A bunch of people having a miserable Christmas Eve find their lives intertwined – and possibly redirected – thanks to either serendipity or divine intervention. You decide. How you decide will probably determine whether you enjoy “Noel” (2004) or not. If you’re religious, or if you see a roomful of horse manure and feel certain someone gave you a pony, your faith will probably lead you to a thumbs-up. If you’re the type who’ll scratch their head as Susan Sarandon copes with workplace sexual harassment, party crashing, a dying mom and the prospect of pulling a George Bailey, pass on this one.
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I know there’s no accounting for taste – which partially explains Will Ferrell’s career longevity – but there’s no arguing his ability to fully commit to the character he’s playing, no matter how absurd. Is there anyone else who could bring the same level of positivity and enthusiasm to the role of a human adopted by Santa’s helpers? “Elf” (2003) is entirely dependent on willing suspension of disbelief, and Ferrell is so invested in his Buddy the elf, there are a lot of otherwise cynical people who rank it as one of their favorite Christmas films. And that’s the point of Christmas.
When musicians run out of ideas, they do a Christmas album. What if you had only one good idea in your whole career? “Ernest Saves Christmas” (1988) is Jim Varney’s yuletide iteration of his Ernest P. Worrell character, which was first introduced in television commercials and eventually became its own franchise. You’ve heard of lowbrow humor – with Varney’s effectedly verbose and inept (yet oddly likeable) redneck, we’re talking unibrow humor. The plot is irrelevant, but Santa has business succession problems, Ernest is harboring a runaway girl, and everyone is sweating because this movie was shot in Orlando. Yuletide hijinks ensue.
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