Who knew we needed Adam of Sex Education to appear in a Christmas movie that’s genuinely heartfelt and fun? To be honest, when I heard the title Jingle Bell Heist, it immediately put me off the film, because this is a genre that thrives on romance and family drama, so why are we adding rotten thieving to the mix? Then I realized it’s not the first Christmas heist movie out there, because Die Hard exists, but hey, I don’t know how many people consider that an actual Christmas movie. But to me, it’s all about the sprinkle of snow and the thrill of knowing that two people are definitely going to end up together at the end of the film, which makes me love them so. However, I was pleasantly surprised to note that this has a little bit of both, making it a genuinely enjoyable Christmas film for both newbies and oldies.
The film follows two run-down youngsters who aren’t having the best time during the merriest time of the year and need money to solve all their problems. This is the moment in which they run into each other, and what follows is exactly what you can expect from the title of this film, a very Jingle Bell Heist. Sophie and Nick are the embodiment of the trope that opposites attract. I mean, she’s American, and he’s British. What more do you need? But jokes aside, they make for a good pair in a film like this one, which focuses on both interpersonal relationships and the robbing of department stores equally. It’s definitely very trope-y, but it manages to stand out because it’s a mix of a lot of random things that make it genuinely amusing. There’s also an interesting twist in the film that you may have seen coming if you paid attention, but if you don’t, there’s a thrill in learning something new.
Olivia Holt and Connor Swindells play the lead roles of Sophia and Nick. They’re both very believable, though somehow, despite both characters having a lot of background history, they still come off as a little bit two-dimensional. For Sophie, it’s her relationship with her mom that takes center stage, and it’s also a family situation for Nick that I don’t want to go into and give you spoilers for, but I quite enjoyed these bits of the film a lot. The heist itself is more “magical” than it is serious. Don’t expect “Money Heist”-level operations, because that isn’t the point of this film. Though one could argue that it follows a similar sentiment (yes, we don’t like the rich, especially during the holiday season). But the film also casts Peter Serafinowicz as the big bad wolf, and though he’s in the film for maybe a total of 15 minutes, it’s still cool that he made the time for this.
I think Holt and Swindells share good chemistry, even though that’s not the main plot of the movie. It definitely helps that they look their parts, and there’s a great contrast between the two of them, which works very well for such a film. I can’t say it’s my favorite Christmas film, but it’s definitely not one of those basic forgettable ones we’ve seen so often, especially on an OTT platform like Netflix.
The movie is doused in warm lighting, very unlike other Christmas media, especially if set in England. The decor and the trees definitely reflect the holiday spirit, but I feel like we see too little snow to fully immerse ourselves in the festive spirit. I can’t quite put my finger on it; that specific element of magic is missing in this film. I don’t know about you, but when I think of a Christmas movie, I immediately think of snow-covered trees, warm woollen scarves, and a shot of hot chocolate with a carousel in the background. I can’t say I saw any of that here, but also, the department store itself isn’t very exciting either, and looks quite like a set rather than an actual store. But, I will admit I quite liked the costuming of the film, especially the outfit Cynthia wears at the party, which definitely adds another enjoyable element to the film.
One could argue that music is the heart of a good Christmas movie. I want to say that this movie did have some Christmas music, but based on the title, I can’t help but say I was a little bit disappointed. The music feels more comedic than festive, even though it’s trying to give a little bit of both. And speaking of comedy, it’s tonally very British and doesn’t really make you laugh out loud, but there are some fun moments. There’s an entire sequence where Nick is meant to be with an older woman, and that bit is so awkward that even though you know it was written to be awkward, you feel quite meh about it.
At the end of the day, if you’re looking for a fun and kind of new-ish Christmas film at the tail end of November, then Jingle Bell Heist is not a bad place to start. If, like me, you thought it would be a boring heist film, then I’m happy to report that it will exceed your expectations because you’ll have started with them way low, under the gifts under the Christmas tree. If you’re a fan of Sex Education, you’re going to love Connor Swindells in this more chilled and almost introverted role, very different, yet somehow similar to Adam. However, I can’t fully say that it will get you in the Christmas spirit just yet, but that’s okay, because there’s a lot of time for that (precisely a month minus one day). I’d like to give Jingle Bell Heist 3 jingles out of 5, because I was pleasantly surprised that I genuinely had fun with it. So, I guess I could say I recommend it.
