Surprisingly, The Noel Diary (2022) has a lot of ideas with which a Catholic film reviewer can work.  I use that adjective because, as I have said a number of times since Advent began, these so-called Christmas films are derivative and repetitive.  This one is much the same, but it has some great Christian themes like the protection of life and forgiveness.  I also appreciated it as an experience because that is the kind of gift I prefer giving people these days rather than some sort of material item.  The two main characters, best-selling author Jake Turner (Justin Hartley) and the one-time foster child Rachel Campbell (Barrett Doss), share a journey befitting of the kind of adventures I have in mind with people this time of year.  At the same time, there is an aspect to their interaction with which I felt uncomfortable.  Let me know if you notice it while reading my synopsis.

Jake Turner is not renowned for writing The Noel Diary.  Rather, he has made a fortune penning novels about the French Resistance during World War II.  His work is just the start of his popularity.  His good looks have people fawning over him, though he prefers to be alone.  That is the case after he leaves a book signing and returns to the home he shares only with his dog, Ava.  He soon falls asleep by the fireplace reading fan mail, but is awakened by a persistent phone call that he can no longer ignore.  It is from a lawyer who has rung the author to inform him that his mother has passed away and she has left everything to him.  He has not seen mom since he left home to pursue his dream to become a writer, and it does not look like she took his absence well.  When he enters his childhood home for the first time in twenty years, it is evident that she had become a hoarder.  That is not all that he notices.  Standing across the street is Rachel, though she does not immediately knock on the door.  It is only after a day of rummaging through mom’s stuff that she finally works up the courage to approach him.  She relates that she is in search of her birth mother, and the only information she has to go on at this point is that she had briefly resided at the Turner household before Rachel came into the world.  At first, Jake is at a loss as to how to help this newcomer, but he quickly remembers his neighbor, Ellie Foster (Bonnie Bedelia).  She has lived next door for as long as he can remember, and might be able to remember something about Rachel’s mom.  Unfortunately, Ellie is currently out on a date with an older gentleman, but Rachel is willing to wait for her return having come this far.  To pass the time, Jake and Rachel have dinner together, and I think you can probably predict where this is going.  You would only be half right at this point because Rachel is currently engaged to Alan (Mike Donovan).  She appears to be happy, though prevaricates when it comes to talking about details of their upcoming nuptials, including the lack of being able to pick out an engagement ring.  Jake is also intrigued by her because she does not seem to recognize him, unlike everyone else in this movie.  This stretches into the next morning when they are finally able to talk to Ellie. Her guidance is to seek out Scott Turner (James Remar), Jake’s estranged father, who would remember something about Rachel’s mother.  Jake is not thrilled by the idea of seeing Scott again, but has determined to help out Rachel.  Thus, they head for the mountains of Vermont, staying in separate rooms in quaint New England inns along the way.  She also figures out his real identity and begins reading his books.  Those are not the only words she is putting in front of her eyeballs.  Among the items Jake has found in his mom’s possession is the title journal, Noel (Essence Atkins) being the name of Rachel’s mom.  This means that when they get to Scott’s woodlands abode, she has a name to present.  Once they get through Jake’s anger over Scott leaving when he was a child, the result of trauma over the death of Jake’s older brother, the three of them sit down for dinner.  During it, Scott reveals a letter from Noel that he has kept, updating him on her life and where she is currently living.  With Jake and Scott’s relationship repaired, it is time for Noel and Rachel to be reunited.  On the night before this is to happen, they find themselves in yet another cozy bed and breakfast, this time having to share a room, and it being her birthday.  They have an adult sleepover, but she departs before he wakes up with a “Dear John” letter left with Noel’s diary.  Jake goes to visit Noel, whom Rachel apparently decided not to see after all this effort, and tells Noel that her daughter has been looking for her.  Noel is overcome by this notion and tells Jake to relay to Rachel her mom’s desire for them to get together.  This is not the only reason for why Jake tracks down Rachel.  He also tries to convince her that she loves him, but she denies him, saying that Alan offers her the stability she thinks she desires.  With that, Jake returns to his mom’s house briefly before continuing on to his own home.  Before he can get in his car, guess who is standing across the street?

If you guess that it is Rachel at the end of The Noel Diary, then congratulations for answering an obvious question.  At the same time, can you tell what made me uncomfortable about this film?  I should hope that it would also be obvious that it would be the fact that Rachel cheats on her fiancé with Jake.  Usually, these kinds of situations involve one of the persons in the relationship being of dubious character.  That is not the case with Alan.  Sure, he gives her a cigar label for a ring, but he seems like a good guy in the limited screentime he receives.  The modern viewer might say something like she is just following her heart, which can have a Christian connotation, but this reasoning feels flaky to this Catholic.  The person who is not flaky is Noel.  Still, I had to roll my eyes a little when, during a narrated flashback, she says that she had been forced to leave her parents as a teenager with a pregnancy because they told her that God disapproves.  This is supposed to denote conservative, Bible fearing families.  I know of families in similar situations that did not force their child to depart their home, but instead practiced the principle Jesus taught all His followers: forgiveness.  Another way that Noel does not behave in a manner that current society would be permissive of is carrying her baby to term.  Such a mother would probably be expected to get an abortion, but then there would be no Rachel.  If you find yourself in a similar situation, watch this movie.  I know I have spent some time questioning Rachel’s morals, but she got adopted and was raised by apparently loving parents.  There are, of course, instances when the foster system has failed a child.  However, that child also deserves a chance.

It is because of its subtle but powerful pro-life message that I can get behind The Noel Diary despite its predictability.  It is also inspiring for me as a writer.  There are a few moments to be aware of, but otherwise there is some good here.