Film Review – Jingle Bell Heist

The holiday season is full of feel-good entertainment, with movies often celebrating the magic of love during times of family crisis. “Jingle Bell Heist” tries on crime for size, with writer Abby McDonald looking to add some excitement as she creates two characters out to find their fortune while the world around them gets into the Christmas spirit. Director Michael Fimognari (“To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You,” “To All the Boys: Always and Forever”) is tasked with selling the tingles of the holidays and the urgency of criminal plans, coming up with a slightly muted endeavor that only succeeds when personality manages to break through. The picture isn’t an “Ocean’s Eleven”-style romp, but something more restrained when it comes to thrills, while McDonald is ordered to find a little heat in the middle of all the thievery, desperate to add bits of burgeoning romance when the film is much better watching two partners figure out how to pull off an impossible task. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com