wonder : Does minor celebrity Justin Hartley specify in his contracts that he must play a major celebrity in all of his onscreen roles ?) It’s the movie trying to convince us that a bestselling novelist looks like Justin Hartley that I ultimately must call ostensible-shenanigans on. There’s simply not enough time in the day for leg workouts and the constant existential dread of being a writer.

Who’s dead?

OK, this one is a doozy. On just the second day of Bingemas, The Noel Diary is giving this cheat-sheet format a run for its money. Because this original holiday movie is a little more, uh, Eeyore in tone than I’m accustomed to; I don’t think Justin Hartley fully smiles with teeth until the final freeze frame of the movie …

But please rest assured that the movie does end in freeze frame, and the holiday beats are all there: snow, romance, one room at the inn for two allegedly platonic people, and, of course, death. Big breath, here we go: Jacob finds out that his mother died, and has to leave his mansion that modern literature built where he was spending Christmas alone in order to clean out his childhood home. Once there, we find out that his brother also died when they were children, and the lasting trauma of that event is why the family became estranged. The woman loitering outside his mom’s house believes that her birth mother once worked there as a nanny, but doesn’t know whether she’s now alive or dead.

Is there a building in disrepair, or a business facing financial ruin?

It turns out that Jacob’s mom was a hoarder, but was into a very clean kind of hoarding. In fact, much of what she was collecting appears to be cleaning supplies. Most importantly, though: within a buried box marked “personal” is a diary written by Jacob’s love interest Rachel’s birth mother, whose name was—and you’re not gonna believe this— Noel .

How problematic is the meet-cute on a scale of “one saved the other from falling in a snowbank” to “one is the other’s boss and they fall in love on a work trip”?

Unfortunately, Rachel has a fiancé when she stumbles into the hot, mourning man cleaning out her birth mother’s former residence, ultimately setting them on an emotional and sometimes romantic Christmas quest together. But this movie has a real “don’t let your fiancé, Alan, stop you from meeting your husband, Jacob” mentality, and for that we are grateful.

Is there any singing/crafting/baking/blogging?

In 1989, keeping a diary that you hope your birth daughter will eventually discover was basically blogging, so I’m going to say yes: the running narration of Noel’s diary about her pregnancy is akin to a blog. However, I wonder if she would have written with such detail and elegance if she knew that Rachel was going to cozy up in bed to read one of Jacob’s airport novels before she’d even finished her birth mother’s diary containing the details of her birth story that she’s been desperately searching for through snowy backroads with a stranger.

Is there a child who’s wise beyond his/her years?

No, but there is a plot-driving dog named Ava.

Does anyone almost kiss only to be interrupted?

Yes, interrupted by the plot-driving dog named Ava!

Does anything tip the scales from G to PG?

Well, Ava can’t always be there. And once Jacob has reconciled with his father, and once Jacob and Rachel have set out into yet another snowstorm together, and once the storm forces them to find an inn, and once that inn has only one room, and once the inn serves them a five-star room service dinner, well, you know what time it is: implied sex with sun-dappled morning-after regret time. Because, oh yeah, Rachel is still engaged, and while Netflix may have the moral leniency to depict tongue-kissing before marriage, the company seems to draw the line at adultery.

Did this movie make me cry?

Somewhat unexpectedly, yes . I thought I knew the tear-jerking moment we were all working toward: Rachel meeting her birth mother, at which point I would have held back tears out of spite for pandering. But in a real twist, Rachel decides that Noel’s diary was all the reassurance she needed and that cheating on her nebulous fiancé, Alan, with a hot, famous author who’s super in love with her was a bad idea, and returns home without going to meet Noel. So when Jacob shows up at Noel’s doorstep alone, and introduces himself as the little boy she once cared for during the loss of his brother, it’s actually a really nice moment, made all the nicer and more tear-inducing by the brief cameo from Essence Atkins, who I cannot believe is now old enough to play this role. Executive producer Justin Hartley (surprise!) wasn’t messing around with casting.

What is the meaning of Christmas, as stated by the film?

