Jack Frost Reviews

When I was a kid, nothing got me and my friends more hyped up in anticipation than snow. Yep – the glorious white stuff. To us, there were few other activities as fun as playing in the snow. One major problem, however; I grew up in a country in which we only get about 3-4 days a year of significant snowfall in which it would actually settle on the ground. So when there was a significant level of snowfall, we would make the utmost use of it. Snowball fights, sledding, snow angels and of course, making a snowman.

Snowmen were a subject of my childhood fascination. Why? They just have a certain magical appeal. Whenever I would see one in someone else’s garden, I would always have to point it out, “Look, a snowman!” So when my friends and I heard about the movie Jack Frost, in which a snowman comes to life, we were psyched to see it. Although there already existed the 1982 animated short The Snowman which had a similar premise, I believe Jack Frost appealed to us more for several reasons:

-It was a movie more of our generation.
-It was live action and the snowman looks just like a real snowman we could have created ourselves.
-But most importantly, the movie was called Jack Frost. When I was younger, whenever there was a frosty night, we would always say that Jack Frost is out tonight.

So one weekend myself and one of my friends rented Jack Frost on video and we thought it was an absolute blast. However even at that age we thought there were some stupid moments, such as when Charlie is hanging over a wall of snow and he’s supposed to be in danger, yet the drop itself is tiny; or during the sledge chase sequence when two kids just happen to have a snowball the size of a boulder on standby to stop Charlie and Jack. However, the one aspect of the film we found to be the most unbelievable was in how Charlie had not got over his father’s death one year on. The reason for this is that a friend of ours had recently lost his father to an illness, yet was back in school one week later, acting as he normally would. To us, Charlie isolating himself from his friends due to his father’s death one year on seemed far-fetched. In retrospect, however, this view was short-sighted.

Regardless we could only look on in envy at just how much snow this fictional picture perfect postcard town of Medford, Colorado had. In my home country when it did snow our teachers wouldn’t even let us go outside to play in it. Yet in Jack Frost, the kids are able to go into the snow and have trench warfare battle snowball fights. Plus they don’t even wear school uniforms?! You can imagine the jealousy us kids had for our Yankee counterparts.

Several years later, I saw Jack Frost again on TV one weekend and the following Monday in school, it seems half the class also watched it and were all raving about how much we loved it; discussing our favourite moments, talking about the scenes we found to be the funniest. Even my teacher had watched it over the weekend and called it - and I quote - “a wonderful film”.

Now years later with the advent of the internet, I find out that Jack Frost is considered a terrible film and the critics trashed it. However, when watching it again after all these years it still strikes a chord with me as a pool of happy, nostalgic memories coming flooding back. But what I can I take from the film and examine now with an adult perspective?

One of the biggest criticisms I hear against the movie is that the snowman is creepy. Even Roger Ebert criticised the design with its anorexic looking twigs for arms. Well, it’s all in the eye of the beholder I guess. I also liked the design of the snowman as I think not only does he look cute but looks just like a snowman the average kid would make. The snowman was originally designed for George Clooney and I can see Clooney’s face within it. Apparently, the casting change to Michael Keaton caused major problems for the film’s SFX team. Watching my late 90’s DVD copy of Jack Frost, the CGI doesn’t look half bad. Although if I was to ever watch the film on an HD transfer perhaps it might not look as good.

Jack Frost belongs to that breed of film which was everywhere in the ’90s in which a workaholic father can’t make time for his kids. As drawn out as this cliché was in the 90s, it does raise the question - should you even have children if you’re going to dedicate yourself to a lifelong career or venture? Jack Frost does go a step further with this examination of fatherlessness with the character of Rory whom as the movie states, never saw his old man and resents it (“It sucks, it sucks big time”). Any coincidence his character is a delinquent. The father-son relationship in Jack Frost does tug at my heartstrings and yes, that ending kills me.

Many aspects of Jack Frost scream this is a late 90’s movie from those early CGI credits to the film's emphasises on extreme sports such as hockey and snowboarding. Even the antagonist is named Rory Buck – might as well be called 90’s Mc 90’serson. Even the radio presenter at the beginning of the film states: “we got more music coming from the 70’s and 90’s. No 80’s I promise” (Boo!).

Viewing Jack Frost from a more mature perspective I am forced to suspend my disbelief at my many aspects of the film’s plot. So for starters, does the afterlife exist within the universe of Jack Frost? Where was Jack for the entire year before he came back as a snowman? Was he in purgatory? How did he suddenly find out how to change back to his human self then leave? What’s the deal with the magic harmonica? Does God himself exist in this universe?

