X Days of Xmas: Noelle

2019, Marc Lawrence (Two Weeks Notice) -- Disney+

Time to pollute the 31 Days post stream by tagging a series of Xmas movies! I joked about doing 31 Days of Xmas and Kent suggested we tag-team on it. That way, we can do other things, such as, well maybe, Xmas shopping? Will it be generic Xmas movies? All Hallmark-style Xmas romcoms? Any movie that is Xmas Adjacent? YES !!

See This Post for all the details. Consider this an early riser, not yet in the Spirit of Things. A taster. An apéritif.

Noelle was originally supposed to be released in the theatres this Xmas season, but ended up as a Disney+ exclusive. I suppose that is what will happen in the future, when something just doesn't gell together enough to be a proper mainstream release, "To the streaming service with you!!" Higher or lower profile than Straight to X ?

But it had Anna Kendrick in it, so I was in. And to be quite frank, if it didn't have her in it, I wouldn't have survived. Oh, sure there were quips a-plenty and it had a charming quirky sensibility about it, but it kept on sliding the scale from Generic Disney Xmas Movie all the way over to Star Wars Holiday Special, and then back again.

So, Kendrick is Noelle. Bill Hader is Nick. They are Santa Claus's kids. They live at the North Pole. Nick is destined to wear the suit after his father. Noelle is just oozing the Xmas Spirit with her fold-out cards and Sexy Santa's Helper outfits -- yes, even the Laplander inspired outfit. I may be biased.

But then Santa dies. Fuck; childhood trauma anyone? No death scene, but still, the line, "It's been 5 months since Santa passed away." So, Nick has to now wear the suit. He's been learning the job all his life but it just hasn't taken. At Noelle's suggestion, he runs off to have a few days in the sun to relax, and doesn't come back. Insert panic at the North Pole.

P.S. Puffins!! Only because penguins are not geographically accurate.

Noelle runs off after him dragging the militaristic reindeer and one cranky nanny elf played by Shirley MacLaine in her best "stretched ladies from Brazil" look. They end up in Phoenix, Arizona crashed landing at a resort, where Noelle starts off doing her best Fish Out of Water trope. Which ends up being the rest of the movie, until she realizes that Girls Can Be Santa Too.

This movie was really rather terrible, but there were so many quips and one-liners and Anna Kendrick-sons that I found myself regularly chuckling. There was a bit of channeling of that Will Farrell Elf movie, which I have not seen (and will not) but have seen enough clips to recognize the homage. My fav bit is the crazy lady hiding out in the cooler; Phoenix must have a high tolerance for cray cray.