Jacob says “the universe rewards the brave” no less than five times in this film, and I guess that ultimately is the meaning of Christmas: saying an unattributed quote around someone enough so that when you repeat it back to them during a soaring, rain-soaked monologue, they have no choice but to leave their fiancé for you.

In This Stream

Welcome to the ringer’s 25 days of bingemas.

25 Days of Bingemas, Day 25: ‘The Most Colorful Time of the Year’
25 Days of Bingemas, Day 1: ‘Ghosts of Christmas Always’

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The Noel Diary - Everything You Need To Know

When the holiday season rolls around, it's always a delight to discover a new Christmas movie . And if you want to mix that holly jolly feeling with a bit of romance, then "The Noel Diary" might be the perfect present for you to open.

Based on the New York Times bestselling novel by Richard Paul Evans (who's established himself as a skilled writer of Christmas stories with other tales like "A Christmas Memory" and "The Christmas Promise"), "The Noel Diary" was released on Netflix on November 24, 2022. The film explores age-old holiday themes like family and love while also grappling with the past. With a skilled filmmaker at the helm and an impressive cast, "The Noel Diary" is sure to make you feel as warm as a hot cup of coco, and if you want to know more about this Netflix Christmas treat, read on for everything you should know about "The Noel Diary."

What is the plot of The Noel Diary?

"The Noel Diary" introduces us to Jake Turner, a handsome romance novelist who's just learned that his mother has passed away. Needing to handle her affairs, Jake heads back to his mom's Connecticut home where he 1) learns his mom had become a hoarder and 2) finds a mysterious journal, one written by the titular Noel. Soon, Jake meets a mysterious woman named Rachel who seems particularly interested in Jake's home. Turns out, her mom used to be Jake's nanny. In fact, her mother is the one who wrote that aforementioned journal, and Rachel is hoping to find her mom.

Unfortunately, Jake doesn't remember his old nanny. Of course, he's a bit smitten with the beautiful Rachel and decides to lend a helping hand. The two set out on a road trip to find Jake's estranged dad, hoping he'll be able to let them know what happened to Rachel's mom. Along the way, they read more of Noel's diary, all while slowly but surely falling in love — which is complicated by the fact that Rachel is engaged. Will these two figure out what happened in their families' past, and will they fall in love amidst the snowy landscape and good holiday vibes?

Who stars in The Noel Diary?

Justin Hartley stars in "The Noel Diary" as the protagonist, Jacob Turner. Hartley also starred in the critically acclaimed TV series "This Is Us," "Jane the Virgin," and "Smallville," as well as in popular movies such as the animated film "Injustice" and Netflix's "Senior Year," making this his second Netflix original movie to date.

Barrett Doss also stars in the film as Rachel, the young woman Jacob meets who's trying to find her birth mother. Doss found her footing in a 2013 episode of "30 Rock" and has since portrayed Victoria Hughes in the Shondaland universe of "Station 19" and "Grey's Anatomy."

As for the rest of the cast, Essence Atkins plays the titular Noel, and you may have previously seen her in movies like "A Haunted House" and series like "First Wives Club." Bonnie Bedelia of "Die Hard" fame plays the friendly neighbor of Jake's mom, and character actor James Remar ("The Warriors," "Dexter," "48 Hrs.") plays our protagonist's estranged dad. Other members of the cast include Andrea Sooch, Jeff Corbett, Lauren Yaffe, Mike Donovan, Whitney Kimball Long, Baylen D. Bietz, and Samantha Smart.

Who directed The Noel Diary?

"The Noel Diary" is helmed by veteran writer and director Charles Shyer. Shyer has several highly successful films under his directorial belt, including "Father of the Bride," "Alfie," and "Private Benjamin," and he's written far more.