Then there’s that whole snowboarding sequence. It’s a blast to watch even though I have to refrain from questioning how illogical it is. I already thought the conveniently placed snow boulders where stupid as a kid but I also notice how snowboards and snowbikes are all conveniently placed. But more importantly, the kids do notice that Charlie is sledding with a sentient snowman? Also, have you considered that he’s essentially snowboarding on his flesh? But who cares, this sequence is a ton of fun and Hey Now Now by Swirl 360 is a tune. That money shot of Jack Frost snowboarding in mid-air brings a smile to my face.

Rock on Jack Frost! Snow dad is better than no dad!

Struggling middle-aged rock musician Jack Frost (Keaton) loves his wife Gabby (Preston) and son Charlie (Cross), but does not spend enough time with them. After years of unprofitable gigs, Jack and his band are at long last on the verge of a career breakthrough, but Jack is forced to cancel his planned family Christmas vacation in order to attend the audition. Jack has second thoughts during the drive to the audition, though, and decides to turn back to go spend Christmas with Gabby and Charlie. Unfortunately, Jack subsequently perishes in a car accident on the way, devastating his family. Fast forward a year, and Charlie is still affected by his father's passing: he no longer plays with his friends and his grades have plummeted. With Christmas approaching, Jack's spirit returns in the form of a wisecracking snowman, and he is given one last chance to spend some quality time with his son before he melts.

More than anything else, Jack Frost is hindered by the distinct lack of any substantial plot beyond the basic set-up. Oh sure, there are a few conventional story elements involving bullies and Charlie playing hockey, but they fail to offer satisfying substance to the flick, and are too quickly wrapped up (don't get me started on the neighbourhood bully...just don't go there). Thus, the premise is sporadically interrupted by snowball skirmishes (which are admittedly clever, as they're staged like war movie battles) and stupid chase scenes, but it's obvious that such set-pieces are mere distractions to pad out the runtime. Jack Frost's premise might have worked as a 30-minute short film or a television special, but as a feature it's low on momentum. Worse, it has barely any worthwhile humour - the dialogue is often worthy of facepalms and cringes.

The script is highly unfair towards the titular Jack. He's supposed to be one of those stereotypical neglectful fathers we see so often in family movies, but Jack is a fundamentally good dad who shouldn't have to redeem himself for anything. Life is cruel to Jack, plain and simple, and he's put in too many impossible positions. After all, he's a down-on-his-luck musician finally getting his big break, so why should his family begrudge him of this just because it causes him to miss a few events? Shouldn't they support him? Why not blame the people who are putting Jack in such a position? Why can't they understand Jack's perspective? Jack is not being selfish - he's always kind, respectful and loving to his family. Thus, Jack comes across as a good man, while Charlie seems mean-spirited.

On top of this, since Jack has been dead for a whole year, shouldn't Charlie have questions to ask his old man? For instance, "What happens when you die?", "What's it like being a snowman?", or "What did death feel like?". Alas, such queries are thrown by the wayside - the screenwriting committee were more focused on gimmicky action beats in a bid to keep us awake. The film's most humiliating failing, though, is that it doesn't pack any sort of emotional punch. The sappy, sentimental climax is ineffective and emotionally bereft, closing the proceedings on the flattest, most artificial note imaginable. Not to mention, Jack looks intrinsically creepy as a snowman. The special effects are serviceable, but there's no getting around the fact that this snowman looks ready to swallow your soul.

To be fair, the performances are at least respectable enough. It's clear that Michael Keaton tried to lighten the film with his sublime comic touch (his work in Beetlejuice deserved an Oscar), but the script did Keaton no justice. At least he got off easy, though, since he's relegated to a vocal role after the first half-hour. The rest of the cast are decent, with Kelly Preston and Joseph Cross both believable as Jack's family, and with an amiable Mark Addy playing one of Jack's friends. Meanwhile, in the only subplot that actually works, Henry Rollins scores the film's only laughs as a hockey coach who becomes incredibly scared and paranoid after meeting Jack in snowman form.

A slapdash comic fantasy, Jack Frost wanted to be a Spielbergian fairytale that tugs on the heart, but it provides nothing to respond to, and it's doubtful that it will emotionally affect anyone of any age group. The picture might work for unfussy folks in desperate need of a Christmas flick fit for family consumption, but on the whole it lacks the magic to make it a long-lasting holiday classic. Not even the frequently-reliable Michael Keaton can save Jack Frost from meltdown.

4.0/10