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.
Archives for posts with tag: Susan Sarandon
If there was ever a role that seemed to have been created just for Susan Sarandon, it’s that of Nora Baker in “White Palace” (1990). You see, the thing about Sarandon is that both you and she know there’s plenty of women more beautiful than her, but her attractiveness strikes at a visceral level that you can’t understand or resist. So having her play a redneck St. Louis waitress to James Spader’s uptight Jewish yuppie is a no-brainer. Unfortunately, this rom-com lacks in com and while it presents interesting questions about class and privilege, the answer is clumsy and derivative.