In addition to directing the film, Charles Shyer also took part in penning the script, with help from Rebecca Connor (a first-time screenwriter) and David Golden ("Dangerous Lies"). The producers of the film are Timothy O. Johnson, who has over 200 producing credits to his name, including other Christmas-themed movies such as "Dear Santa" and "Holiday Engagement." Margret Huddleston — who has experience directing Netflix originals, including "Love in the Villa" and "Love, Guaranteed" — Stephanie Slack and executive producers Hartley Stephens and Norman Stephens round out the team.

In other words, when it comes to romantic holiday fare, "The Noel Diary" has quite an experienced team working behind the scenes.

How are critics and audiences responding to The Noel Diary?

Believe it or not, "The Noel Diary" is a rare instance of a cheerful holiday rom-com where the critical scores are better than the audience scores. Granted, at the time of this writing, there are only eight critics reviews on Rotten Tomatoes versus 100+ audience reviews. Still, you'd think it would be the other way around.

On the critical side of things, "The Noel Diary" has a 63% approval rating. Lisa Kennedy of The New York Times summed up the generally good spirits, saying, "Director Charles Shyer brings a journeyman's ease to the screenplay (based on Richard Paul Evans' novel by the same name): embracing holiday movie expectations here, gently deflecting them there." In fairness, on the negative side of things, Amanda Guarragi of Ready Steady Cut wrote, "It has some sweet moments, but it doesn't necessarily work because [Justin] Hartley is a bit too detached from the role and doesn't sell the romantic lead at all."

As for audiences, "The Noel Diary" just has a 57% approval rating. Granted, that means over half of reviewers enjoyed the film, but that still counts as a rotten score. Ultimately, you'll have to make up your own mind if "The Noel Diary" works just as well on the screen as it does on the page.

What is The Noel Diary rated?

Most Christmas movies are upbeat films that are generally safe to watch with your family, and that's pretty much the case for "The Noel Diary." The film is rated TV-PG, and while it is a romance, it's pretty light on the sexual content, other than a few implications here and there. Netflix also categorizes the film as "charming," "heartfelt," and "feel-good," implying that there is a happy ending and that younger viewers are unlikely to be disturbed by the content of the film.

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Movie reviews: Hollywood and Indie, specializing in independent comedies, dramas, thrillers and romance.

Thursday, November 24, 2022

The noel diary: movie review.

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The Noel Diary Parent Guide

More than a romance, this movie is a hopeful and healing story about forgiveness and fresh starts..

Netflix: A successful novelist returns to his childhood home to settle his late mother's estate. While there, he meets a woman in search of her birth mother. As they work together, they learn more about their family stories.

Release date November 24, 2022

Run Time: 99 minutes

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The guide to our grades, parent movie review by kirsten hawkes.

Jake Turner (Justin Hartley) is living his best life. The best-selling novelist is mobbed at book signings before retreating to his chic, mid-century country home to enjoy his collectibles and listen to jazz with his favorite companion – his loyal dog, Ava. It’s a lonely life, but it’s what he wants, or at least what he think he wants, which is pretty much the same thing.

The news of his mother’s death comes as a shock. As her heir, Jake must return to his hometown, clean out the hoarded possessions of 20 years and figure out what to do with everything else – including the legacy of heartache that has riven his family apart.

I had low expectations of this film since it’s based on a book by Richard Paul Evans and I am not a fan of his work, finding it overly treacly. If you love his books, please don’t take this personally. I have a shriveled up little critic’s heart so I tend to shy away from sentimentalism. Luckily, my fears were for naught and The Noel Diary turned out to be a pleasantly watchable film. Justin Hartley and Barrett Doss bring their very good-looking characters to convincing life, give them authentic emotions that don’t go over the top, and have enough chemistry to keep the movie warm without ever sizzling. Best of all, Christmas is almost incidental to the plot, so this movie is not crushed by the weight of Christmas decorations in every conceivable nook and cranny. There’s more music than tinsel in this film, and the jazz standards and seasonal tunes are a real festive bonus.

