ack Frost (Keaton) has a great life. He's a singer whose band is on the verge of breaking out and landing a record deal. That's great for Jack, who loves what he does almost as much as he love his family. His understanding wife, Gabby (Preston), keeps the home fires burning while he's on the road, and his terrific son, Charlie (Cross), manages to get good grades while outsmarting the school bully.
After one road trip, Jack gives Charlie a harmonica. Jack claims the
harmonica is magical, and when Charlie plays it, Jack will hear it wherever he is. Then, in the middle of the night, the father and son go out and build a snowman together. To add the finishing touches, Jack puts his scarf and hat on their newly created masterpiece.
When Jack misses Charlie's big hockey game because of a recording
session, he offers to take the family up to their cabin for Christmas. But just as they're about to leave, Jack gets a call. His group has a real shot at a
deal if they audition for a record executive on Christmas Day.
Charlie is disappointed, and he and his mother head up to the cabin by themselves. Jack sets out for the executive's house, but halfway there he decides can't be away from his family on Christmas day. So he starts back toward the cabin, but in the terrible weather he gets into a car accident and loses his life.
Nearly a year later, Charlie is a sad kid. He's quit the hockey team
and can't even manage to get worked up about his feud with the school bully. Late one night, Charlie decides to make a snowman, just like the one he and his dad made. When he's done, he puts his dad's scarf and hat on the snowman. Later, as Charlie lies in bed thinking about his dad, he plays the harmonica for the first time since his dad died. Outside, the wind whirls and the snowman comes to life.
Two films for the price of one
Jack Frost feels like two different films. On the one hand it wants to be a magical family movie, but it comes off as a goofy snowman-brought-to-life comedy sandwiched by sappy sentimental scenes. Unfortunately, neither one of these is interesting, and only young children will enjoy the snowman part.
The sappy family story is guided by Keaton, who is always relaxed and
watchable on screen. However, the talented ex-Batman has chosen to do some poor films lately, and Jack Frost can easily be added to that list. Still, it's not Keaton's fault that the movie doesn't succeed. The film's
director, four writers and a cartoonish looking snowman probably have much more to do with that. It's just that Keaton could do so much better if he just chose his material a little more wisely.
The goofy snowman-brought-to-life story is led by Jack's snow-filled alter ego, which was created by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. The snowman is supposed to contain Jack's spirit, but while it certainly has his voice, it seems to have lost Jack's personality. To make matters worse, the snowman turns into a stand-up comedian, wondering about things such as why he would come back to life as a snowman. "Is it the name?" he lamely jokes.
As soon as the snowman comes onto the scene, Jack Frost turns into a light comedy as the new Jack fixes the kitchen sink, teaches Charlie a special hockey shot and bonds with his son, melting all the way. This all might mean more if there were some tension in the film, but that's never the case. Jack is a loving father, and Charlie can take care of the school bully already. So there seems to be no point to the movie, except to show that a snowman can outgun an entire schoolyard of children in a snowball fight.
