The Grumpy Cat Christmas movie would be fairly generic trending toward especially mediocre, except it’s furry. There aren’t enough movies about cats, & Aubrey Plaza’s snarky voiceover interruptions along with Grumpy Cat being waved around really elevate it to something… special.
Jack Frost (1998) is such a weird movie. I watched it, expecting it to be bad, because I saw the reviews when it came out. But I was feeling whimsical and have fond memories of Michael Keaton in Mr. Mom, Batman, etc.
Anyway… it was not at all what I expected…
I thought Jack Frost would be more straightforwardly bad. Instead, it had fairly strong bones… The main character is complex; the grief from his wife and kid were handled well. The writing and acting don’t seem bad… but… I think it might be a Sonic situation.
Like, I love Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, but I think maybe that particular puppet was just not working for the tone of the film, and if you painted over that snowman with something more… I don’t know, maybe Miyazaki-esque? More… ethereal? Maybe the movie would work better.
I watched Rankin & Bass’s Jack Frost, because 1) I’d never seen it before, and 2) it stars Robert Morse?!?! I’ve loved him since seeing How To Succeed In Business as a kid. Any chance to hear him sing is good.
Anyway, it was exactly as weird and magical as one would expect.
I wouldn’t usually accuse Taylor Swift of thinking too small, but you can leave the Christmas lights up WAY past January.