Family audiences will be pleased with the number of positive themes in the script. This movie powerfully delivers its messages of patience, persistence, forgiveness, and family reconciliation. It’s a reminder of the critical need we all have for acceptance, belonging and love in our families and how that security is a critical building block for adult life. The story also demonstrates that it’s never too late to heal what’s been broken or to have a fresh start. The Noel Diary is more than a romance, it’s a hopeful and ultimately healing journey. These factors, combined with a paucity of negative content (minimal swearing, implied but unseen sex), make this movie safe watching for pretty much anyone who wants a clean romance flick.

That said, the movie has some flaws that drove me crazy, the worst of which is the ending. Romance movie fans expect a big finish and this movie has an excruciatingly abrupt finale. None of the elements fans expect are in the ending – the happy ever after is clearly visible and then the movie ends without the satisfactory wrap-up that would take two or three minutes of screen time. The movie also mishandles winter (you can’t leave people in cold cars for HOURS, drivers need to scrape side windows, etc.) which will irritate viewers who live in cold climates. Less fussy viewers, however, will enjoy this warm-hearted hopeful story of love warming away the chill of loss, loneliness, and uncertainty. It’s sweet and sincere and you really can’t ask for much more in a rom-com.

About author

Kirsten hawkes, watch the trailer for the noel diary.

The Noel Diary Rating & Content Info

Why is The Noel Diary rated TV-PG? The Noel Diary is rated TV-PG by the MPAA for mild themes.

Violence: There is discussion of the accidental death of a child. Sexual Content: There are scenes of men and women kissing. An unwed teen pregnancy is a plot point. Sexual activity is implied but never seen. Profanity: The script contains a handful of terms of deity. Alcohol / Drug Use: Adults drink wine with meals.

Page last updated January 20, 2024

The Noel Diary Parents' Guide

Why is Jake’s family divided? How did his parents’ choices affect Jake? How does Jake overcome the heartache of the past? What role does Rachel have in helping Jake change his family? How does helping Rachel wind up benefiting Jake? Do you learn anything from this film that can help you with a difficult relationship?

Loved this movie? Try these books…

This movie is based on the novel The Noel Diary by Richard Paul Evans. Other Christmas books by Mr. Evans include A Christmas Memory, The Noel Letters, The Mistletoe Promise, The Mistletoe Secret, The Noel Stranger, The Mistletoe Inn, Noel Street, Finding Noel, Lost December, The Gift, A Christmas Memory, Promise Me, and Finding Noel.

Mystery author Anne Perry has written several Victorian Christmas novellas with a forgiveness theme. These include A Christmas Return, A Christmas Journey, A Christmas Resolution, A Christmas Hope, and A Christmas Grace.

Related news about The Noel Diary

Under the Mistletoe

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‘The Notebook’ Review: A Musical Tear-Jerker or Just All Wet?

The 2004 weepie comes to Broadway with songs by Ingrid Michaelson and a $5 box of tissues.

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On a darkened stage, a man in a white tank top lifts a woman wearing a blue dress under pouring stage rain.

By Jesse Green

Romantic musicals are as personal as romance itself. What makes you sigh and weep may leave the person next to you bored and stony.

At “The Notebook,” I was the person next to you.

You were sniffling even before anything much happened onstage. As the lights came up, an old man dozed while a teenage boy and girl frisked nearby in an unconvincing body of water. A wispy song called “Time” wafted over the footlights: “Time time time time/It was never mine mine mine.”

But having seen (I’m guessing more than once) the 2004 movie on which “The Notebook” is based, and possibly having read the 1996 novel by Nicholas Sparks, you perfectly well knew what was coming. That was the point of mounting the show, which opened on Thursday at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater , in the first place.

It therefore cannot be a spoiler — and anyway this block of cheese is impervious — to reveal that over the course of the 54 years covered by the musical, the frisky boy, Noah, turns into the dozing man. And that Allie, the frisky girl, having overcome various impediments to their love, winds up his wife. Nor does it give anything away to add that Allie, now 70 and in a nursing home with dementia, will not remember Noah until he recites their story from a notebook she prepared long ago for that purpose.

So there’s a reason the producers are selling teeny $5 “Notebook”-themed boxes of tissues in the lobby. Love is powerful. Dementia is sad. The result can be heartbreaking.

