Jack Frost, played by Michael Keaton, looks like a fun father to have, but like Arnold in “Jingle All the Way,” he’s never around. As a fast-growing rock star, he always misses his son’s hockey games, like Arnold missing Jake Lloyd’s karate tournaments. One year before Christmas, Jack gives his son, Charlie, played by Joseph Cross, a harmonica. Apparently, all Charlie has to do is play the harmonica, and Jack will hear it, regardless of where he is. Then, on Christmas Day, Jack dies in a car accident in the snow. His wife, Gabby, played by Kelly Preston, is devastated, and Charlie is really sunk that he stops all contact with his friends, his grades decline, and he quits the hockey team. A year later, Charlie builds a snowman, and when he plays the harmonica, Jack returns as the snowman. Now Jack has the opportunity to be a good father to Charlie, since he couldn’t when he was alive, and being very awkward as this situation is, he goes to his hockey game and rewrites his wrongs.
James Berardinelli stated in his review, “I suppose the film might hold a degree of appeal for those desperately in search of family-suitable holiday entertainment (it's certainly a step up from the other 1998 film in that category, “I'll Be Home for Christmas”), but the movie doesn't do much on an emotional level, which is where it's supposed to work.” Jack isn’t around that long enough for us to know his character, and the snowman never gets any impression of multidimensionality. The relationship between Charlie and Snowman Jack is hard to wrap your head around. More scenes are needed than simply saying this film is a “fantasy” for an audience to get into the plot.
Then there’s a chase scene that comes right out of nowhere that allows the special effects/costume people to mortify themselves even greater by showing how poor their version of a snowman is. Apparently, these scenes are in the movie to make sure children are awake and involved, because they are superfluous. Throughout the movie, there are occasional comedic scenes, with only a few that are funny. Probably the biggest moment that makes the audiences suffer is when they are forced to hear Henson cover the classic Spencer Davis song, “Gimme Some Lovin’.”
The meat of Michael Keaton’s performance is vocal, and, although he has a couple of nice one-liners, this part will not get him another role in any Disney movie. Joseph Cross is fine as Charlie, although he’s playing a role that we have seen so many times before. Kelly Preston and Mark Addy are both underused. Their part, as Charlie’s mother and Jack’s bandmate, respectively, is mainly to react to Charlie interacting with the Snowman.
The purpose for “Jack Frost” is to make the viewer’s feel the same way with classic films like “It’s A Wonderful Life” or “A Christmas Carol.” I don’t think that will happen to anyone at any age group. Kids might like the look of the snowman, and adults may be mildly amused at some of the stuff that happens, but overall, “Jack Frost” is far too shallow to be loved, and its casual resolution to losing a parent may feel insulting. This is the kind of film that may make people feel empty, or, for lack of a better word, cold.
Overall, I think I will give this film a 5. The look, cinematography, and nice winter colors make the film good, but the acting, writing, directing, story, and characters are what hurt the movie. Besides, this is an insult to Michael Keaton. To go from Mr. Mom to Beetlejuice to Batman and then Jack Frost is really low for a great actor.
Well, I don’t want to ramble on too much about this film. Check in tomorrow for more 25 film review countdown to Christmas.
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