Though a priest, Jonathan Keene is a brittle and humorless guy who prefers to "avoid the people side of things." Instead, he serves as a sort of church hit man whose job is to close down parishes that are deemed unsuccessful by Catholic authorities.

In "Noelle," an unabashedly inspirational film that has arrived just in time for Christmas, it is just such a mission that drops Father Jon into a shabby chic town on Cape Cod. The parish is run by Father Simeon Joyce, who shepherds his ragtag flock with great empathy and compassion. He also drinks a bit.

Keene challenges Joyce and his parishoners to mount a living nativity scene on Christmas Eve. If it succeeds in attracting people back to the church, he says, maybe he won't shut the place down. The challenge is immediately accepted.

But staging a creche proves easier said than done. The cast of angels and wise men is lovably eccentric, but inept. The beautiful town librarian, who doesn't buy into the virgin birth, refuses to play Mary. And there is a whiff of scandal.

Dealing with these problems compels the two priests to confront their own doubts, insecurities and past indiscretions. Their faith is tested, and the two men resolve their crises in dramatically different and perhaps even surprising ways.

David Wall, who bears unsettling resemblance to the young Robert Redford, wrote and directed the movie and stars as Father Jon. His acting is adequate, but his screenplay is woefully ragged, replete with decent ideas that are never knitted into a credible whole. The movie feels a little like it was ad-libbed on the set.

Sean Patrick Brennan plays Father Simeon. His one-tone performance comes across as earnest but is utterly without shading or subtlety. The director's wife, Kerry Wall, plays the town librarian. Hers is the best-acted -- and best-written -- character in the film.

"Noelle" takes its title from the name of a female child who periodically appears and disappears -- rather like an angel -- to remind Father Jon of a serious misstep in his past. But don't look for unhappy endings here. "Noelle" is all about the importance of forgiveness and second chances. Despite its artistic shortcomings, it will prime you nicely for the Christmas season.