Or maybe, seen with a cold eye, meretricious.

The movie, a super-slick Hollywood affair, did everything it could to keep the eye warm. Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, as the young couple, could not have been glowier. The soundtrack relied on precision-crafted standards like “I’ll Be Seeing You” to yank at your tear ducts. The production design, like a montage of greeting cards come to life , celebrated valentine passion, anniversary tenderness and golden sympathy, releasing flocks of trained geese into a technicolor sunset to symbolize lifelong pair bonding.

The musical, unwilling except at the margins to alter a plot so beloved — or at least so familiar — tries to distinguish itself in other ways. It aims for a rougher, hand-hewn texture, befitting Noah’s career as a carpenter and the indie-folk sound of its songwriter, Ingrid Michaelson . The directors, Michael Greif and Schele Williams, have cast the couples regardless of race: a nice, universalizing touch.

In other updates, the book writer, Bekah Brunstetter, has shifted the period by two decades — Noah fights in Vietnam, not at the Battle of the Bulge. She adds a third, intermediate incarnation of the couple, crowding the stage with replicants and pushing the 27-year-old Allie (Joy Woods) into the star spot because someone has to be there. (The 29-year-old Noah is played by Ryan Vasquez.) And instead of the cliché geese, Brunstetter gives us … sea turtles?

No, I don’t get that one either.

In any case, the de-slicking was a mistake; it turns out that the Hollywood varnish was the only thing holding the picture together. In its place, the musical makes few convincing arguments for a separate existence.

Certainly Michaelson’s relentlessly mid-tempo songs do not; they are pretty but flyaway, as insubstantial as blue smoke. Except for a number in which teenager Allie and Noah (Jordan Tyson and John Cardoza) first see each other undressed, the lyrics are vague and humorless, often budding with clichés the book is trying to prune. “I wanna know that my old heart can grow like spring again,” sings Older Noah (Dorian Harewood) — an alarming thought, really, for a 72-year-old or for his cardiologist. Older Allie (the great Maryann Plunkett) barely sings at all, a great loss.

When songs provide so little information, barely differentiating the characters let alone advancing the plot, a musical tends to sag. And when a musical has gone to some trouble to accommodate those songs — the movie of “The Notebook” runs two hours, the show hardly 20 minutes more — the trade-offs are of the nose-versus-face variety.

So Brunstetter, hacking through the story with a scythe to make room, has left bald stumps everywhere. Allie’s meddling, disapproving parents are demoted to mere nasties, their motivations discarded with their back story. Her fiancé is a nonentity. What Noah and Allie do between their late teens (when they meet and separate) and their late 20s (when they are rapturously rejoined) is reduced to a throwaway: “Let’s see — heartbreak, graduation, many many Tuesdays, Thanksgivings, a war.” Flip lines like that break whatever spell the material, usually earnest to a fault, is trying to cast.

The staging is consistently more engaging. Unlike the movie, which keeps its focus on one couple at a time, here we often get all three together, in color-coded costumes (by Paloma Young) that clarify their connections. (The Noahs wear blue and brown, the Allies blue and white.) And though the switching among them sometimes feels mechanical, as the lights (by Ben Stanton) dim on Older Noah reading the notebook and rise on the younger characters enacting its story, the process creates a kind of time-lapse exposure that feels natively theatrical and thus occasionally effective.

On Allie’s side of the equation especially, the time-lapse provides information the movie did not. Because all three ages exist simultaneously, her impetuousness as a teenager is connected to her indecisiveness 10 years later and, perhaps less credibly, to her eventual dementia. In all periods, her relationship to home — “Home” is the title of the Act I finale — is usefully forefronted: the home she leaves, the home she dreams of, the home Noah builds her, the home she cannot get back to.

But only in this last stage does “The Notebook” achieve any real pathos, thanks to Plunkett’s uncompromising naturalism and the lifetime of stage savvy she inevitably brings with her. Her locked-down Allie, banging frantically on the doors of her memory, is an unexpectedly terrifying character to meet in an otherwise bland musical.

