An old-fashioned musical for Christmas, that's what Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is, and it's all the better for it. Writer-director David E. Talbert has delivered something that feels like a wonderful, comforting, pop-up book, and this has immediately become a film I can see myself wanting to visit every time December comes around.
Jeronicus Jangle is a kind and brilliant inventor. His latest toy, a small matador doll (Diego, voiced by Ricky Martin), will be the masterpiece that secures his name, and financial well-being. But Diego convinces the inventor's assistant, Gustafson, to take him away, along with a notebook full of invention ideas. It's then time to move forward thirty years, having seen Jeronicus lose his wife, grow estranged from his daughter, Jessica, and fail to recapture his spark of genius. Jessica has had her own child, Journey (Madalen Mills), and she ends up heading off to meet her grandfather (now played by Forest Whitaker). Journey and Jeronicus are quite similar in the way their brains see the world, much to the delight of young helper, Edison (Kieron L. Dyer). But the pressure is on to come up with a great invention and save the store, especially as Gustafson (now played by Keegan-Michael Key) continues to go from success to success, all thanks to that impressive notebook.
This has absolutely everything you could want from any Christmas movie looking to become a new firm favourite. The characters are memorable, the musical numbers are enjoyable, and well-choreographed, there are some great set-pieces, and everything takes part in a small, snow-covered, town that could easily be pictured on some classic Christmas-themed jigsaw puzzle.
Although not someone you may think of as being comfortable in this kind of role, Whitaker is a real delight. His character is a "bah, humbug" type, but more understandably so, due to the misfortune that has befallen him over the years. He may not be a natural for the moments of song, but that just makes it all better, because his character isn't inclined to want to sing beautiful melodies. Mills shines in her role, whether wandering around on her own or getting under her grandfather's feet, and I hope we see her build a decent little filmography in the next few years. Dyer is equally good, and enjoyably wide-eyed and impressed by so much of what he sees around him. Key and Martin do well as the main villains, a perfect combination of ruthlessness and comic incompetence (struggling to come up with another big idea when the notebook has been used up), and Lisa Davina Phillip is a real treat in the role of Ms. Johnston, a lady who delivers post and makes it clear that she'd like to find Jeronicus under some mistletoe and grab a kiss from him.
There are a few different lessons here, a main one being about patience, the whole story is framed by a wraparound that has a grandmother (Phylicia Rashad) talking to her grandchildren, and you get musical contributions from Philip Lawrence, John Legend, and Usher, to name a few. It's very hard to find something to criticise. I guess it's a bit TOO twee at times, which often happens with Christmas movies, but that's it.
Talbert can be very proud of his achievement here. It's a near-perfect modern Christmas classic.
9/10
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