Post by PhantomKnight on Dec 25, 2020 15:20:09 GMT -5
Considering I first heard about this movie the day it was released (yet another piece of evidence towards the fact that Netflix's overall marketing department sucks), I've gotta say...I was disappointed with this. I'm all for original movie musicals making a comeback, but they can't just count solely on the musical numbers carrying them to success, which is what Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey does. Now, to the movie's credit, the musical numbers are easily the best thing about it. The songs were all co-written by John Legend, and they all succeed in what they set out to do. I'm not sure just how memorable any of them will prove to be, but a lot of them do have that showy/catchy quality to them that you want and expect from big and flashy movie musical numbers. In addition, there's a very Brodway-like quality to the way some of them are staged that I actually appreciated. The standouts are probably This Day and The Square Root of Possible. Also, this movie's production design is honestly pretty great. From the look of the town and buildings to the vibrant color scheme, this movie is pleasant to simply look at a lot of the time.
That said...the story, characters and overall writing never really grabbed me. While Jingle Jangle succeeds in its musical qualities, the story itself is nothing to write home about, and it's mainly because of the characters. While Madalen Mills, the main little girl, has charm to boot and plays her part well, Kieron L. Dyer, who plays her companion of sorts, honestly isn't very good. And since the two of them share a bulk of the screentime around the middle, that becomes a problem. Forest Whitaker, on the other hand, genuinely gives his role everything he can...but the problem with him is that he indistinctly mumbles the vast majority of his lines. Keegan Michael-Key provides a nice dose of energy as the villain, but that leads to another problem of the movie's: its brand of humor. Frankly, it's pretty lame and groan-inducing a lot of the time; inoffensive, sure, but nonetheless not very funny. At least to me.
I feel kind of bad for voting down on Jingle Jangle, because it certainly doesn't lack for heart, enthusiasm or the like...it's just there's not much there when you look past the pretty veneer and big musical numbers. Some may be content with the movie's cheery quality, especially this year, and that's perfectly fine -- but me personally, most of it just rang kind of hollow.
**/****
