Wee Noelle (Erin Galway-Kendrick) was born on Christmas Day in a barn, lives in a factory town where they make festive snow globes, and has a magical ability to defuse arguments and strike good cheer into the hearts of all with a blink. But even her supernaturally enhanced Yule powers are not enough to defeat the forces of capitalism without help from her school friends. This Northern Ireland-set fable steals adroitly from all kinds of classic Christmas-themed movies – a bit of Miracle on 34th Street, a dash of Nativity!, a big dollop of It’s a Wonderful Life, and so on. But the slapdash, script-on-the-back-of-an-envelope aesthetic becomes part of the charm in the end, especially when a parade of random celebrities (including Liam Neeson, Kylie Minogue, and Julian Fellowes) show up to add poster value, because why not? Also, tiny James Stockdale, who plays the heroine’s disabled friend, should become a major movie star because he’s got great screen presence and comic timing.
