Release date: December 11, 1998 (USA)
Director: Troy Miller
MPAA rating: PG
Music composed by: Trevor Rabin
Budget: 85 million USD
Oh, Michael Keaton! I can't really put my finger on you. What with your strange mixture of "laid back/don't give a crap" type attitude mixed with your sudden spurts of insanity. I just...well, I just don't know. I also don't know how his acting is going to fare against the whole, "suburban hailing, musically talented but too caught up in his work to spend time with his son, snowman embodying, death defying character he was cast to play, in the film, "Jack Frost" playing a character named, "Jack Frost" and a terribly frightening, terribly unoriginal, Frosty The Snowman...sweet Jesus...This is "Jack Frost".
And may I address this title misconception? When you name a movie, "Jack Frost" there really should be JACK FROST SOMEWHERE between the opening and closing credits! Y'know...Old Man Winter? That's who he is, right? Like, I'm not going crazy...there is a difference between Jack Flipping Frost, and Frosty the Flipping Snowman! "But Albert! The movie is called "Jack Frost" because Michael Keaton plays a man named "Jack Frost". Yeah, I know that...why's his name gotta be so stupid?! Uuuugggg...It's a kids movie, Albert...just calm down...
Sigh...
"Jack Frost" is about father figure and musician Jack Frost (Michael Keaton) and his efforts, or lack there of, to get closer to his son, Charlie (Joseph Cross). Long story short Jack dies and he's reincarnated into a snowman that Charlie had made in his image so that he could make up being such a crappy father figure to his son. That last part is where this film gets a little shaky. Keaton's character doesn't really become a better...anything. Although I guess you could say that just him spending time with his son is enough, but he never cleans up his act, or becomes a different person. Throughout his appearances as a snowman (and we'll get to that) he talks to charlie and teaches him things about hockey, but I always thought that him turning into a snowman was supposed to be symbolic, like it would come to be a visualization of his character arch and transformation into a better human being. Otherwise what was the point of him turning into a snowman? The budget for the film was something like eighty-five million! What was supposed to happen? Nothing happens! Michael Keaton talks to himself and makes jokes about balls! I don't get it! Maybe I'm looking too deeply into this film...but that's what happens man...
The actors in "Jack Frost" are fine. There's nothing terribly wrong with any of them...accept for Michael Keaton. I love the guy, I really do. But he just doesn't fit in. I mean, his style (which I've already mentioned) worked well in "Batman" and it worked well in "Beetle Juice" but if you were to venture too far away from Tim Burton and still give a somewhat similar performance, it's not going to match up.
Now lets talk about the snowman. Dear lord. Alright, so the majority of the film revolves around the snowman and how many snow related puns Keaton can conjure up. A major scene is when Charlie and Snowman Jack get into a huge snowball fight with a rival gang that had picked on Charlie in the past. The fight transitions to a chase scene between the gang and them as they attempt to escape via sled and ski's. This scene drags on for quite some time and even though it was meant for the audience to see that Charlie and his father are getting closer, we are forced to look away from this idea and more towards the crazy cg antics happening on screen. Although there are other bonding moments, as scarce as they are scattered throughout the film. And that's what perplexes me the most. There are too little of these moments to make up for the amount of neglect Jack had shown Charlie in the past.
For example, the first half of the film is dedicated to not one but TWO "make the date complexes". You know the kind! The type of plot in every single kid friendly sports film. The father promises to come to his son or daughter's game, but when the time comes he gets tied up at the last moment either with a problem or a solution to his problem. It happens every time and every time it happens I can't stand it! And just when you think the movie's through with classic but tired movie cliche's THEY GO AND DO IT AGAIN! Goodbye, "make the date complex" hello "hide the stranger"! Oh, don't act like you don't know what I mean! It started with "E.T" and ever since KABBLLAMM! Close to every kid movie with an alien thrown in is guilty of falling prey to the "hide the stranger" trope. Where the kid finds the (insert object here) but mom and dad can't find out so he/she has to hide it. they're old, they're gimmicky, and they're just a downright disgrace to the film industry. Just...please be original with your thoughts, writers. On behalf of all cinephiles, I beg of you. No more cliche's.
This movie could have been good. Heck, It may have been pretty funny if they took out every shortcut, every punchline, everything stupid! But no. They managed to make a movie about a talking, moving, hockey-playing snowman...dull. How do you do that? You get the wrong actor to play your lead, you write some bad puns, you cut some corners, you focus more on the comedy what could have otherwise been a pretty decent drama, and you name your movie..."JACK FROST"! ...Sigh...So many things weighed this movie down. So many things! And I really want to be able to look beyond that, and say, "Well, the CG was pretty okay, and they don't over complicate the magic wish that went into creating a talking snowman, and I guess by the end of the film it's pretty heartwarming to think that this once jerk of a father has made amends with his son." But that would give me something to think about, and I hate thinking. After all, I am a film critic.
