Another week, another Christmas movie on the Dissection, and this time it’s a sequel to the 1996 film JINGLE ALL THE WAY, by way of 20th Century Fox and WWE Films. Featuring Larry The Cable Guy, Santino Marella, and pretty much the same plot as the first, how will this fair?
This is going to be a loooonnng review….
The Story
Two desperate dads compete in a no-holds-barred battle to be the best father and make this the best Christmas ever. Fun-loving, laid-back dad Larry is having a bear of a time finding the perfect Christmas gift for his eight-year-old daughter, Noel. The season’s hottest toy, The Harrison Bear, is all sold out, and Noel’s new stepfather wants to keep it that way – so he can be the one to make her holiday wish come true. When Larry learns all Noel wants for Christmas is the bear, he’ll stop at nothing to make his little girl happy and get her the toy of her dreams.
The Cast
Larry the Cable Guy as Larry. Divorcee but still on good terms with the family, he spends a lot of time with his daughter, Noel. As Christmas arrives, he plans on making this Christmas special for Noel, and thinks he can do this with a hot selling toy…
Brian Stepanek as Victor. Noel’s new stepfather, he’s from a rich family in a big packaging company in town. He spends money on personal cooks, snow machines and extravagant ornaments, but he can’t get Noel to express the same love she has for Larry on him.
Kennedi Clements as Noel, Larry’s daughter and Victor’s stepdaughter. For Christmas, she sends a letter to Santa asking for something this Christmas, and Larry reads this and decides to make sure she gets just that.
Santino Marella as Claude. Larry’s close friend. He helps out Larry when he attempts to one up Victor and his attempts, as well as when he is looking for this toy.
The Dissection
A movie like JINGLE ALL THE WAY 2 should be considered less of a sequel, and more of a remake. Not a surprise, since the credits have this based on the first movie. While there really is no connection to the first movie, it is sharing the same story, with some minor differences in order to differentiate it from the first.
Now, before going into the movie proper, a moment should be spared to mention Larry The Cable Guy. Now, whatever thoughts you may have on his comedy or some of his movies in the past, it should be mentioned that, when he isn’t doing fart jokes and slapstick and sticking his catchphrase in the movies, Larry the Cable Guy is good at playing a blue collar family man. It was a surprise in TOOTH FAIRY 2, and it’s better here. There is some earnest in his performance with his daughter and some of the more tender moments in the film.
Larry (Larry) with Noel (Clements), in one of the few family moments in this film.
From the first act of the film, it does set up as this family drama story, but with some comedy in it to make it a light and funny family movie. You have the story of how both dads in Noel’s life are vying for her affection the most, and what both Larry and Victor are feeling and are upset about in trying to make Noel happy.
However the more it goes on, the more the superficial look of the film goes to the wayside, and it just ends up being the first movie again. There is a scene, like in the first one, where Larry has to win a contest for a toy, wins, but ends up winning something other than the toy. There’s a scene, like the first, where Larry meets someone in a warehouse to buy the toy, and it ends with a police raid. Even the ending and the message of that is mirroring the one from the first one. Big or small, there are a lot of elements from the first movie that are also shown in this film.
Still, even being a copy, it does set itself up as this family drama story, but with some comedy in it to make it a light and funny family movie. It could even be seen as a more down to earth version of the first movie. However, it loses that very quick with the first plot point of the film.
Victor (Stepanek), with his family, undoubtedly plotting a method of planting explosives in trucker hats across town just to spite Larry.
Larry goes out looking for this specific toy, named Harrison the talking bear, because he thinks this is what his daughter Noel wants. Victor, the stepfather, finds this out and he decides to get one of his assistants, playing the role like he was Slugworth from WILLY WONKA, and orders him to follow Larry around a screw him out of getting this toy. He follows Larry around, buying all the bears from every store in town before Larry can, as well as bribing a kid to steal the toy when Larry gets one, and trying to sabotage his attempt to win one in a contest. Not only does this effect Larry, but also other townsfolk who also want to get toys for their kids. This is actually a plot point by the end of the film!
Yes, Victor was so jealous of Larry and his relationship with Noel, he decided to make Larry’s life a living hell. And the movie then tries to downplay this and try to pull the “well, we both were wrong” when they get to the resolution between them. Except this goes far beyond just a simple misunderstanding, and that Victor pulled this just to spite Larry over his daughter liking her birth father more than her stepfather. Noel doesn’t hate him, but she doesn’t love him as much as Larry. And it’s hard to argue with her being able to see him a lot and how she is her biological father, and more importantly, Larry IS NOT A MOVIE VILLAIN WHO DECIDED TO SCREW OVER SOMEONE ELSE FOR PETTY REASONS.
Claude (Santino Marella), seen here talking with Larry over possibly playing a Fiat Panda in Cars 3.
Also, without spoiling the end of the film, the message and revelation at the end of the movie really should have come off with the Price is right losing horn. The ending really just shows the main character was an idiot. The first movie, as mentioned, had a similar ending, but it never made the journey Arnold’s character took feel like it was pointless like with Larry.
Also, apart from the two dads and Santino’s Claude, the characters are either overly wacky or with the personality of a rock. On one side, everyone in town has some schtick or gag they pull, and don’t develop other than that. You also have, on the other end, the mother of Noel, who can be replaced by a cardboard stand up for all that she gets involved in the movie.
Finally, on the extras, there is a few videos on some of the stunts and about behind the scenes look of the film. You also have a video on Santino and how he goes from wrestling to acting, seemingly standard in WWE Film releases. There’s also two videos centering on the Harrison toy, and a video about how to handle Black Friday and the season. There’s also some trailers for other releases.
This movie’s only reference to the first movie, as part of a fake commercial in the extra features, brought to you in glorious cheap-o-vision (TM VHS Vitriol)
The Verdict
JINGLE ALL THE WAY 2 feels less like a sequel, but more like a rehash, one that tries to bring all the bullet points the first one did, but on a much lesser scale. Unless you’re a big fan of Larry The Cable Guy’s work, you can just forget this exists and just rewatch the first JINGLE ALL THE WAY.