AllMovie

Jack Frost takes a potentially interesting subject for a family-friendly Christmas movie -- a dead father comes back as a snowman -- and treats it in one of the most clichéd and mundane manners possible. Rather than using this unusual premise as a jumping off point for a unique story, director Troy Miller and a quartet of screenwriters have used it to express sticky sentiments told in the most cloying fashion possible. There's no real honest emotion behind Jack Frost, just the kind of heart-on-the-sleeves manipulation that Hollywood manufactures by the truckload. There's also precious little wit or imagination in the story, which is even more damaging. There is a certain visual flair to the proceedings, thanks to the folks at Jim Henson's Creature Shop, but even their work is below their usual standard. No one in the cast really shines, but Michael Keaton does everything that can be done with the material at hand, Kelly Preston manages some nice moments in a thankless role, and Joseph Cross does have some genuine youthful appeal. Viewers who value easy sentiment and a reassuring story will be entertained by Frost, but those who object to attempts at manipulating emotions are well advised to skip this one.