Noel ★½ 2004 (PG)

Not designed for Christmas cheer, this coal-in-your-stocking drama (Palminteri's directorial debut) follows the intertwined stories of several lonely New Yorkers searching for happiness on Christmas Eve. Rose (Sarandon) is a divorced, workaholic book editor desperately trying for a final reconciliation with a mother who's in the last stages of Al-zheimer's. Nina (Cruz) and Mike (Walker) are engaged but Mike's pathological jealousy is about to destroy the relationship. Waiter Artie (Arkin) thinks Mike is the reincarnation of his dead wife(!) and follows him around constantly. And homeless Jules's (Thomas) one happy holiday memory was a party in the hospital emergency room so he decides to have an “emergency.” When Robin Williams shows up (un-billed) to give advice, you know you're in trouble. 96m/C DVD . US Penelope Cruz, Susan Sarandon, Paul Walker, Alan Arkin, Marcus Thomas, Chazz Palminteri, Robin Williams; D: Chazz Palminteri; W: David Hubbard; C: Russell Carpenter; M: Alan Menken.

Noël (Fr.); Nowell (Eng.). A popular Christmas song or carol. In Eng. several 15th-cent. carols begin with the word ‘Nowell’ and Busnois (c.1430–92) wrote a work for 4 vv. with the word ‘Noël’ as the sole text. In the 17th cent. the name ‘noël’ was given to organ pieces to be played during the Christmas services and based on Christmas melodies.

No·el / nōˈel/ • n. Christmas, esp. as a refrain in carols and on Christmas cards.

Noel Christmas, especially as a refrain in carols and on Christmas cards. Recorded from the early 19th century, the word comes from French Noël ‘Christmas’.

noel Christmas carol. XIX. — F. noël NOWEL.