In a departure from his usual role as an action star, in 1996 Arnold Schwarzenegger took a stab at making a Christmas movie, Jingle All the Way. Arnold stars as Howard Langston, a successful businessman that always tells his retail clients that they are his “#1 customer” when on the phone. A type”A” personality, Howard spends long hours at the office so his wife Liz (Rita Wilson) can stay at home and his son Jamie (Jake Lloyd) can have everything he wants. Because Howard spends so much time at the office, his wife and son hardly see him, and he routinely misses Jamie’s school and athletic events. Howard always tries to make up for these oversights by making sure Jamie has the latest and greatest toys.
This year, the big toy of the season is the precious Turbo man action figure. The action figure is based on a live action TV show where a moralistic musclehead spouts sayings, fights evil doers, and proves that good always wins out over evil. Jamie is so obsessed about getting one of the action figures for Christmas that Howard makes it his mission in life to get one of these things for his son as a present. Unfortunately for Howard, because work always comes first, he has waited until the day before Christmas to seek out the precious toy. Needless to say, he frantically attempts to find a store with one in stock, getting laughed at and mistreated by everyone he comes in contact with. He has told his wife that he already had one and as surprised as she is by the statement, part of her is skeptical given his past.
From that point on, much of the film moves from sight gag to sight gag, as Howard tries to buy the action figure. On his search, Howard continually runs into a rival father named Myron (Sinbad), himself on the prowl for the Turbo Man action figure. With the competition fierce and the possibility of finding the toy become less likely as time quickly runs out, Howard may be faced with the possibility of disappointing his son one more time — or finding a way to give him a gift bigger and better than any action figure out there.
In an ultimately weak but interesting subplot, Howard’s failure is further magnified by a recently divorced neighbor named Ted (Phil Hartman) who lives next-door with his own son. Not only has Ted already bought and wrapped a Turbo Man for his son and he attends all of his school functions. Further, Ted is always there to lend Liz a hand when she needs it–something Howard should be doing.
The ending is what makes Jingle All the Way almost worth watching. When the big Minneapolis parade, with all its pageantry and colorful floats, finishes up with an appearance by Turbo Man, and Arnold somehow ends up in the suit, the whole screen comes alive in ways that you wish it had all along.
20th Century Fox brings Jingle All the Way onto Blu-ray with a high quality 1080p transfer framed in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The image is sharp and nicely detailed with strong colors and vibrant imagery in most every scene. A fine layer of grain is visible over the image in addition to a few speckles that do not detract from the presentation. Blacks are generally excellent, and flesh tones are natural in appearance. The cold Minnesota streets seen in many shots throughout the film offer some very nice depth and a high level of detail. There are never any problems with the transfer being too soft.
Jingle All the Way comes to Blu-ray with a DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. This audio presentation is powerful and loud, A band playing Christmas music in chapter six offers pounding bass from the percussion section and the sound spreads out efficiently and naturally throughout the entire soundstage. Many of the sound effects during the film’s climactic action sequence feature chair-rattling bass and practically incessant surround activity. Other than being a bit too loud at times, the track is nicely balanced and powerful, the movie easily sounding better than ever on Blu-ray.
In addition to the extended cut of the film, this Blu-ray edition of Jingle All the Way offers viewers three featurettes. The Making of a Hero (480p, 15:29) examines the design of the Turbo Man character, including his abilities, costuming, and accessories. The feature also looks at the construction of the full-sized suit, its inner workings, and the filming of the various special effects shots. Super Kids (480p, 8:12) features several youngsters sharing their thoughts on the ideal superhero. Finally, Turbo Man: Behind the Mask (480p, 8:17) looks back at the fictitious world of the actor who played “Turbo Man” in the television series depicted in the film.
