Schwarzenegger clowns it up for holiday farce

November 20, 1996
Web posted at: 3:30 p.m. EST

From Movie Reviewer Paul Chambers

(CNN) -- In "Jingle All the Way," Arnold Schwarzenegger stands in for all those busy dads who can't seem to make time for their families. As Howard Langston, he's a man who's trying to do the right thing for his 8-year-old son.
(1.9M/36 sec. QuickTime movie)

"Jingle All the Way" chronicles this forgetful dad as he competes with a disgruntled postal worker for the elusive "Turboman." The comedian Sinbad adds some nice comic touches to the manic pace of this human cartoon.

There are a number of reasons why this comedy doesn't work, but just as many positive reasons to go as well. Schwarzenegger is far from God's gift to comedy, but he tries so hard to please his fans with the funny stuff that he almost gets away with it.

"Jingle All the Way" is chock full of pratfalls and conked noggins, a la "Home Alone" -- mostly slapstick, Three Stooges kind of stuff. But it is a kind of low-expectations treat, with rapid-fire silliness so relentless that laughs come despite obvious shortcomings.

On a scale of one to 10, "Jingle All the Way" rates a seven.

 

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• Jingle All The Way - Official Home Page

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