Jack Frost (1998)Let's get things straight: there are at least two versions of Jack Frost. One is a schlocky B-horror straight-to-video film that is funnier than most comedies. The other is a family film, whose only violence involves snowballs and the sun. You are better off skipping the first of the two, as you may find yourself in agony just trying to finish watching it. And I was sure I was in for a horrible time at the movies when I saw the previews for JACK FROST, a "kids" film which (quoting from my Babe: Pig in the City review) panders to the lowest common denominator.
And as was true with both Paulie and Babe: Pig in the City, the expectations are reversed. Instead of coming across as a cheesy, Disney live-action family film (oh, come on... are you really going to say Disney's been consistent lately?), we are presented with a mixture of real emotional content and family drama. It helps, I suppose, that it is Warner Brothers bringing this film to theaters, and not Disney. I can imagine what Disney might have done with it, turning all the complex emotions into simplistic cliches that little kids can grasp easily. This tends to leave adults wretching in the aisle from absurdity. JACK FROST only has one moment, often referred to (by me, anyway) as the "gag" reflex. This is when you watch a kids movie, the music swells as two characters connect emotionally, and they usually hug. Gag.
But JACK FROST is, for the most part, different. There's a sense of wonder and awe that makes so many family films great. Not only that, it's very funny. JACK FROST begins with Jack Frost (Michael Keaton) and his band playing a rendition of the famous Frosty the Snowman song. Despite the high energy in the scene, it lapses into the dreaded cliches, as when one agent holds up their telephone so that the listener can hear the band play. But don't hold this scene against the film entirely... think of it more as a moment for the director to show how Disney would have made it.
Jack has a wonderful family consisting of Gabby (Kelly Preston), his beautiful wife, and Charlie (Joseph Cross), his talented son. This is the picture-book family: smart, happy, and successful. Perhaps too successful, as Jack's career soon begins to interfere with his family life. At first, he misses a game or two of Charlie's ice hockey team. However, one day he gets a call from his agent requesting a trip to Denver to perform for a contractor. Unfortunately, this lands on Christmas day, and they have all planned on going up to their cabin. Jack decides to go, but on his way, changes his mind and begins the trip to the cabin. On the way there, his windshield wipers stop working and crashes through a metal barrier separating him from certain death.
Jump ahead one year, and the family is coping with their loss, especially as Christmas comes around. Charlie builds a snowman as he and his father used to do annually, dresses him up in his father's scarf, hat, and button. That night, he plays the "magical" harmonica. Outside, the wind howls and swirls around the snowman. Suddenly, the snowman comes to life. And so the main plot of JACK FROST is set into motion. The initial setup takes quite a long time to get through, making some kids bored. One family next to us kept getting up and down, in and out for snacks and bathroom breaks (I always have the "pleasure" of somehow sitting next to these types of families at every family film I attend). But once the snowman comes alive, everyone settled down for a good time (except, of course, for the family sitting next to me).
What impressed me the most is this setup which takes so long. Many films geared towards kids and adults like to get on with the main plot as quickly as possible. By the end of the film, adults are usually bored with the antics on screen. With JACK FROST, we have about a thirty minute wait before anything fantastical occurs. We see a loving father who wants the best for his family, and how his death can affect that family. I was very surprised at how well this was handled, which could have resorted to relying on melodramatic moments. Instead, the family's trauma is realistic, portrayed with extreme efficiency by Preston and Cross. Cross especially is stunning, and an Academy Award nomination isn't too unlikely. Preston has a more difficult job, and she handles it well, comforting her son while trying to balance a steady job at the bank.
But as soon as Frosty came into play, I just had this deep feeling that I was not going to enjoy myself. But again, the screenplay, written by Mark Steven Johnson and Steven Bloom, is very well written and examines the reactions of all those involved, from Jack's dismay to Charlie's fear. Jack's dialogue is sharp and crisp, making his gradual acceptance humorous. Charlie is reluctant to even believe what he's seeing, but after getting over the initial shock, he soon realizes that it is in fact his father. Of course, talking to a snowman isn't a natural thing, and Gabby questions her son's mental stability.
Director Troy Miller isn't interested in entertaining children for the first thirty minutes, which may be the film's major fault. On the other hand, it gives the adult audience something to grasp onto. We are allowed to view the lives of the three main characters, and consequentially we begin to care for them. And when Jack is killed, we care. How will this affect the rest of the family? Sadly, the movie gives us a title card 'One Year Later' meaning we will not view how the family will cope directly with the tragedy. Rather, we will witness how simple events can bring sad memories back. During one emotional scene, Charlie breaks down crying as he shovels the driveway, which he and his father did together. Miller never soaks the scene for more emotion than necessary... as a result, many of the adults in the audience had tears welling up in their eyes. Kids were bored, but the last ninety minutes is made just for them.
Michael Keaton is an all-around great actor. He can play pretty much any part, varying from comedian to Batman. Keaton here displays his comic timing with the dialogue, considering he doesn't have a body. As a snowman, his lines vary from vulgar slurs ("My balls are frozen!") to funny observations concerning his situation ("Is it the name? 'Cause if so, that's not very original!"). Kelly Preston is very good as a caring mother and wife. But it's Joseph Cross, who played opposite Keaton in the thriller Desperate Measures, who gives the film a purpose. The relationship between father and son is straight from a storybook. The emotional connection with the audience comes directly from Cross and he handles it very well. Mark Addy made such a big impression with his hilarious turn in the Oscar nomination The Full Monty, and now he gives an understated performance of a musician without the love for music. And Eli Marienthal portrays a bully who loves to pick on younger kids (one of the film's more annoying plot points).
JACK FROST is rated PG for some vulgar slurs, profanity, and some violence. While nowhere near a classic, this is the type of holiday family fare that people should see. The film drags in the middle as the film makers seem to run out of ideas. And some may find the ending a little too similar to Ghost, which has a final farewell between the family (thankfully, it's nowhere near as melodramatic as that 1990 romantic dramedy). Warner Brothers has another dud on its hands, as people are just not going to want to see this film. As with Babe: Pig in the City, families prefer cutsey junk without any topics that may need to be discussed afterwards. If we want cutsey junk, we'll turn to Disney. In the meantime, why not support this wonderfully charming and rather intelligent family film?