Review of Jingle All the Way (1996) by Tom R — 04 Oct 2013
(3 Stars) Jingle All the Way is very hard to rate... on one hand, it's a really, REALLY bad movie. On the other, it's really hard to hate because it's so goofy. The main reason why it's an awesome mess is because of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
.. if it didn't star him, this film would be complete crap, but he's an action star in a PG movie and he is so committed to the role despite it being a cookie cutter Christmas movie. People debate whether Sinbad is funny in the movie or not, but the more I watch it, the more I laugh at his ad-libbed humor.
Also, Phil Hartman is legitimately funny as the slimy neighbor (and another reason why he is so missed). If there's one thing I actually didn't like, its the climax... it's beyond stupid and I know it tries to show how ridiculous some parents go to get a toy, but there is a freakin' jet pack.
Even in an intentionally ridiculous action movie, you would ask a lot of questions about the sequence. It has an extremely selfish message without a hint of religion, but it's a guilty pleasure. Don't get me wrong, I know Jingle All the Way is awful, but Schwarzenegger makes it watchable, there are some surprisingly funny parts, it's ridiculous, it's quotable among friends, there are traces of satire, and it even gets you in the (commercial) Christmas spirit.
This review of Jingle All the Way (1996) was written by Tom R on 04 Oct 2013.
Jingle All the Way has generally received mixed reviews.
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