''Noel'' is a 2004 American
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...
-themed drama film written by David Hubbard and directed by
Chazz Palminteri. It stars
Penélope Cruz
Penélope Cruz Sánchez (; ; born 28 April 1974) is a Spanish actress. Known for her roles in films of several genres, particularly those in the Spanish language, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a British ...
,
Susan Sarandon
Susan Abigail Sarandon (; née Tomalin; born October 4, 1946) is an American actorMcCabe, Bruce"Susan Sarandon, the 'actor'" ''Boston Globe''. April 17, 1981. Retrieved January 21, 2021. and activist. She is the recipient of various accolades, ...
,
Paul Walker
Paul William Walker IV (September 12, 1973 – November 30, 2013) was an American actor. He was known for his role as Brian O'Conner in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise.
Walker began his career as a child actor in the 1980s, gaining recogniti ...
,
Alan Arkin
Alan Wolf Arkin (born March 26, 1934) is an American actor, director and screenwriter known for his performances on stage and screen. Throughout his career spanning over six decades, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award ...
,
Daniel Sunjata
Daniel Sunjata Condon (born December 30, 1971) is an American actor who performs in film, television and theater. He is known for his role as Franco Rivera in the FX television series '' Rescue Me''.
Early life and education
Sunjata was born a ...
and an uncredited
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...
. It was filmed in
Montreal, Quebec
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pe ...
, Canada.
Plot
On
Christmas Eve in New York, divorced publisher Rose Collins struggles to cope with caring for her mother, an
Alzheimer's patient. As she contemplates suicide on a riverbank, former priest Charlie Boyd saves her life, and they spend the night together in her apartment. While Charlie explains that he has lost faith in God, the next morning he tells Rose that his faith has been restored by a telepathic conversation with Rose's mother, claiming that she wants Rose to move on with her life. Rose angrily ejects Charlie from her apartment.
Young couple Nina Vasquez and Mike Riley are on the verge of breaking up due to Mike's increasingly jealous behavior. When Mike attacks a homosexual platonic friend of Nina, she leaves him. When Nina goes to her family to celebrate Christmas there, she meets Rose, who has secretly sneaked into her parents' house, and confides her story to her. Feeling out of place, Rose and Nina go to a nearby bar.
Elderly waiter Artie Venizelos searches for his deceased wife every Christmas. He molests Mike, believing him to be his wife's reincarnation. When Artie collapses and is hospitalized, Mike learns from a colleague that Artie committed manslaughter in a fit of jealousy. As a result, his wife killed herself in a car accident. Mike sees this as a fateful sign that he must overcome his own pathological jealousy.
Jules Calvert is a depressed young man whose sole happy memory is a Christmas celebration in a hospital when he was a teenager. Seeking to repeat the experience, he allows the criminal Arizona to break his hand, only to learn that he cannot revive the past. Rose, feeling guilty over her treatment of Charlie, returns to the hospital and discovers that Charlie is in a coma in the room next to her mother's. Back on the riverbank, Rose decides to enjoy life again, and sets up a date with one of the doctors.
Cast
*
Susan Sarandon
Susan Abigail Sarandon (; née Tomalin; born October 4, 1946) is an American actorMcCabe, Bruce"Susan Sarandon, the 'actor'" ''Boston Globe''. April 17, 1981. Retrieved January 21, 2021. and activist. She is the recipient of various accolades, ...
– Rose Collins
*
Penélope Cruz
Penélope Cruz Sánchez (; ; born 28 April 1974) is a Spanish actress. Known for her roles in films of several genres, particularly those in the Spanish language, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a British ...
– Nina Vasquez
*
Paul Walker
Paul William Walker IV (September 12, 1973 – November 30, 2013) was an American actor. He was known for his role as Brian O'Conner in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise.
Walker began his career as a child actor in the 1980s, gaining recogniti ...
– Michael "Mike" Riley
*
Alan Arkin
Alan Wolf Arkin (born March 26, 1934) is an American actor, director and screenwriter known for his performances on stage and screen. Throughout his career spanning over six decades, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award ...
– Artie Venizelos
*
Marcus Thomas – Jules Calvert
*
Chazz Palminteri – Arizona
*
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...
– Charles "Charlie" Boyd
*
Sonny Marinelli
Anthony Savino "Sonny" Marinelli (born May 2, 1967) is an American actor and voice actor. Marinelli is best known for his acting roles in '' Vegas'', ''Entourage'' and '' Noel''. Marinelli also played the role of mobster John Gotti in the 2001 te ...
– Dennis
*
Daniel Sunjata
Daniel Sunjata Condon (born December 30, 1971) is an American actor who performs in film, television and theater. He is known for his role as Franco Rivera in the FX television series '' Rescue Me''.
Early life and education
Sunjata was born a ...
– Marco
*
Rob Daly – Paul
*
John Doman
John Doman (born January 9, 1945) is an American actor best known for playing Maryland State Police Superintendent, Deputy Police Commissioner and Major William Rawls on HBO series ''The Wire'' (2002–2008), Colonel Edward Galson on '' Oz'' (2 ...
– Dr. Baron
*
Billy Porter – Randy
*
Carmen Ejogo
Carmen Elizabeth Ejogo (; born 22 October 1973) – Dr. Batiste
*
Donna Hanover
Donna Hanover (born Donna Ann Kofnovec; February 15, 1950) is an American journalist, radio and television personality, television producer, and actress, who appears on CUNY TV in New York City. From 1994 through 2001 she was First Lady of New Yo ...
– Debbie Carmichael
*
Merwin Mondesir
Merwin Mondesir (born February 21, 1976) is a Canadian actor. He is of Saint Lucian descent. He resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Selected filmography
Film
* 1997 '' Critical Care'' as Head Injury
* 2000 '' Steal This Movie!'' as Private Ken ...
– Glenn
See also
*
List of Christmas films
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Noel (Film)
2004 films
2004 directorial debut films
2004 drama films
2000s Christmas drama films
2000s English-language films
American drama films
American Christmas drama films
Films scored by Alan Menken
Films set in New York City
Films shot in Montreal
2000s American films
Films about disability