Movie Review: "Joyeux Noel" (2005)

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Movie: "Joyeux Noel"
Director: Christian Carion
Year: 2005
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 56 minutes

WWI is in full swing and soldiers on all sides of the war are deep in the trenches and embroiled in battle. That is, until Christmas eve, when soldiers from France, Germany, and Scotland put their differences aside, put down their weapons, and stop fighting to enjoy the holiday.

When you think about Christmas, war is not something that immediately pops into your head...is it?? And if it is, please reevaluate your life. "Joyeux Noel" is a war movie which manages to capture the spirit of Christmas. It also inspires good feelings about the holiday and might even bring a tear to your eye. It even might make you shed a couple of tears because of how sweet it is at its core. This film is a fictionalized amalgam inspired by many true incidents of impromptu ceasefires on Christmas eve and day. It shows that, despite being supposed enemies and being from different countries or from different cultures, we can all still find common ground, come together and discover that we are often more alike than we are different, no matter what those driving you to war say. War is brutal, so to watch the hundreds of soldiers stop and drink coffee together in the middle of the battlefield is not only impactful, but sentimental as well. This is not a glorification of war at all, it's just an amazing movie about togetherness, in wartime or otherwise. Christmas carols are the same no matter where you go, and as one platoon began playing "Silent Night" on the bagpipes, another began singing right alongside them in one of the best scenes of the film. This movie boasts many excellent performances by Diane Kruger, Benno Fürmann, Daniel Brühl (one of our favorites since "Goodbye, Lenin!") and Guillaume Canet. Overall, this is one of our absolute favorite Christmas movies, and if you don't like foreign films, please try and watch this one because we assure you that it's worth it. It's not just a good Christmas movie, it's a good movie in general.

My Rating: 9/10
BigJ's Rating: 9/10
IMDB's Rating: 7.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 74%
Do we recommend this movie: Yes!
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One year ago, we were watching: "It's A Wonderful Life"