Jack Frost (1979)

Rated: G

Genres: Animation, Fantasy

Starring: Buddy Hackett

Synopsis: The Groundhog tells the story of how, for once, Jack Frost became human, and helped a knight win his lady love.

Review: A delightful annual must see for us.  Watching Jack Frost experience humanity but realize that he is needed as Jack Frost.  Learning that we all are a part of a bigger picture and we need to consider others as well as ourselves is a valuable lesson.  Plus, it’s just plain fun.

Scoring: 5

Jack Frost (1998)

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy

Starring: Michael Keaton and Kelly Preston

Synopsis: A father who can't keep his promises, dies in a car accident. One year later, he returns as a snowman, who has the final chance to put things right with his son, before he is gone forever.

Review:  As much as I adore Keaton, I found this movie to be as bizarre as described. I couldn’t become emotionally invested in a snowman dad. If you can handle that, give it a try. I was bored. 

Scoring: 1.5

Jeff Dunham’s Very Special Christmas Special (2008)

Rated: TV-14

Genre: Comedy

Starring: Jeff Dunham

Synopsis: The comic performs his well-known characters.

Review: If you’re a fan of Jeff Dunham or ventriloquism, you’ll enjoy this.  It’s irreverent and funny.  All your favorites are there including Walter and Achmed.  Definitely not for younger viewers.

Scoring: 3

A Jenkins Family Christmas (2021)

Rated: TV-14

Genres: Drama, Family

Starring: Regina Taylor, Kim Coles, and Tammy Townsend

Synopsis: Two sisters try to continue their late father’s Christmas traditions when a lost relative arrives.

Review: The story had real potential. Unfortunately, they tried to tell too many small stories at one time without any getting the needed time. The drama was a little superficial. The actors were good with what they had. 

Scoring: 2.5

Jingle All The Way (1996)

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Family

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad, and Phil Hartman

Synopsis: A father vows to get his son a Turbo Man action figure for Christmas. However, every store is sold out of them, and he must travel all over town and compete with everybody else in order to find one.

Review: Most parents can relate to their child wanting that one toy that’s impossible to get.  This movie takes that struggle and takes it to absurd places.  It’s silly and a little slapstick.  If you enjoy that, you’ll enjoy this.  In the end the message is that Christmas is about people, not things.

Scoring: 3

Jingle All The Way 2 (2014)

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Family

Starring: Larry the Cable Guy

Synopsis: Larry's daughter wants only one thing for Christmas, a talking bear. His daughter's stepdad intends to make sure that Larry can't get one.

Review: The adjustment families make when a new stepparent joins the family is what this movie highlights.  Both dad and stepdad want to be the hero.  It works out in the end, of course.  It’s not as slapstick as the original because it’s more heartfelt.  I went into it expecting it to be stupid and unbearable but I enjoyed it.

Scoring: 3

Jingle Around The Clock (2018)

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Romance

Starring: Brooke Nevin and Michael Cassidy

Synopsis: Elle's plans for a Christmas reunion are thwarted by work. In order to get a career-altering promotion she's forced to team up with advertising campaign 'fixer' Max, who has a completely different take on the Holidays.

Review:  I love the misfit Christmas group and all the Christmas traditions in the movie. It’s got likable characters and a different story. Charming. 

Scoring: 3

Jingle Bell Bride (2020)

Rated: G

Genre: Romance

Starring: Julie Gonzalo and Ronnie Rowe

Synopsis: A wedding planner ends up in a remote Alaskan town and falls in love with its Christmas pageantry, as well as the local man helping her find a rare flower.

Review: It felt as if this movie caught the reality of life and Alaska but missed the mark on capturing the magic.  It was okay but it was missing that something special.  The scenery was beautiful and the actors did a good job with what they had to work with.

Scoring: 2.5

Jingle Bell Princess (2021)

Rated: G

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Merritt Patterson and Trevor Donovan

Synopsis: Stranded in Maine, a princess is drawn into the lives of a widower and his family.

Review: I really liked this movie. The characters were real and relatable and the story felt like the situations were happening organically. The only thing I didn’t like was Patterson’s accent. It seemed phony. I adore her but they needed to fix that. 

Scoring: 3

Jingle Bell Rocks (2013)

Rated: NR

Genres: Documentary

Starring: Bill Adler

Synopsis: An exclusive backstage pass into a fascinating underground world of alternative Christmas music.

Review: This is made for true music aficionados.  I love Christmas music and I was bored.  I think music collectors and musicians will appreciate this the most.  It has a lot of information and is well done.  The only thing it was missing was reaching viewers like me who are mostly familiar with common Christmas music.

