When most people think of Arnold Schwarzenegger, they’re likely to jump to his incredible action roles instead of his Christmas classic, Jingle All The Way. No one can be blamed for that, as Arnold’s line-up of action movies is one of the strongest out there. He played a major part in making the Terminator and Predator franchises commercially viable. Despite that, people shouldn’t count out Arnold’s goofy comedy chops.

Even fans of his movies often ignore just how funny Arnold can be. His comedy can extend to his more serious action roles as well. The man oozes one-liners, and while that sort of comedy is found less in Jingle All The Way, the chaotic premise of the movie keeps Arnold goofy from start to finish. Critics may not love it, but audiences just might, especially fans of the big man.

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What Is Jingle All The Way About?

Howard Langston is the type of guy who works too much to please his number-one customers. With how overly dedicated he has been to his work, he’s developed a habit of ignoring the needs and wants of his wife Liz and his young son Jamie. This is shown right away when Howard misses Jamie’s karate belt graduation due to being pulled over by a police officer, who will constantly chase Howard throughout the movie. When striking some kung fu poses isn’t enough to make things right with his son, Howard makes it clear that he will do anything and everything to get Jamie the toy he wants more than anything for Christmas: a Turbo Man action figure. As one might expect, Liz had told Howard to pick up the hottest toy of the season weeks ago, but he had not.

Setting out on a chaotic adventure to track down a Turbo Man, Howard meets the strange mailman Myron, who acts as his rival throughout the film. Across various stores and malls, Howard is unable to get a Turbo Man, though he eventually gets an offer from a suspicious Santa Claus. Throughout all of this, Howard’s sleazy neighbor Ted has been trying to put the moves on Liz, though she constantly rebuffs him. With Howard being scammed by a group of Santas, an all-out brawl begins, with Howard only escaping once the police rush in to break up the illegal activities.

After yelling at Jamie about an upcoming parade his son wants him to attend, Howard learns more about Myron before the two once again race for more attempts to get a Turbo Man. Rushing into a radio station, both men end up confronted by police, though manage to escape. Much later, Howard returns home, dejected, which results in him stooping to a low level. He attempts to steal a Turbo Man from Ted’s house and is caught in the act, leaving Liz furious and causing Howard’s family to go to the holiday parade with Ted.

What Is Jingle All The Way’s Rotten Tomatoes Score?

When it comes to critical reception, Jingle All The Way did not fare well with critics or general audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite that, it’s not hard to find plenty of people who love the movieeven if they will only ever throw it on as a part of their yearly Christmas movie routine. Many of the positive reviews from fans who gave the film a 39% acknowledge that it’s part of the large collection of goofy nineties movies, and many of the detractors just aren't a fan of the comedy. Even some who didn’t seem to love the movie can acknowledge that the premise is fun, even if the more family-oriented comedy didn’t do it for them.

On the side of the critics, who gave the film a rotten 20%, it’s hard to see how the film has been rated so poorly. Once again, even the critics who gave the movie negative reviews acknowledge how much fun the movie is or could be for others. Others simply didn’t enjoy Arnold’s performance as a dad trying to do everything in his power to get an action figure for his kid. Still others felt that the nineties Christmas movie was a bit too cheesy. Neil Smith of the BBC had some harsh words for Jingle All The Way in his review:

Once again, the harshness of the film seen on Rotten Tomatoes is interesting. Today, it's easy to look around and find audiences that love Jingle All The Way and view it as necessary viewing each Christmas.

How Does Jingle All The Way End?

With Howard in the dog house, that darn neighbor, Ted, takes Liz and the kids to the Macy's-like holiday parade. Trying to capitalize on the moment, Ted attempts to woo Liz. But even though she's a little disappointed in her husband, it's not enough for Liz to fall for Ted, and she dumps eggnog all over the sleazeball. Howard had realized that he couldn’t let Jamie down again, heading to the parade as well, but once again finding himself at odds with that pesky police officer who has been plaguing him. To get away from the cop, Howard winds up wandering into a warehouse preparing a float for the parade, and is mistakenly dressed up as Turbo Man.

Of course, Myron is still after a Turbo Man, and since Howard will be able to give one out to a kid, Myron wants it. Stealing the costume of Turbo Man’s nemesis, Dementor, Myron confronts Howard and Jamie, chasing the young boy to try and take the Turbo Man from him. After some distraction and plenty of danger, Howard activates the jet pack built into the suit he’s wearing, to save Jamie just as he falls off a nearby Christmas display. With the day saved, Jamie offers the Turbo Man to Myron. He doesn’t actually need a toy considering his dad is the real hero, something much better than any toy.

That may seem like where Jingle All The Way should end, but it has one last surprise up its sleeve. In a post-credits scene, Howard and Liz finally decorate their tree, with the two reconnecting after the long day. Howard may think that all is right in the world, but that’s until Liz asks about her gift. Leaving the audience with a shocked face, all that can be assumed is that good ole Howard completely forgot to get his wife a Christmas present.

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