The Noel Diary Review: Justin Hartley and Barrett Doss Dazzle In This Holiday Romp
The Noel Diary is not interested in humoring the Hallmark camp that typically surrounds these holiday romps.
It toys with the ache of loss and the festering hope of love. The fluffy snow and upbeat townspeople are replaced by drizzling rain and bitter cold set pieces that cast a looming presence over this melancholy story.
This Is Us‘ Justin Hartley and Station 19‘s Barrett Doss are at ease in this world, striking a beautiful balance between grief and giddy romance. They never let the heavy subject matter snuff out their performances as they transform this contemporary tale into something inhabitable.
Hartley’s presence certainly isn’t misplaced as this film could easily be the plot of a This Is Us holiday special.
Hartley plays a lonely Baldacci-like author with star power and unresolved daddy issues. This is his wheelhouse and coming off the cusp of playing Kevin Pearson for six seasons, it’s comforting to see Hartley channel a similar persona.
Doss doesn’t portray Rachel as some innocent small-town girl either, infusing her with a personality that is hopeful and refreshingly grounded.
Rachel stutters through her responses, and her relationship with her fiance doesn’t allow her an easy escape. In the end, they aren’t broken apart by nefarious means, but by her desire for more and it’s messy the way contemporary romance should be.
Together the two TV heavyweights prove these stories can move away from the holiday genre cliches without sacrificing chemistry for a darker premise.
The Noel Diary is something different in a genre that doesn’t need to reinvent itself.
It offers those who humor the sickeningly sweet bliss of Hallmark and Netflix’s cheerful holiday roster a darker take on grief that can be just as intoxicating in its dramatized sorrow.
It’s also a reminder to those struggling through a loss this holiday season that it’s okay to wallow. Wallowing is a prominent theme as Jake and Rachel embark on an emotional journey to reunite with a loved one, all while living through tragic past events.
The dialogue manages to be quite striking at times, allowing the audience to connect emotionally with this heavy plot. But even with the ominous sets and the quiet soundtrack, this film doesn’t let us drown its insufferable lens.
Instead, it finds the means through Rachel, Jake’s loveable dog, and sweet neighbor to infuse hope into this dark outing.
Part Sweet Magnolias, part Home for Christmas, this bitter-sweet contemporary flick is complicated, messy, and sad in the way we need comfort watches to be sometimes.
But it never loses sight of why the more upbeat films of this genre are appealing, occasionally dipping its toe into the rom-com aspects to keep spirits high.
That said, The Noel Diary loses steam near the end, struggling to see a way out and ultimately deciding not to give us one. The unresolved story that never sees Rachel reconcile with her relationship or reunited properly with her mother is a disappointment.
This holiday film doesn’t give us a neat happily ever after, but rather a work in progress, and that’s worth noting even if it doesn’t entirely work.
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The Noel Diary is streaming now on Netflix.
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Alicia Gilstorf
Alicia is a Rotten Tomatoes Certified Critic and a Critics Choice Association member. She credits her passion for TV to workplace sitcoms, paranormal dramedies, and coming-of-age stories. In her free time, Alicia loves to curl up with a good book and lose herself in a cozy game. Keep a lookout for her coverage of Ghosts. You can also find her work on Eulalie Magazine and Cool Girl Critiques. Follow Alicia on social media: @aliciagilstorf