Jingle All The Way

Recently I watched the mid-90's comedy schlock, Jingle All The Way. Oddly, this one has become a quasi-Schwarzenegger classic since 1996. It seemed so out-0f-place for Arnold to play the hapless suburbanite father. Bizarrely, this fim choice was a good one for the future Governator.

The cast is great. Future Anakin Skywalker, Jake Loyd, plays the rejected young child. A moderately washed-up Sinbad is the "humorous" and villainous sidekick. And, Phil Hartman plays a next door neighbor on the prowl for a new woman. And, if you care, SNL veteran Chris Parnell shows up in one scene as a young toy store employee. Casting gets an A+.

As I sat and absorbed this Christmas schlock, I couldn't help but notice the overall tone of this film. It was obviously created as a Christmas cineplex cash cow. I could just imagine scores of family moviegoers at the local mall lining up to take their snot-nosed kids into the theatre to see this one.

The writing is cheesey, and sort of above repute. The point of a movie like this is neither writing nor acting, but simply an exercise in fun, mindless entertainment. You can read into it messages about materialism and holiday greed, but you may find yourself trying too hard. You just have to turn off your brain and enjoy.

My rating: 2.5 out of 5