What would Christmas be without shopping and Ahhnuld? Well, I guess there wouldn’t be any family fun then, would there? Yeah….I think there would. But if you need a dose of the Governator on top of your waiting in long check out lines, then look no further than Jingle All the Way: Family Fun Edition. Apparently the previous DVD edition briefly went out of print, and fans demanded their annual Schwarzenegger/Sinbad Christmas fix, so Fox studios reached down from the heavens with a heavy dose of Christmas magic to give their fans the gift that keeps on giving: Jingle All the Way: Family Fun Edition. Oh Joy!

If you’ve never caught Jingle in it’s umpteenth cable airing over the past several years, and weren’t one of the folks (including myself) that led to its box office success, then where the heck have you been? C’mon, give a little love to Arnold! Where else will you find such mediocrity as the Terminator himself running amok in shopping malls trying to buy mini-Darth Vader (Jake Lloyd) an action figure, only to discover the only true (in its utmost relative sense) meaning of Christmas? Kidding aside, here’s a rundown, just for you.

Arnold stars as Howard Langston, a typical work first, family second businessman. Of course all the time spent working takes away from his time with his son (Jake Lloyd) and his Christmas shopping. Playing off of the holiday frenzy originally started with the crazy Cabbage Patch moms (and other such must-have toys to come), Arnold is too late getting his son that Turboman (think Power Rangers) action figure he desperately wants. Naturally comedy ensues when Arnold must face the mad Christmas rush of shopping moms as well as rival shopper Myron (Sinbad) on the hunt for a Turboman.

If you can’t imagine how this all plays out, then you need to take your imagination drugs today. Though it all, Arnold realizes that it’s his son that is important and not just the toy itself. Isn’t that lovely? If a bit cliched…

This isn’t a bad film at all, but it isn’t really great either. I think it has become a Christmas classic (in the loosest sense of the word) because of the “Arnold factor” as he obviously carries the film as much as possible. Sinbad isn’t too bad, and the supporting cast including Rita Wilson, Phil Hartman, and James Belushi adds some flavor to what would otherwise be a bland, forgettable film. So is it worth a double-dip, or even a first time purchase?

Video

I’ve seen this movie several times, and I’m sure I caught it on its original DVD release, but I admittedly can’t say whether or not any improvement has been made from the original release. What I can say is that the video presentation is more than adequate for this film. The colors of Christmas were nicely saturated and edge enhancement wasn’t bothersome. If you are purchasing this to forgo the annual TV broadcast, you will be more than pleased.

Audio

The 5.1 Dolby Digital audio track was pretty decent I must say for this being a comedy. There were some nice surround effects and bass was prominent during some of the “action” scenes. Dialog was clear as well. The kids won’t care anyway, but this was a nice effort from 20th Century Fox. A 2.0 French and 2.0 Spanish track with subtitles are also available.

Extras

Well, I guess this is where the “Family Fun” comes into play. Believe it or not, there are actually two versions of the film present. Both the extended edition and the theatrical edition are present. This is far from necessary, but completists will be pleased. Also on board are a behind the scenes feature and a tongue-in-cheek Turboman feature. The “Family Fun” comes in the form of two games that can be played with the DVD remote. My kids thought these were fun, but they also think cardboard boxes are AMAZING.

Final Thoughts

Touted as having 19 minutes of footage added (though I have no idea which footage was new, or why we would need extended Arnold shopping), this Family Fun Edition isn’t without merit. I’d say if you like Arnold, you’ll probably find something to like about Jingle All the Way.