British comedian and actor Jack Whitehall is no stranger to a holiday comedy special, and he’s taking to Amazon Prime Video for his latest one, Jack In Time For Christmas. The special follows Jack on a frantic four-day trip from New York City to London so he can make it home in time for the holidays. Along the way, there are all sorts of mishaps, and even some special guests like Jimmy Fallon, Rebel Wilson, and Michael Bublé. It’s raunchy and it’s irreverent, but does that automatically make it unlike any Christmas special you’ve seen before? And even if it is, is this still worth a watch? Keep reading to find out!
JACK IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
The Gist: Jack Whitehall goes to Michael Bublé’s house to convince the holiday music icon to be in his upcoming Amazon Christmas special (which is presumably the very one you’re watching). But Jack finds out that the unthinkable is true: Michael Bublé is NOT a fan of Christmas. Bublé hasn’t seen a single Christmas movie. He hates decorations and tears down the ones he finds so he can throw them away. He even has an anvil strung up on his porch to take out carolers. In short, Michael Bublé is a total Grinch. Jack offers to cut all references to Christmas from his special if Bublé will sing in it, and the crooner reluctantly agrees.
Jack is stranded in the United States with just days to traverse the country so he can get home to the United Kingdom in time for Christmas. His journey begins in New York City, as Jack wraps up an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Jack’s car to the airport cancels on him, so Jimmy Fallon offers to give him a ride as long as Jack helps bring down some presents he needs to be delivered. But the presents have addresses for all across America and Jimmy makes Jack deliver them in person by himself. Jack’s gig moonlighting as Santa ends in Seattle, but before he can fly home, all flights in the state are canceled due to a weather event. After Jack tweets about it, Bublé replies and comes to his rescue, offering to get Jack a flight home on a private jet as long as Jack accompanies him for some fun and public humiliation at a Seattle Kraken ice hockey game.
But even though Bublé’s plane gets Jack to Europe, things still go wrong. Jack ends up bouncing around from Zurich to St. Moritz to Megève to London, and crossing paths with Dave Bautista, Tom Davis, Rebel Wilson, and even the British Bobsleigh team. Once in London, he recounts his entire journey to a taxi driver (Daisy May Cooper), who refuses to believe that a single part of his story actually happened, yet continues to listen to Jack’s winding tale on the way to drop him off to reunite with his partner, Roxy Horner, and their child. Through it all, there’s no shortage of holiday hinjinx and seasonal shenanigans in this partially scripted, partially improvised Christmastime adventure.
What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Plenty of movies are referenced in this movie, including Planes Trains and Automobiles, Cool Runnings, Home Alone, Love Actually, and Brokeback Mountain. You also might be reminded of some past Whitehall specials and series like Jack Whitehall: Christmas with My Father or Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father.
Performance Worth Watching: Michael Bublé stole the show for me as soon as he gleefully tasered a caroler dressed as Santa Claus. It’s just fun to see a new, slightly sadistic side to Bublé who can effortlessly deliver humor and merriment during the holiday season without even needing to sing a seasonal song.
Memorable Dialogue: “Of course he’ll be keen, he’s Michael Bublé. The guy’s got a permanent hard-on for Christmas.” And that gem from Jack comes within the first minute of the movie.
Sex and Skin: There’s a brief moment of two huskies getting a little frisky in the foreground of a shot. While there’s no human sex or skin, Michael Bublé does taze Santa and let an anvil bounce off a child’s head (the latter is not graphic, just silly), so the special isn’t without some violence, foul language, public urination, and innuendos that’d earn it an R-rating.
Our Take: One may be initially confused by the Inception-like special within a special that jumps around a little timeline-wise, starting with Jack visiting Bublé’s house to convince him to be in this special, then bopping around from Jack dishing to his quippy taxi driver in the present to scenes from the past four days of his journey. But once you get used to the flashes back and forward, the story rolls right along. The only time it seems to slow drag a bit is during Jack’s train ride to London when his disguise as an employee forces him to wait on demanding passengers, including Rebel Wilson. This section just feels longer and a bit less engaging than the prior parts, maybe because it’s comparatively much more choreographed and pre-written.
However, where the special shines and succeeds is in its unscripted moments of genuine human interaction and emotion. For example, seeing Jack clearly terrified while bobsleighing down a Swiss mountain (and then getting chewed out by the site’s staff) or seeing him and Tom Davis struggle to steer sled dogs ring as true, making these scenes some of the most memorable and entertaining. Additionally, when Jack has more candid conversations about holiday traditions with Bublé and Davis, it feels like an actual chat among friends, which effortlessly pulls the viewers in to enjoy these instances of natural connection.
Ultimately, Jack In Time For Christmas is a very tongue-in-cheek, ironic, and self-aware special that feels in line with the work of Jack Whitehall, but quite different, tonally, from most other festive titles. Which, if you love cheesy Christmas wholesomeness, may mean that this special isn’t for you. But if you love a laugh and don’t mind something with a little snark and edge (and yes, still a bit of cheesiness), then Jack In Time For Christmas should make for a good viewing experience this holiday season.
Our Call: Jack In Time For Christmas is an enjoyable, comedic romp that’s different from the usual festive fare while still paying homage to a few of the seasonal staples. There’s definitely some naughtiness to it, but I think perhaps that’s what makes the special so nice. STREAM IT.
The post Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Jack In Time For Christmas’ on Prime Video, Where Comedian Jack Whitehall Travels From the US to the UK on a Comedic Christmastime Adventure Full of Mishaps and Special Guests appeared first on Decider.
