The positives: the acting is fine and the art-direction is great
The negatives: really bad music that doesn't even have a Christmas vibe. Were they even aware this is a Christmas movie? That could have been a pass if music didn't take up so much of the film. Another negative is the story being told in the book is completely uninteresting. There are also way too many scenes that slow the movie down.
The name reminds me of my spurs, at least.
shareWatching it right now. I didn't realize it was a musical when I started it. I could do without the singin' and dancin' but I realize that might be a selling point for some people.
I mostly agree with your positives and negatives, but I'll add Forest Whitaker to the positive list. Also, I think the art direction is good enough that it rescues the movie from the "lame as shit" category.
At the 1 hr 7 min mark my reaction is basically: It's okay.