The Noel Diary

The Noel Diary follows Jacob Turner, a bestselling novelist who returns to his childhood home shortly before Christmas to settle his late mother's estate after nearly two decades away. While sorting through her belongings, he comes across a diary that may hold answers about his own past. His visit takes an unexpected turn when Rachel Campbell arrives at the house, searching for the birth mother who gave her up for adoption three decades earlier. Connected by their shared wish to understand where they come from, the two set out to trace the diary's origins and the people connected to it.

Charles Shyer directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay with David Golden and Rebecca Connor. It is the seventh feature Shyer directed, arriving seventeen years after Alfie and following earlier work such as Baby Boom, both Father of the Bride films, I Love Trouble and The Affair of the Necklace. Justin Hartley plays Jacob, with Barrett Doss as Rachel, and Bonnie Bedelia, Essence Atkins, James Remar and Aaron Costa Ganis in supporting roles. The production was handled by Johnson Production Group and Off Camera Entertainment, with Timothy O. Johnson, Margret H. Huddleston and Stephanie Slack producing.

Released in late November 2022, the film runs 99 minutes and blends comedy, drama and romance. On IMDb it holds a rating of 6.2 from roughly 22,000 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 6.3 from about 411 votes, indicating a modest but broadly comparable reception from both audiences.