It doesn’t hurt that, for those who have followed Plunkett over the years, she is also banging down the doors of our memory. Her troubled Agnes in “Agnes of God” (her Broadway debut, in 1982), her insouciant Sally in “Me and My Girl,” for which she won a Tony Award, and her series of anxious dinner-table Americans in all 12 plays of Richard Nelson’s “Rhinebeck Panorama” help turn a barely there character into a moving one.

Whether that is sufficient to make me cry for a would-be weepie is a different matter. That the “Notebook”-themed tissues are so teeny says it all.

The Notebook At the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater, Manhattan; notebookmusical.com . Running time: 2 hours 20 minutes.

Jesse Green is the chief theater critic for The Times. He writes reviews of Broadway, Off Broadway, Off Off Broadway, regional and sometimes international productions. More about Jesse Green

IMAGES

The Noel Diary (2022)
‘The Noel Diary’ Review: Revelations on a Cold Winter’s Night
The Noel Diary (2022) movie poster
The Noel Diary (2022)
The Noel Diary Movie Review: The Story Is Dealt with In a Pleasant and
Justin Hartley Stars in Netflix Christmas Movie 'The Noel Diary

COMMENTS

The Noel Diary
Movie Info. When best-selling author Jake Turner (Justin Hartley) returns home at Christmas to settle his estranged mother's estate, he discovers a diary that may hold secrets to his own past and ...
'The Noel Diary' Review: Revelations on a Cold Winter's Night
Nov. 24, 2022. The Noel Diary. Directed by Charles Shyer. Comedy, Drama, Romance. 1h 39m. Find Tickets. When you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed film through our site, we earn an ...
'The Noel Diary' Netflix Review: Stream It or Skip It?
'The Noel Diary' starring Justin Hartley and Barrett Doss is a new holiday movie on Netflix about a best-selling author settling the estate of his late mother.
The Noel Diary (2022)
The Noel Diary: Directed by Charles Shyer. With Justin Hartley, Barrett Doss, Bonnie Bedelia, James Remar. The story of a man who returns home on Christmas to settle his estranged mother's estate. Once there, he discovers a diary that may hold secrets to his own past and of a beautiful young woman on a mysterious journey of her own.
The Noel Diary review
We review the Netflix film The Noel Diary, which does not contain spoilers. The Christmas season brings some interesting concepts in the holiday setting, and The Noel Diary is fairly unique.When big-time author Jacob Turner (Justin Hartley) gets the call that his mother passed away, he returns to his hometown to gather her things.
The Noel Diary Review: Hartley & Ross Have Electric Chemistry In
In his latest, Hartley takes on life as a self-isolated writer hoping to grow from his past to make room for a great future. Adapted from Richard Paul Evans' novel of the same name, The Noel Diary brings love and loss to the forefront of its script. The film exceeds expectations with respect to being a Netflix Christmas production, but it is ...
The Noel Diary
The Noel Diary is a 2022 American Christmas romantic comedy-drama film directed by Charles Shyer. The Noel Diary was released on November 24, 2022, by Netflix. ... On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 69% of 16 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.4/10.
Reviews: 'The Noel Diary' stands out among holiday movies
'The Noel Diary' Based on a novel by the bestselling author Richard Paul Evans — a master of holiday tales, best known for "The Christmas Box" — the romantic melodrama "The Noel ...
The Noel Diary
The Noel Diary - Metacritic. 2022. TV-14. 1 h 39 m. Summary When best-selling author Jake Turner (Justin Hartley) 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 (Barrett Doss) - an intriguing young woman on a mission of her own.
The Noel Diary review
The Noel Diary is Netflix 's antidote to the super-saccharine rom-com Christmas movie. It is full of dulcet, mournful piano and longing, stolen glances; it is, in this way, a perfect Christmas ...
The Noel Diary Movie Review
Our review: Parents say ( 2 ): Kids say ( 1 ): This well-acted romantic drama -- based on Richard Paul Evans ' novel -- offers a welcome change from the usual frothy fare released for the holiday season. Hartley and Doss make a handsome and enticing couple in The Noel Diary.
