Written by: Mark Steven Johnson, Steve Bloom, Jonathan Roberts, Jeff Cesario
Starring: Michael Keaton, Kelly Preston, Mark Addy, Joseph Cross
Rating: [2/5]
It does not take much discernment to discover Christmas films in the 1980s and 90s focused aplenty on absentee fathers. Typically, fathers who spend far too much time at work and need to discover that family should carry more importance. We can list plenty of films of that era touching upon this subject, but none does it quite like Jack Frost, which takes a genuinely touching story but dresses it up in the strangest way I could have ever expected.
While just making ends meet as lead singer of a rock band, Jack (Michael Keaton) seeks to spend some time with his family for the holidays. However, when called upon to play an all-important gig for his career that ends with him dying in a car accident, Jack comes back as a snowman constructed by his son. This gives him the opportunity to obtain closure.
Without a doubt, Jack Frost presents one of the strangest viewing experiences I’ve had in the way with one simple change, it could become a Christmas classic. That change stares us right in the face on the poster. Why in the world did they decide to have this man come back as a snowman, especially one that looks as demented as this one does? One has to know their limitations and they certainly did not have the technology to make a good-looking snowman back then. However, I would posit, a snowman would not look good even with today’s technology. This all comes down to the fact the team behind this film wanted to tell this touching story but also provide children’s entertainment of what it would be like to hang out with a snowman all day.
This goal, while it may satisfy the children in the crowd, hampers the genuinely strong elements within this film, especially as we near the conclusion. From films like Jingle All the Way and Scrooged, there was certainly some guilt felt by Hollywood producer fathers who created films as an apology for all the time they spent away from family, and for the most part I would argue Jack Frost does the best job at helping this father learn this lesson. The element that helps it along the most comes from the fact that Jack dies in this story and while he learns his lesson, he does not simply get to try again in being there for his family. It makes the story much more hard-hitting as both the son, Charlie (Joseph Cross), and Gabby (Kelly Preston), the wife, must battle with grief but having this short period with Jack means the world to them. Again, it’s just unfortunate that the majority of this film takes place with Michael Keaton voicing a strange-looking snowman.
Speaking of Michael Keaton, I will not allow any blame to be laid on him as both portraying the living father and then lending his voice as the snowman version of himself, he does a great job. He has his distinctive voice and helps make the snowman not completely terrifying to watch, which he certainly deserves credit for. One could only imagine the different ways he could have come back magically that would not have undercut his performance to the degree being a walking and talking snowman does. Keaton never misses, no matter the role he takes on, and portraying the titular character in this film serves as no exception.
Truly a strange watch for the reasons outlined above, Jack Frost sits in such a weird place in the way I feel about it. The only reason I watched it was because my wife recommended it to me because of how much she loved watching the film when younger. I then go through this strange journey in watching this movie where I’m initially shocked they kill off the lead character, bring him back as a snowman, but then somehow display some of the most emotionally resonant material I’ve ever seen in a Christmas film. What ultimately lands this film the grade it does comes from how much this horrific snowman appears in the film and how much it distracts from some of the good work being down by Keaton and the resounding message of an absentee father learning his message. So incredibly strange and something that will leave me scratching my head for quite a while.
Films with Josh 
