Jack Frost | | Cast : | Michael Keaton, Kelly Preston | | Director : | Troy Miller | | Studio : | Warner Studios | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | December 11, 1998 | | DVD Released Date : | October 05, 2004 | | Language : | French (Subtitled), English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), English (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | May 06, 2005 | | Summary | This potentially could happen to you. Be careful. | Content
 | 2 winters ago I took my 4 year old neighbor and his little friend sledding. Needless to say it got a little boring, so I decided to kick it up a notch. These kids really liked the new Star Wars movies so I put my wooden sled in the middle, and tied each of their plastic ones to it about 6 feet out on either side of me. It was just like the pod-racer in Episode I. In theory it should have worked great, but instead my neighbor couldn't control his side of the pod racer and ended up with a broken ankle at the hands of my wooden sled. The other kid (who was around 6) stood up for me in exchange for some Pokemon cards so I didn't get in trouble. (in hindsight I don't really think it was my fault anyway)
Later that same month I was assigned to babysit my 4 year old neighbor at his parent's house. I figured it would be easy money, since he was in a leg cast so he couldn't run around and do things. To make it even easier I decided to prop him up in front of a movie. I rented this movie "Jack Frost" because I had seen it when it was out in theatres. Basically, without giving too much away, Michael Keaton dies in a car accident, leaving his young son without a father. However, he is magically regenerated as a snowman so he can look over the boy. He is kind of like a guardian-angel that protects the boy from bullys. The special effects are alright, but it just didn't seem believable to me.
But it did seem like a great movie to cheer up my neighbor's kid, seeing as he couldn't go out and play. I figured that the only part of the movie that he might have a hard time with is the Michael Keaton's fatal car crash. But he does love Disney movies, and parents die regularly in the Disney universe.
Now I had planned to just use their computer while the kid watched the movie, but I started to get a soft heart for the poor kid (once again, NOT because I think I was responsible for the sledding accident). I got an idea to go that extra mile for the kid since he was incapacitated and probably felt like a sledding failure. I set the kid up on the couch, gave him some crackers and popped the movie in. My plan was to make it so that when the movie was over he would have his very own guardian angel snowman, right outside his bedroom window. I had roughly 90 minutes so it seemed easy.
I dashed out to the backyard and began rolling the bottom segment of the snowman. I got a little too ambitious however, and used up most of the available snow back there. This first section was easily 4 feel tall. I had to think quick about how to get more snow. In the family's garage they had a wheelbarrow and a snow-shovel. I ran it over to the church parking lot down the street and filled it up and wheeled it back to start on the middle segment. Once again I got carried away, and now the 2/3 done snowman was around 6 feet tall, and I still hadn't made it's head! According to my watch I had a half hour left. I carted in more snow and made it's enormous snow-head. It was so humungous that I had to break almost entire branches off of their trees to make the arms. I used barbecue charcol for eyes and mouth. I couldn't produce a carrot on such short notice, so I used a rolled up newspaper from the front porch. When I was finished I had a roughly 8 foot tall snowman staring down at me. I snapped a few pictures with my camera-phone and headed back in.
The credits were rolling on the movie, just as I had estimated. But something was wrong. The kid seeme really spooked and freaked out about something. I tried to talk to him about Jack Frost, but he kept asking why the snowman had to kill people. I got freaked out when he said that Jack Frost had "knocked someone's head off" and about how he "chopped someone with an axe", and someone getting there face getting burned. Something was deadly wrong but I couldn't figure it out. His parents were due home soon and I had to work out a mess that I didn't understand.
I popped the tape out, and the label clearly said "Jack Frost". What was the problem? After a few moments of deliberation I decided to rewind and check out the video. To my absolute horror this movie was indeed about a snowman that is alive, but a snowman that brutally murders people. These scenes are just too wild to mention, and were done in a fairly realistic manner that even scared me a little. This was a completely different movie that just happened to have the same title. I felt sick inside. I tried to explain to the kid about how someone may have inadvertantly switched the 2 movies at the store or something, but he was too terrified to listen.