...wait...what'd this movie have to do about Christmas? Do...do I still have to do a Christmas movie review? I don't think I do. I mean, it's "Jack Frost"! There's snow, and it kind of ends on Christmas. At least I think it does...Oh, well. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Hanukkah, and happy holidays! Until next time.
5.0/10
And may I address this title misconception? When you name a movie, "Jack Frost" there really should be JACK FROST SOMEWHERE between the opening and closing credits! Y'know...Old Man Winter? That's who he is, right? Like, I'm not going crazy...there is a difference between Jack Flipping Frost, and Frosty the Flipping Snowman! "But Albert! The movie is called "Jack Frost" because Michael Keaton plays a man named "Jack Frost". Yeah, I know that...why's his name gotta be so stupid?! Uuuugggg...It's a kids movie, Albert...just calm down...
Sigh...
"Jack Frost" is about father figure and musician Jack Frost (Michael Keaton) and his efforts, or lack there of, to get closer to his son, Charlie (Joseph Cross). Long story short Jack dies and he's reincarnated into a snowman that Charlie had made in his image so that he could make up being such a crappy father figure to his son. That last part is where this film gets a little shaky. Keaton's character doesn't really become a better...anything. Although I guess you could say that just him spending time with his son is enough, but he never cleans up his act, or becomes a different person. Throughout his appearances as a snowman (and we'll get to that) he talks to charlie and teaches him things about hockey, but I always thought that him turning into a snowman was supposed to be symbolic, like it would come to be a visualization of his character arch and transformation into a better human being. Otherwise what was the point of him turning into a snowman? The budget for the film was something like eighty-five million! What was supposed to happen? Nothing happens! Michael Keaton talks to himself and makes jokes about balls! I don't get it! Maybe I'm looking too deeply into this film...but that's what happens man...
The actors in "Jack Frost" are fine. There's nothing terribly wrong with any of them...accept for Michael Keaton. I love the guy, I really do. But he just doesn't fit in. I mean, his style (which I've already mentioned) worked well in "Batman" and it worked well in "Beetle Juice" but if you were to venture too far away from Tim Burton and still give a somewhat similar performance, it's not going to match up.
Now lets talk about the snowman. Dear lord. Alright, so the majority of the film revolves around the snowman and how many snow related puns Keaton can conjure up. A major scene is when Charlie and Snowman Jack get into a huge snowball fight with a rival gang that had picked on Charlie in the past. The fight transitions to a chase scene between the gang and them as they attempt to escape via sled and ski's. This scene drags on for quite some time and even though it was meant for the audience to see that Charlie and his father are getting closer, we are forced to look away from this idea and more towards the crazy cg antics happening on screen. Although there are other bonding moments, as scarce as they are scattered throughout the film. And that's what perplexes me the most. There are too little of these moments to make up for the amount of neglect Jack had shown Charlie in the past.
For example, the first half of the film is dedicated to not one but TWO "make the date complexes". You know the kind! The type of plot in every single kid friendly sports film. The father promises to come to his son or daughter's game, but when the time comes he gets tied up at the last moment either with a problem or a solution to his problem. It happens every time and every time it happens I can't stand it! And just when you think the movie's through with classic but tired movie cliche's THEY GO AND DO IT AGAIN! Goodbye, "make the date complex" hello "hide the stranger"! Oh, don't act like you don't know what I mean! It started with "E.T" and ever since KABBLLAMM! Close to every kid movie with an alien thrown in is guilty of falling prey to the "hide the stranger" trope. Where the kid finds the (insert object here) but mom and dad can't find out so he/she has to hide it. they're old, they're gimmicky, and they're just a downright disgrace to the film industry. Just...please be original with your thoughts, writers. On behalf of all cinephiles, I beg of you. No more cliche's.
This movie could have been good. Heck, It may have been pretty funny if they took out every shortcut, every punchline, everything stupid! But no. They managed to make a movie about a talking, moving, hockey-playing snowman...dull. How do you do that? You get the wrong actor to play your lead, you write some bad puns, you cut some corners, you focus more on the comedy what could have otherwise been a pretty decent drama, and you name your movie..."JACK FROST"! ...Sigh...So many things weighed this movie down. So many things! And I really want to be able to look beyond that, and say, "Well, the CG was pretty okay, and they don't over complicate the magic wish that went into creating a talking snowman, and I guess by the end of the film it's pretty heartwarming to think that this once jerk of a father has made amends with his son." But that would give me something to think about, and I hate thinking. After all, I am a film critic.
...wait...what'd this movie have to do about Christmas? Do...do I still have to do a Christmas movie review? I don't think I do. I mean, it's "Jack Frost"! There's snow, and it kind of ends on Christmas. At least I think it does...Oh, well. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Hanukkah, and happy holidays! Until next time.
5.0/10
Watch The Trailer Here
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1 comments:
85 Million dollars? On What?
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