Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020)
You can feel the passion in Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey. This colorful, ambitious Christmas musical enthusiastically showcases a promising new talent in the form of Madelen Mills. Will it become a holiday staple? Maybe. It depends greatly on how many holiday films you truly call your own.
Jeronicus Jangle (Forest Whitaker) was an inventor and toymaker until his latest invention - a walking, talking doll (voiced by Ricky Martin) - convinced his disgruntled apprentice, Gustafson (Keegan-Michael Key) to steal his book of inventions. After the death of his wife, Jeronicus and his daughter Jessica (Anika Noni Rose) grew distant, and the business fell on hard times. As the bank threatens to foreclose on his shop, Jeronicus is joined by his granddaughter Journey (Madalen Mills). Her spark of invention may be just what the toymaker needs.
It’s clear David E. Talbert wanted to make a movie for his family. Black people have all of the main roles but there’s no talk about “the struggle”, no hood, or any of the other subjects Hollywood comfortably forces upon black casts. It’s just a candy-coated, bright Christmas movie - the kind in which an epic snowball fight might erupt at any second - with black people in it. At the same time, the musical numbers and flamboyant costumes evoke soul, R&B, and gospel. It’s so bright, beautiful, enthusiastic, and earnest it’s hard not to get swept up in its charms.
All that said, Talbert might’ve been slightly too invested in the film. It would’ve benefitted greatly from a co-writer making the plot more concise. There’s no reason for this simple a story to clock in at just under two hours (credits not included). There are A LOT of characters and many could’ve been omitted, or combined. The toy matador? He’s not crucial; just a special effect. The postwoman with a crush on Jeronicus (Lisa Davina Phillip) and his present-day apprentice (Kieron L. Dyer) could’ve also been omitted. There’s a wraparound story whose conclusion is way predictable and does little more than add more child actors. Even Mills, whom I'm convinced we'll be seeing more of due to her charisma and great singing voice, is not 100% convincing in all of her scenes. Finally, the musical numbers are good but not great. You’ll tap your feet, admire the choreography of their dances, and probably forget the tunes once the movie is done.
Jingle Jangle is on the verge of being great. As is, it’s merely good. With its tenuous link to the Christmas Holiday, I suspect this will be another Polar Express; the kind of movie that will delight audiences today but won't age well. Then again, I can easily see this becoming a family staple. It's so unabashedly joyful and bright-eyed. Everything about it feels new and fresh, from the costumes to the visuals, the story, and the cast. For what it does well, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is worth seeing. (December 4, 2020)
