Jingle All the Way (1996)
"It's Turbo Time"
I was absolutely delighted to see that Super Eyepatch Wolf (one of my favourite Youtube creators) had Jingle All The Way at the number 15 spot on his top 100 movies of all time. I always felt that this was a niche choice for my favourite Christmas movie but in recent years it seems that this movie has had a bit of a resurgence. It's very quotable so it has probably done well in the era of gifs and shorts - it doesn't matter what time of year it is, we are always quoting lines like "nestled safely under our tree" or "remember, you're my number 1 customer".
As a kid there were some pretty clear reasons why this film appealed to me. The kid being named Jamie was very fun, it was great hearing Arnold shouting my own name and that definitely made it more personal when I was young. Turbo Man, Booster, Dementor and the Demon Team are very much Power Rangers coded. I would even say that the location that the TV show is filmed at looks so similar to the quarry that the Rangers loved filming at on purpose.
Now as an adult, kind of, the movie can appeal in different ways. Jingle All The Way has plenty of jokes that would go over a kids head that I can get a chuckle out of now. Arnold shows off some great comedy chops and timing throughout the movie and Phil Hartman really stands out. Phil has a great voice, it's not surprising he has been a Simpsons mainstay for over 30 years, and he really seems to be having fun throughout this script.
It is played for laughs here but Arnold is a terribly absent father. He gets away with a lot here, Liz should absolutely divorce the man...
The movie has a great pace to it. There really are a lot of set pieces - from the hunt for the balls, the dodgy Santa workshop to sprinting around the radio station. It's the kind of movie that, if you are cooking Christmas dinner or walking in and out, you're going to come back to something fun on screen.
Overall with the Power Rangers influence, Arnie in full comedic mode and a great supporting cast it's really obvious why this movie has always appealed to me. Put the cookie down and watch it! Now!