Then, the parents came home. I needed to act quickly. I collected my money from the boy's dad (Chuck), while the mom was helping the kid's mom helped him brush his teeth. I said a quick goodbye and ran out full speed to the backyard. There was no doubt in my mind that I absolutely HAD to destroy the snowman I had built before the kid saw it and was scarred for life. I threw a running karate kick at the snowman. Then, a flurry of punches. It was no good because I had packed the snow too tight. I ran to the garage to get the shovel. Just as I ran back to the snowman I heard a series of loud shrieks coming from the kid's room. He had seen it. He was SEEING it. The light flicked on inside just as I laid into the snowman's torso full force with the shovel. I kept swinging and tearing at it, but by then it was too late. The garage lights turned on there was Chuck (the dad) looking at me like I was insane, while I was fighting the snowman.
In conclusion I guess the parents thought I was purposefully trying to scare their child. I showed them the video to try to explain what had happened. They both thought it was completely irresponsible to have left him alone for 90 minutes watching an R rated gore movie. Needless to say, I was banned from ever babysitting the kid ever again. I would have given the Michael Keaton movie 3 stars, but I'm lowering it to 2 because it's just to easy to rent the wrong one like I did. I think the film company and video store are the "irresponsible" ones. Later.
howardtuttleman.com
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| Rating | | | Date | January 17, 2005 | | Summary | One of my all time favorite movies | Content
| I am a grown woman but have a soft spot for this movie. I could watch it everyday till the day I die and never get sick of it. The soundtrack I even like. Micheal Keaton is amazing in everything. I must warn you though, bring the tissues. I cry like a baby during this movie. It's sad. A struggling musician who dies when his son Charlie is 11 on christmas. Then a year later things are hard for Charlie and Gab (the wife). Jack (the dad) comes back as a snowman and freaks Charlie out. It gives a good message. You can always talk to someone when they're in your heart. Never let go of that. One of my personal favorites. |
| Rating | | | Date | January 16, 2005 | | Summary | MAGIC HARMONICA | Content
| Although I happened to like the similarly titled movie (it was a hoot), this one is a real tearjerker, so get out the hankies. JACK FROST stars Michael Keaton, who doesn't get much screen time as Keaton, but instead voices a marvelously effected snowman. The human Jack Frost is a struggling musician who is just about to make it big, but sadly he dies in a car crash. Although not a bad father, in his quest for notoriety, his wife and son suffered some in not having a lot of quality time together. A year after the accident, Frost miraculously (via a "magic" harmonica) returns as a snowman and decides to make up to his son for his lack of attention. From this point, we get some nifty scenes of father/snowman/son bonding, and by the time the movie reaches its unavoidable climax, if you haven't sniffled a little, you're colder than a snowman!
Keaton is very good; Kelly Preston looks lovely and delivers a solid performance as Gabby; and Joseph Cross, though limited in his abilities, nonetheless is touching as Charlie.
JACK FROST has a wonderful message that some might consider schmaltzy, but for those who have lost a loved one, it inspires you to remember that life goes on and the memories you cherish in your heart will always keep that loved one near.
I think this is a marvelous movie. |
| Rating | | | Date | December 23, 2004 | | Summary | Orphan in Denver, Colorado | Content
| I loved this movie. My dad just died two months ago and this is the first time I've seen this movie. Tomorrow I'm going out and build a snowman, play my harmonica, and pray that my dad comes back as a snowman. I miss him.
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| Rating | | | Date | December 17, 2004 | | Summary | AN OK BUT ULTIMATELY FORGETTABLE HOLIDAY FILM | Content
| Don't confuse this one with the horror film about a killer snowman of the same name. This Christmas film isn't bad but ultimately doesn't have enough magic and cheer to make it become one of those movies you want to view annually.
Jack Frost is a Blues singer who's on the road most of the time so he can't spend a lot of time with his son Charlie, although they love each other very much. When Jack dies in a car accident, Charlie becomes a very sad young man, until... Jack returns as a snowman! Now they can do all the things they've missed when Jack was human, but what will people think when they see Charlie talking to a snowman and what will happen when the weather gets warmer?
This harmless fantasy was unfairly maligned by the majority of critics upon its release, some of whom gave it no or one star in their rating. There's nothing original here in terms of the themes or ideas and it borrows from plenty of other, better movies but on its own terms. Kelly Preston is, of course, gorgeous as the mom, but Joseph Cross as son Charlie is a little weak.
You could certainly do worse for a holiday movie, but at the same time you could also do much better. |
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