Jingle All the Way (1996)

Brian Levant’s nineties film gets plenty of bad press, and it’s true; the final quarter of the film when Arnold Schwarzenegger is flying all over the city dressed as Turbo Man with what we’re supposed to believe is a genuine jet-pack, is truly appalling. However, the first three quarters of the film are a genuinely (if slightly stretched) accurate depiction of what can happen in the grossly over-hyped consumerism of Christmas. Scwarzenegger’s Howard is not the best Dad to his young son, never keeping his promises or putting his child ahead of his job. So when his son asks for the most wanted toy this Christmas, a turbo man, Howard (after initially forgetting) embarks on a last ditch attempt to find one, driving all around town enduring more and more mayhem and frustration in his quest. The whole thing is ridiculous, but the supposed stupidity of the film looks a lot more real twenty-six years on in the lunacy of today's society, making Jingle All The Way look less foolish than it initially did. 5.8/10