Vive le vol d'hiver

Watching this felt like an eternity of uneventful scenes stitched together.

Too many flawed things that just don't make sense. It's just a bit too black and white, cliche and convenient plot armor.

If you just need some noise on the side then this is for you. If you want an interesting heist, a proper romance or comedy - stay away. There is none in this movie.

My wife and I are retired so we watch movies at home regularly. Not so much looking for some new GREAT movie but just to be entertained between the end of the 6PM nightly news and our 10PM bedtime.

We came upon this one streaming on NFLX, it seemed lightweight and interesting. When it was over we both said "Better than I expected" and that is always a bonus.

American actress Olivia Holt, former gymnast, is Sophia. Her mother is British but after Sophia was born they were forced to move to the US and she grew up there with her grandfather. Her mother now has become very ill so they moved back to London for the free health care. Problem is the waiting list for a suitable physician is long and they need cash to afford a private physician.

She has a chance encounter with Connor Swindells as Nick, looking him up she finds he had served a couple of years jail time for a heist, this is her opportunity. Pair with a thief to steal a large amount of cash from the owner of the department store she works at.

On the surface it would seem the two of them are just petty crooks, how can we root for them? As the story develops we learn that not everything is so simple, and maybe in the end they are actually doing the right thing.

For this type of movie it has a few novel ideas and it is well made. Shot in the London area.

I was shocked how much I enjoyed this. This is not a Hallmark style Christmas rom com. Usually this isn't my thing but I'm a fan of Olivia Holt and of heist films. It's December so I figured why not. It's #1 on Netflix so I'll give it a chance. Didn't even think I would finish but I thought the humor had some moments.

There isn't as much romance as you would expect from one of these films, the main plot is about the heist. That's probably why I liked it as much as I did. The soundtrack and the twist are what raised my rating. I thought how it ended specifically the last 20 minutes went was really great stuff that I didn't see coming.

I would definitely give this a chance and I think you'll find out right away if you'll like it or not.

It is what it is, festive fodder, but my word it's a lot of fun. It's a pastiche/nod to 60s heist movies in places and there are some fantastic laugh out loud moments, the cast is great, good chemistry and very watchable. It's silly, of course it is, the title tells you that, but it's a worth a watch; if you want your Christmas movies to be highbrow (who does) you're in the wrong place. Have a mince pie, get a cuppa and enjoy the glorious nonsense.

Jingle Bell Heist is a harmless piece of Netflix content that's designed to be enjoyable in an undemanding fashion. It's got enough festive charm and high stakes heists to sustain a thankfully short 94 minute run time with a satisfying ending to ensure the film is actually worth committing to. It's a simple story of well deserved revenge involving stealing from the rich to give to those who need it.

Olivia Holt and Connor Swindells are a good pairing who have a cute chemistry. They both get an introduction which makes them feel very cynical and deliberately similar in their experiences but there's thankfully more to it that's gradually revealed, making them increasingly empathetic. Peter Serafinowicz makes his one note villain suitably despicable without a lot of screen time.

Acting as both director & cinematographer, Michael Fimognari gets the job done with the standard issue streaming construction where everything is visually flat and overly lit in places. There's the odd bit of life in the camerawork and Jeffrey M. Werner's editing has a few transitions which gives it some extra life. Steve Hackman's playful score sounds the part despite the odd misstep.