by John Tillyard, Contributing Writer
If there is one genre that’s become way too oversaturated, it’s Christmas films. Furthermore, they are always about a kid having a whimsical adventure with Santa, or a family comedy at Christmas. They often portray the stick in the mud who doesn’t much care for Christmas as the bad guy, have a message about believing in the good nature of people, and are ultimately about families coming together. Jingle All The Way is a film set at Christmas that doesn’t have any of those things; the only Santas in this are store Santas, the stick in the mud is the main character that we are supposed to root for, and the only real message is don’t wait until Christmas Eve to buy your children’s Christmas presents.
The idea here was undoubtedly a turn-off for many people, but you can’t say the picture isn’t original. Some felt that there was too much of a focus on the commercial side of Christmas. That’s the idea; it’s a satire of the daunting task many parents face in the lead-up to Christmas as they try to find somewhere that sells the toy every kid wants — in this case, it’s Turbo Man. It’s maybe not so relevant nowadays, with everyone doing their Christmas shopping online, but in 1996, many parents would have found the ordeal Howard Langston (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Myron Larabee (Sinbad) go through very relatable. In many ways, the pain of trying to find the gift is all worth it when they see their child’s face as they unwrap it on Christmas morning, a scene which is sadly absent in this, as it all takes place before Christmas.
The early set-up in this story is the least original aspect. Howard doesn’t spend enough time with his son. It’s evident in the opening that this isn’t because he cares more about his job or neglects him. When juggling work and his family, Howard struggles to manage his time properly. The guy isn’t doing much wrong, but he has a lot on his plate.
Meanwhile, his neighbor, Ted Maltin (Phil Hartman), is the embodiment of everything Christmas, and he’s the type of character who would be the protagonist in many Christmas films. However, in a story that showcases the less enjoyable aspects of Christmas, he’s the character we are supposed to dislike. Hartman does a great job portraying the slightly smarmy tone of someone who thinks they are charming, when they are just irritating.
The character of Myron, Howard’s frenemy throughout the story, is another turn-off for many people. But I enjoy the rants he goes on about everything wrong with Christmas, which I’m pretty sure were all improv by Sinbad. I also like that he tries to befriend Howard, despite competing with him for the Turbo Man toy.
The scene in the warehouse where Howard buys a counterfeit version of the toy was the part I enjoyed the least as a kid because it felt like the silliest (and that’s saying a lot!). But I’ve grown to appreciate it a bit more because it probably is based on a real problem around Christmas when it comes to toy companies being unable to keep up with demand. Underground groups probably try to sell defective toys, resulting in many heartbroken kids on Christmas morning when their toy breaks in two seconds.
This brings me to this story’s fundamental core elements that make me enjoy it the most. It’s a satire of all the bad things about Christmas, and how it can show people at their worst. There is a scene where Howard talks to his son, Jamie (Jake Lloyd), on the phone, and it’s clear Jamie wants to talk to him because he’s not seen him all day. But with Howard at a breaking point, he loses it and shouts at his son just for talking to him, and despite immediate attempts to apologize, Jamie is heartbroken. To try and make his son happy on Christmas morning, he’s been apart from him all day and allowed himself to become stressed out enough that he takes it out on him. Howard recognizes after the phone call that what matters when it comes to being a father isn’t getting them the toy they want; how you treat them is what matters. Kids will get over not getting the toy they want, but being yelled at is a much harder thing to get over as a kid. It might have been interesting to see a version of this story without the climax at the parade, where Howard returns home without the toy and tries to make up for it by spending time with his son. Not to say the ending would have been better that way (it certainly would have been a lot more depressing), but it’s interesting to think about and another reason I enjoy this story. But they couldn’t cut out the climax; that’s where they spent all their money!
Another major criticism of the climax is that the over-the-top slapstick comedy is passable for the first two-thirds, but goes entirely off the rails in the final act with the parade scene. But honestly, that’s what I love about it. Let’s face it: the whole thing is ridiculous, and for the big finish, they embrace that fact and turn everything up to 11, as Howard and Myron assume hero and villain roles from the Turbo Man sequences seen in the opening. It’s essentially every parent’s dream of becoming the character their child idolizes, and being able to do everything that character does. The ridiculousness of this might be too much for a lot of people. However, the constant question people ask about the ending is, when Howard takes off his helmet revealing to Jamie that he is Turbo Man, why is Jamie so surprised when the only thing covering his face is a see-through visor? It’s a fair point, but with all the crazy stuff that happens in the climax, I find it odd that’s the thing people get hung up on. The more significant thing that bugs me about that scene is if Jamie now believes his father has always been Turbo Man and will continue to be him next time he watches him on TV. Even if he didn’t think Turbo Man was real before, the parade’s events certainly seem enough for him to question that.
Another negative for me is at the start of the final act, Ted’s character takes an unnecessary dark turn. He tries to get Howard’s wife, Liz (Rita Wilson), to cheat on her husband with him before disappearing from the story altogether. The writers must have realized they had worked themselves into a corner by having Marion adopt a clear role of stopping Howard from achieving his goal in the final act. Therefore, Ted’s character is no longer needed. So they abruptly write him out in a way that paints his whole character differently. I would have preferred to have had Ted there watching the events at a parade. Maybe he could even have been supportive of Howard, been happy for him at the end and the two become friends. It would have been a more amicable ending.
Overall, Jingle All The Way looks on the surface to be your typical family slapstick comedy set at Christmas. But if you look deeper, there are some fascinating ideas about what it means to be a good parent and the problems with the commercial side of Christmas. For many people, this is lost in the utterly ridiculous tone of the comedy and maybe the lackluster performances by Lloyd, Wilson and Schwarzenegger. But at its core, I see a guy trying his best to do what he thinks he can to be a good father. But he doesn’t know what that is because parenting isn’t something you where you get training. I’m not a father, but I would be like Howard if I were.
If you want to check out a shorter version of this story without the slapstick, I highly recommend Click & Collect, starring Stephen Merchant and Asim Chaudhry.
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