Howard Langston (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is in deep holiday dreg. His son (Jake Lloyd) wants the year's hottest toy: a "Turbo Man" action figure. His wife (Mara Wilson) has planned ahead for him to get it. When Howard fails to stick to the plan, he must fight the entire world to make up for it--a world in the midst of the classic Christmas rush.
It's imperative to note that this isn't any sort of deep, introspective cinema, any further than it's statement on the warped world-view of Christmas, but you've probably gathered that. What it is is a kind of unrestrained fun that rarely works on screen. Everyone is funny, including Arnold, but Sinbad far and away steals the piece. Live-action-Disney level silliness threatens to capsize things a few times, but that simple fun manages to shine through. It's probably more effective if you DON'T watch around the holidays, since it gets us to laugh at a simple truth--Christmas may come only once a year, but greed is always around. Don't bother with too much introspection, though, just prepare to giggle.
It's imperative to note that this isn't any sort of deep, introspective cinema, any further than it's statement on the warped world-view of Christmas, but you've probably gathered that. What it is is a kind of unrestrained fun that rarely works on screen. Everyone is funny, including Arnold, but Sinbad far and away steals the piece. Live-action-Disney level silliness threatens to capsize things a few times, but that simple fun manages to shine through. It's probably more effective if you DON'T watch around the holidays, since it gets us to laugh at a simple truth--Christmas may come only once a year, but greed is always around. Don't bother with too much introspection, though, just prepare to giggle.