Noel
On a lonely Christmas Eve in New York, strangers navigating illness, jealousy, grief, and faith find their lives unexpectedly woven together.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- melancholic
- sentimental
- warmhearted
- christmas eve
- holiday movie night
What critics said
Critics generally found the ensemble cast appealing but judged the film's interconnected Christmas melodrama overly sentimental, calculating, and unfocused.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Rose, Nina, Mike, Artie, and Jules pursue separate Christmas Eve needs before their paths cross.
The characters move through New York on Christmas Eve while confronting abandonment, illness, jealousy, and isolation.
The plot repeatedly links chance encounters and fateful crossings with the characters' search for miracles and meaning.
Nina and Mike's broken engagement, Rose's family distress, and Artie's fixation all revolve around difficult forms of forgiveness and connection.
Films like Noel, and why
Love Actually
interwoven holiday drama centered on loneliness, chance encounters, and emotional reconciliation
Short Cuts
ensemble urban drama using intersecting lives, spiritual uncertainty, and melancholic sentiment
The Family Stone
Christmas-set drama about isolated people seeking connection and redemption
Movie Details
- Director
- Chazz Palminteri
- Release Date
- 2004-11-12
- Runtime
- 96 min
- Rating
- 5.8 / 10 (328)
Cast
- Susan Sarandon
- Paul Walker
- Penélope Cruz
- Alan Arkin
- Marcus Thomas
- Sonny Marinelli
- Daniel Sunjata
- Chazz Palminteri
- Robin Williams
- Rob Daly
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Noel about?
- On a lonely Christmas Eve in New York, strangers navigating illness, jealousy, grief, and faith find their lives unexpectedly woven together.
- What is Noel like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Noel as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Noel violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Noel.
- What did critics think of Noel?
- Critics generally found the ensemble cast appealing but judged the film's interconnected Christmas melodrama overly sentimental, calculating, and unfocused.
- Which films are like Noel?
- Films with a similar feel include Love Actually, Short Cuts, and The Family Stone.
- How long is Noel?
- Noel runs 96 minutes.
- Where can I watch Noel?
- In United States, Noel streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
