Jingle All the Way

If you are after a comedy that actually makes you laugh out loud, Jingle All the Way is available in Australia on Netflix and Disney Plus, and in the US on Disney Plus right now. The runtime earns every minute, with nothing here that feels like padding. 2,975 viewers have already rated it on TMDB — the kind of consensus that does not happen by accident. Watch it for Arnold Schwarzenegger — stay for everyone else around them. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Netflix.

Jingle All the Way arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. Sharp writing and a well-matched ensemble are what separate Jingle All the Way from the crowd. Howard Langston, a salesman for a mattress company, is constantly kept busy at his job, disappointing his son. After he misses his son's karate exposition, Howard vows to make it up to him by buying an action figure of his son's favorite television hero for Christmas. Unfortunately for Howard, it is Christmas Eve, and every store is sold out of Turbo Man. The chemistry Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad bring to it does a lot of the heavy lifting. It was released in 1996. Jingle All the Way earns its laughs from character rather than situation, which is why it does not wear thin the way pure farce tends to. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

If you need a comedy that actually makes you laugh, Jingle All the Way is a strong candidate. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Arnold Schwarzenegger's comic timing carries it through its weaker moments. The kind of comedy you recommend to someone who claims they do not watch much.