`JINGLE ALL THE WAY' ACTUALLY MAY HELP MAKE SPIRITS BRIGHT.Byline: Bob Strauss Daily News Film Critic Sight unseen, ``Jingle All the Way'' seems to be the last thing beleaguered be·lea·guer tr.v. be·lea·guered, be·lea·guer·ing, be·lea·guers 1. To harass; beset: We are beleaguered by problems. 2. To surround with troops; besiege. parents need between ``Space Jam'' and ``101 Dalmatians'': another screechy screech n. 1. A high-pitched, strident cry. 2. A sound suggestive of this cry: the screech of train brakes. v. screeched, screech·ing, screech·es v. family movie their kids are going to drag them to. But while it is unapologetically just that, adults can find a little comfort in the knowledge that this is one big, slapstick slapstick Comedy characterized by broad humour, absurd situations, and vigorous, often violent action. It took its name from a paddlelike device, probably introduced by 16th-century commedia dell'arte troupes, that produced a resounding whack when one comic actor used it to toy story that feels your pain. For most of its swift, eventful 90 minutes, ``Jingle'' acknowledges that holiday commercialism, even the kind that leads to movies like this one, is a monstrous travesty. There are, after all, few things more satisfying at this time of year than to watch Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (German pronunciation (IPA): [ˈaɐ̯nɔlt ˈaloɪ̯s ˈʃvaɐ̯ʦənˌʔɛɡɐ] punching out department store Santas. Arnold plays Howard Langston, a successful Minneapolis mattress manufacturer with very little time for his wife, Liz (Rita Wilson), and son, Jamie (Jake Lloyd). On Christmas Eve, he's supposed to make up for a year of benign neglect benign neglect Decision-making A stance of nonintervention that a clinician may adopt in the face of lesions and clinical conditions which have an uncertain or stable clinical course. Cf Watchful waiting. by actually buying Jamie the ultra-popular Turbo Man doll that Liz told him to get a month earlier. Of course, there are none left to buy. And as Howard journeys from toy warehouse fracas to Mall of America Mall of America (also MOA, MoA, or the Megamall) is a shopping mall located in the Twin Cities suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. It is just southeast of the junction of Interstate 494 and Minnesota State Highway 77, and is across the interstate from the melee in search of the elusive action hero, he encounters countless other desperate, ruthless parents on the same quest. Most formidable of all is postal worker A postal worker is one who works for a post office, such as a mail carrier. In the U.S., postal workers are represented by the National Postal Mail Handlers Union - NPMHU and the American Postal Workers Union, part of the AFL-CIO. Myron Larabee (Sinbad), who becomes Howard's friendly but increasingly demented partner in bad-fathering misery. Meanwhile, back at the split-level ranch, smarmy single dad Ted Maltin (Phil Hartman), perfect parenting heartthrob of the soccer mom set, is trying to pry Liz away from Howard by plying her with holiday cheer. Dumb as it all basically is, ``Jingle'' has a much more winning sense of knockabout momentum to it than director Brian Levant's previous torture device for adults, ``The Flintstones,'' did. This is, basically, one long chase film, and it gets elaborately loonier as it goes. Nothing great about that, but think about how many recent movies couldn't even do that right. Randy Kornfield's script has a just nasty enough edge to amuse adults without worrying them too much about their children being warped. And kids should enjoy seeing Arnold mix it up hand-to-hoof with a reindeer or getting mistaken for a child molester as much as their folks will. Performance-wise, the prize goes to young Jake Lloyd, as unfussily convincing an ungrateful brat here as he is a lovable little gentleman in ``Unhook the Stars.'' Sinbad has his moments, too, especially when Myron goes off on a paranoid conspiracy jag (expect serious complaints from the postal workers union on this one). As for Arnold, if you can stomach the alarming sight of the big Austrian doofus doo·fus n. pl. doo·fus·es Slang An incompetent, foolish, or stupid person. [Perhaps blend of doof, fool (from Scots) and goofus, fool (from goof). trying to act sincere, he makes an adequate frazzled everyman. Levant Levant (ləvănt`) [Ital.,=east], collective name for the countries of the eastern shore of the Mediterranean from Egypt to, and including, Turkey. never quite gets the full potential out of the basic situation, though. For a while there, the Schwarzenegger muscles are useless, and half the fun is watching the movie superman get as frustrated as every other mere mortal. But Levant, like most mere mortals, could not resist the opportunity to really make Arnold a superhero su·per·he·ro n. pl. su·per·he·roes A figure, especially in a comic strip or cartoon, endowed with superhuman powers and usually portrayed as fighting evil or crime. , and by the end of ``Jingle All the Way'' he's making like Buster Keaton with a jet pack. Not as gracefully, or as cleverly, as Keaton would have done it, of course. But it is one of many appreciated attempts to make this noisy kiddie kid·die or kid·dy n. pl. kid·dies Slang A small child. kiddie Noun Informal a child comedy more than just another cynical slice of turbo-commercialism. THE FACTS The film: ``Jingle All the Way'' (PG; language, violence, child in jeopardy). The stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad, Phil Hartman, Rita Wilson, Jake Lloyd, Robert Conrad. Behind the scenes: Directed by Brian Levant. Written by Randy Kornfield. Produced by Chris Columbus, Mark Radcliffe and Michael Barnathan. Released by 20th Century Fox. Running time: One hour, 30 minutes. Playing: Citywide. Our rating: Three Stars. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Myron Larabee (Sinbad, left) becomes the friendly but increasingly demented partner in bad fathering misery with Howard Langston (Arnold Schwarzenegger) in ``Jingle All the Way.'' |
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