"The Noel Diary"

Calling this a "Christmas movie" is a stretch.  It's about as far from the typical Hallmark fare as you could get.  It's not G rated, there is no "let's save the Christmas farm/hotel/store/tradition, etc."  There is no meet-cute or cute kid (although there is a cute dog).  There isn't a focus on a small town or any indication that true love can only be found by giving up on the big city.  Christmas is there, but plays in the background.  There is no cookie-baking contest, no hot chocolate sipping.  Justin Hartley returns to familiar territory.  Very familiar territory.  Tell me if any of this sounds familiar:  A good-looking, famous 37 year-old is a little tired of his fame and has a difficulty forming lasting relationships due, in part, to his daddy issues.  (And, although Justin can pull it off, 37 is way in his rear-view mirror).  A young Black woman, adopted by parents of different races, feels the need to find her birth mother to close a gap in her life.  The film is mostly a road trip, touched by pathos and longing.  Yeah, it's kind of "This Is Us:  The Holiday Edition".  It's good.  It's unexpected.  And it is packed with top-notch actors.  In addition to Mr. Hartley, with have triple-threat Barrett Doss ("Station 19"), James Remar and Bonnie Bedelia ('nuff said).  It's a quiet tale, one of people searching for belonging, for family (cue the kleenext ... this really is "This Is Us").  There isn't a single sickly-sweet moment, not a single two-dimensional portrayal.  There are, unfortunately, some script/production issues.  They are minor, but distracting.  It's little things.  When Hartley's character is in a remote cabin trying to make up with his dad, his lady-friend and dog are left out in the cold, literally.  They sit in a car during a snowstorm, for ... hours?  Later, the couple lands at a hotel in the middle of nowhere and has a romantic dinner.  Ms. Doss' hair is suddenly straightened and styled -- unlikely.  Hours later she is back to her natural curls.  It's just sloppy bits like this.  These kinds of details take a lovely story and make it look pedestrian.  It was a noble effort, and I appreciate something different, and something with just a touch of class.