''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,
Susan Sarandon,
Paul Walker,
Alan Arkin,
Daniel Sunjata and an uncredited
Robin Williams. It was filmed in
Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Plot
On
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipati ...
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
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Susan Sarandon – Rose Collins
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Penélope Cruz – Nina Vasquez
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Paul Walker – Michael "Mike" Riley
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Alan Arkin – Artie Venizelos
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Marcus Thomas – Jules Calvert
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Chazz Palminteri – Arizona
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Robin Williams – Charles "Charlie" Boyd
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Sonny Marinelli – Dennis
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Daniel Sunjata – Marco
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Rob Daly
Robert Daly (born 26 January 1978) is an Irish sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres.
Daly won the bronze medal in 4 x 400 metres relay at the 2004 World Indoor Championships, together with teammates Gary Ryan, David Gillick and David McC ...
– Paul
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John Doman – Dr. Baron
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Billy Porter
William Ellis Porter II (born September 21, 1969) is an American actor and singer. Porter gained notice performing on Broadway before starting a solo career as a singer and actor.
Porter won the 2013 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical fo ...
– Randy
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Carmen Ejogo – Dr. Batiste
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Donna Hanover – Debbie Carmichael
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Merwin Mondesir – Glenn
See also
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List of Christmas films
References
External links
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{{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