The Noel Diary
Jake Turner is a famous spy novelist who hasn't spoken to either of his parents in a long time. But after his mom passes away, he returns to his childhood home for the first time in 17 years. Meanwhile, Rachel never met her birth mom, Noel. She was adopted. But now that she's getting married, she has doubts about love.
'The Noel Diary' Ending Explained: Netflix's Justin ...
And the book that the movie is based on, The Noel Diary by Richard Paul Evans, is a standalone story without a sequel, though it is part of a series of unrelated Christmas-themed tales called The ...
25 Days of Streaming: 'The Noel Diary' Cheat Sheet
25 Days of Bingemas, Day 2: 'The Noel Diary'. On the second day of streaming delightfully absurd holiday movies, we're gifted a Netflix joint about a mystery novelist, an estranged daughter ...
The Noel Diary Review: Watchable Christmas Tale That ...
With an ample number of Christmas releases dotting every OTT platform, Netflix released one of its own, The Noel Diary, with a runtime of 100 minutes on November 24, 2022.Starring Justin Hartley of This Is Us fame, Barrett Doss, James Remar, Bonnie Bedelia and more, the movie sports a very compact star-cast. It was directed by Charles Shyer, while the screenplay was done by him along with ...
The Noel Diary REVIEW
The Noel Diary is adapted from Richard Paul Evans' novel of the same name, and it follows Jake Turner (Justin Hartley), who's finally returning to his childhood home after 20 years away. If ...
The Noel Diary (2022) Movie Review
The movie gradually succumbs to the Christmassy tradition though, as Jake finally confronts his past and Rachel considers how her love for Jake is hindered by her fiancé. Directed by Charles Shyer, The Noel Diary paints a semi-realistic picture of relationships while delivering a touching story of love and familial bonds.
The Noel Diary
Needing to handle her affairs, Jake heads back to his mom's Connecticut home where he 1) learns his mom had become a hoarder and 2) finds a mysterious journal, one written by the titular Noel ...
Watch The Noel Diary
2022 | Maturity Rating:TV-PG | 1h 40m | Romance. Cleaning out his childhood home at Christmas, a novelist meets a woman searching for her birth mother. Will an old diary unlock their pasts — and hearts? Starring:Justin Hartley, Barrett Doss, Essence Atkins. Watch all you want.
The Noel Diary (2022) Ending Explained
Jake, the protagonist, is a best-selling author with a rough past, similar to Evans, who also endured a challenging upbringing. In the novel, teenage Jake's mother kicks him out of the house. Evans actually admitted that his mom had kicked him out at the age of eleven. The hardships and mental well-being of the author's mom were mirrored in ...
The Noel Diary: Movie Review
The Noel Diary features Justin Hartley as Jake Turner, a famous and successful author returning to his childhood home after his mother passed away; and Barrett Doss as Rachel, a woman on search for the identity of her birth mother. It's a subdued drama about two strangers connecting with one another as they deal with past traumas. Which then of course turns into a romance.
The Noel Diary Movie Review for Parents
The Noel Diary Rating & Content Info . Why is The Noel Diary rated TV-PG? The Noel Diary is rated TV-PG by the MPAA for mild themes.. Violence: There is discussion of the accidental death of a child. Sexual Content: There are scenes of men and women kissing. An unwed teen pregnancy is a plot point. Sexual activity is implied but never seen.
'The Notebook' Review: A Musical Tear-Jerker or Just All Wet?
Love is powerful. Dementia is sad. The result can be heartbreaking. Or maybe, seen with a cold eye, meretricious. The movie, a super-slick Hollywood affair, did everything it could to keep the eye ...
The Noel Diary Movie review on my blog. You know the drill
0 likes, 0 comments - inrensworld on December 6, 2022: "The Noel Diary Movie review on my blog. You know the drill. . . . #moviereview #thenoeldiary #netflix"

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