A Chaotic Christmas Quest: Jingle All the Way
Jingle All the Way is based on a story of Howard Langston, a Christmas Eve Mattress salesmen played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, who’s trying to find a Turbo Man action figure for his son Jamie. But what Howard learns is that this toy is the hottest selling item in the current season. This toy’s search leads to a madcap Christmastide adventure by Howard as well as ‘the sleazy and ruthless’ postman Myron Larabee. Comedy and confusion follow Howard as he faces a series of hurdle achieving more misadventures like bogus santas and obsessed parents during the Holiday Wintertainment Parade.
In this movie, viewers get to learn aspects of holiday materialism, parental expectations, and festive extravaganza. It brings out the absurdity of parents going to a great extent and the comical side of last minute Christmas shopping. The atmosphere is cheerful with unrealistic, fun fighting sequences and overall bland humor but with a message about the consumerism during the Christmas time.
Schwarzenegger, switching from an action star to an antihero, makes Howard Langston have a funny charisma. Sinbad comes in as the play’s antagonist yet charismatic Myron Larabee character amid the comicalfeel of the film. The main cast which includes Phil Hartman and Rita Wilson are skilled and through their performance, they bring out comedy and HMAC to the business but also make the characters believable and interesting. The appearance of the actors translates the film’s theme of family and rivalry to big heights.
The comedy angle and the spirit of the occasion are heightened by Brian Levant’s direction and timely pacing of the movie. Levant does rather a good job of coming up with an ascending series of comedy routines and slapstick episodes; as a result, the picture holds our interest from frame one. It is shown that he mix physical comedy with a nice and moving story which makes Jingle All the Way an entertaining Christmas film.
The film also has nice songs which accompany the main plot and support the mood of the Christmas time. The music used in the film is basically Christmas songs; which are not only soothing, but also memorable; thus, providing the right backdrop given the Yuletide theme of the movie. The kind of music used adds to whomever’s creation by helping set the tone to every scene, and making it seem so happy and full of joy.
Jingle All the Way, top on the charts when it comes to cinematography and a capture of the holiday season hustle and bustle. Both the city night scenes and the parade scenes are rather memorable; the latter creates a realistic view of a holiday mood and bustle. The overall appearance of sets helps set the mood for Christmas Eve shopping, chaotic, but filled with the magic of the holiday.
The special effects are adequate if not spectacular and add to the films comical fights. The Turbo Man suit and parade float are two big set pieces, while the generally lighthearted tone also incorporates a kid-friendly superhero figure.
Likewise, the enormously important element of editing here serves to keep things moving in what is a comedy with fast-paced action-based gags. Such movement from desperate chaos to heartfelt family experiences helps to build contrasting pace of the movie.
The action moves briskly throughout the film to depict Howard’s desperate search for nothingness. There is always tension in the movie, which translates to the pace with amazing comedies to keep watchers engaged; there is a never-ending stream of problems that make the comedy more interesting.
The movie has lots of dialogues that reflect the personalities of the characters and their frantic search for the Turbo Man toy. The conversations between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad enhance the Comedy aspect of the movie, they come with good phrases that could amuse children and grown-ups alike.
Nevertheless, for being a jolly holiday movie, there are scenes at times in Jingle All the Way that one can predict more of slapstick comedy cliché. Therefore, one or two twists may appear far-fetched and too coincidental. However, these moments are dear due to the movie’s positive and festive atmosphere alluding it being one of the best movies to watch during the holiday season. The film has cracked jokes and mixed wonderful and whimsical moments of Christmas. It is a heartwarming comedy on how much parents will do for their kids or rather what parents went through for their children.