Scoring: 2.5

Jingle Belle (2018)

Rated: PG

Genres: Drama, Musical, Romance

Starring: Tatyana Ali, Loretta Devine, Tempestt Bledsoe, Keshia Knight Pullman, and Dee Wallace

Synopsis: Isabelle returns to her hometown, after years away, to write music for the annual Christmas Eve Pageant. To her surprise, her high school sweetheart, Mike, is directing the show. 

Review:  This movie is average. It’s not good or bad. It has moments that make it worth watching but they are too few and far between. Lots of missed opportunities. 

Scoring: 2.5

Jingle Bells (1992)

Rated: G

Genres: Animation, Fantasy, Family

Starring: Jason Alexander, Don Knotts, Shelly Long, and Mae Whitman

Synopsis: A family with little money worries about not being able to buy presents for each other - until they receive a little inspiration from a Christmas legend..

Review: It’s similar to the Gift of the Magi.  The father sells the horse to buy gifts for the children while the children are making a sleigh for the dad.  It’s a very sweet story.  It emphasizes the love they have and how much they want to give over the typical what children want for Christmas.  It’s a very sweet story.

Scoring: 3

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020)

Rated: PG

Genres: Family, Fantasy, Musical

Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Keegan-Michael Key, Ricky Martin, Phylicia Rashad, Anika Noni Rose, and Forest Whitaker

Synopsis: An imaginary world comes to life in a holiday tale of an eccentric toymaker, his adventurous granddaughter, and a magical invention that has the power to change their lives forever.

Review: This movie is like stepping into the magical imagination of a steampunk child with a boundless belief in the possible. It’s a very good and original tale with a fantastic soundtrack. It emphasizes the messages to not give up on yourself and the importance of family.  It’s not really a Christmas movie as Christmas is barely mentioned but it’s still fantastic. 

Scoring: 4

The Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Special (2020)

Rated: NR

Genres: Comedy, Musical

Starring: Jinkx Monsoon and Benjamin Putnam

Synopsis: Drag queens, eggnog, song and dance in this holiday special.

Review: Let me start by saying that while this isn’t rated, if I had to give it a rating I’d make it TV-MA.  This is not for children.  There’s explicit language and nudity.  If you don’t like openly discussing sexuality and all that goes with it, you may find this to be too much.  It was too much for me.  That being said, it was entertaining.  The singing and dancing were good and a lot of the jokes were funny.  If the subject matter is okay with you, give it a shot.

Scoring: 2

Johnson Family Christmas Dinner (2008)

Rated: NR

Genres: Drama, Family

Starring: Lynne Conner Smith

Synopsis: Parents and their five grown children express their hopes and fears at their holiday meal.

Review: While it is a low budget indie film, that’s no excuse for how horrible this movie is.  The characters have potential but it isn’t reached.  The flow of the story is bizarre with abrupt stops and starts.  There are moments, like the boyfriend The Eagle, that could be funny if done well.  Unfortunately, they don’t achieve it.  Do yourself a favor and save your time.

Scoring: 1

Jolly Good Christmas (2022)

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Romance 

Starring: Will Kemp and Reshma Shetty

Synopsis: Molly moves into Patrick's apartment in London for Christmas and more and more sparks fly between them as they get to know each other, on Christmas day Molly gets a chance at a new life with a new love.

Review: I will admit that the ads for this movie had me going in with low expectations.  It was slightly better than I thought it would be but way below Hallmark standards.  It needed to either commit to being a comedy or a romance.  The story didn’t do justice to combining the two.  I also believe there were one too many details that took away from the story’s focus.  It was cute to watch once, but it won’t be one I watch repeatedly.**I watched it a second time and I still feel the same way.

Scoring: 2.5

Josh Turner: King Size Manger (2022)

Rated: G

Genre: Musical, Religion

Starring: Josh Turner

Synopsis: Josh Turner heralds in the holiday season with his unique interpretation of nostalgic classics as well as four original songs.

Review: It’s basically him performing music and discussing how he wrote some songs. The music is country/bluegrass style so if you don’t like that genre you probably won’t like this. 

Scoring: 3

Journey to Christmas (2023)

Rated: G

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Ash Tsai and Joey Heyworth

Synopsis: In a charity press tour, a model ends up stranded by bad weather at the family home of the driver she hired to help her during the week.

Review: The plot was interesting, but the acting was so amateurish and awkward it made it painful to sit through. It’s like driving down a street that’s all potholes. 

