Review of Jingle All the Way (1996) by Christopher H — 25 Dec 2013
Some movies are review proof. Jingle All the Way is one such movie. Of course it's bad. The effects are horrid and the story is so completely ludicrous that you can't help but shake your head and laugh. And laugh you shall!
I'm an avid Arnold fan, and Jingle All the Way is my annual Christmas movie. Every year, my brother and my cousins sit around the TV with some nice warm hot chocolate and laugh our asses off as we watch Arnold pummels his way through a pack of evil Santas, a reindeer, Sinbad, and a parade to ultimately make his son happy.
There is a certain charm to this movie. It may be in the sheer nonsensical slapstick humour, or in the way that it pokes fun at how people confuse mass consumerism with Christmas spirit, but there is an evident good nature to the jokes. I doubt the filmmakers wanted to do anything more than entertain and get people in the mood for Christmas. No movie does this better for me than Arnold's holiday family "classic," Jingle All the Way! It fails spectacularly as a satire and a legitimate feel good Holiday movie, but I don't think I would like it so much if it wasn't as bad as it is.
On a serious note, this was one of the last films to feature Phil Hartman, and his performance here as a sleezy divorcée is a true testament to his comic genius!
This review of Jingle All the Way (1996) was written by Christopher H on 25 Dec 2013.
Jingle All the Way has generally received mixed reviews.
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