Scoring: 1

Journey to Paradise (2019)

Rated: NR

Genres: Religion, Romance

Starring: Hannah Fager and Matt Koester

Synopsis: Another Christmas approaches in the small town of Paradise.  Lucy struggles to recapture the joy of Christmas after experiencing a traumatic event in her life.  When the mysterious Joe arrives from Chicago to apply for a position, everything changes for Lucy. 

Review: The movie is clearly a low budget indie film.  The actors are pretty good.  The story has a good base but they can’t seem to decide if it’s a religious film or not.  It’s like they threw some religion in for the sake of it.  The ending was really good.  I didn’t know what was going to happen.

Scoring: 2.5

Joy & Hope (2020)

Rated: PG

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Vivica A. Fox, Andrew Rogers, Ashley Brinkman, Cody Calafiore, Stink Fisher, and Alix Kermes

Synopsis: Joy and Hope McGregor run Two Sisters Ranch in upstate New York with their dad and longtime friend.  When a handsome stranger comes to town to find inspiration to get over writer’s block, he learns how special Christmas on the ranch really is.

Review: The acting is mediocre, but the story is wonderful. It saves the movie. It started out kind of blah and slow but once I got to know the characters and their stories, I was completely invested in how it ended.  Hope and Gabe were the best part for me.

Scoring: 3

Joy for Christmas (2021)

Rated: G

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Cindy Busby and Sam Page

Synopsis: A publicist introduces a famous athlete to the joys of Christmas in the hopes that he will assist her in saving her family’s annual charity.

Review: I am so with Holly through the whole movie.  She’s trying to maneuver around a stepmother and stepbrother who have goals for the family business that are opposite to those her mother had.  Holly and Eve working together and supporting each other is lovely.  This movie has lots of Christmas.

Scoring: 3

Joyeux Noel (2023)

Rated: G

Genre: Romance

Starring: Jaicy Elliott and Brant Daughtry

Synopsis: When a romantic painting of a Christmas market captures the imagination of copy editor Lea, she is sent to France with pragmatic reporter Mark to uncover the mystery behind the artist.

Review: I loved the investigation of the couple.  I had no idea how it would end.  It kept me interested.  The pace of the plot matched the pace of a casual stroll in France.  The only negative were the two leads.  While they worked as coworkers, there was a lack of romantic chemistry that took away from the movie.

Scoring: 3.5

Joyeux Noël (2005)

Rated: PG-13

Genres: Drama

Starring: Diane Kruger

Synopsis: In December 1914, an unofficial Christmas truce on the Western Front allows soldiers from opposing sides of the First World War to gain insight into each other's way of life.

Review:  The fact that this is based on a true event made it more meaningful for me. I liked the historical aspect but I also like the personal side of the story. Showing the humanity behind war and how Christmas helped make this possible is lovely. 

Scoring: 4.5

Just Another Christmas aka Tudo Bem No Natal Que Vem (2020)

Rated: TV-MA

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family

Starring: Leandro Hassum

Synopsis: Stuck in a time loop where it's forever Christmas, a family man who hates the holiday starts to learn valuable lessons about what's important in life.

Review: The movie is in Portuguese with English subtitles. It’s an original tale on Groundhog Day. The character doesn’t relive the same day. Instead, he has a weird amnesia where he only remembers Christmas Eve. So he wakes up each year and doesn’t remember anything from the past year. At first I thought it was funny, even a little silly. By the end, I had laughed, cried, pretty much felt everything. I genuinely cared about the characters. This is so well done and the acting is amazing. 

Scoring: 4

Just Friends (2005)

Rated: PG-13

Genres: Comedy, Romance

Starring: Anna Faris, Ryan Reynolds, and Amy Smart

Synopsis: While visiting his hometown during Christmas, a man comes face-to-face with his old high school crush whom he was best friends with -- a woman whose rejection of him turned him into a ferocious womanizer.

Review: The humor is slapstick and fairly juvenile.  The thing I found most difficult is that Reynolds’ character was a jerk.  It’s hard to root for the main character when he’s such an unlikable guy.  Farris did a good job playing the world’s most annoying woman.  Almost too good.  I get why people like it but it wasn’t for me.  If you like silly and slapstick, give it a try.

Scoring: 2.5

Just In Time For Christmas (1999)

Rated: NR

Genres: Comedy, Musical, Religion

Starring: Jim Likens

Synopsis: Grandpa Jim is scheduled to make a guest appearance in a special Christmas program in Branson, Missouri. Backstage at the program, it is chaos--the children are out of control, and the director is out of patience. To make matters worse, Grandpa Jim's truck breaks down on the way to the performance.

Review: This is primarily a religious movie.  There’s lots of beautiful music and I like the way they blend the religious with some secular traditions.  It’s a good show for children.

Scoring: 2.5