MovieChat Forums > Jingle All the Way (1996) Discussion > Unfair bias against Howard?

Unfair bias against Howard?

posted 15 years ago by Koosh_King01
22 replies | jump to latest

I don't think Howard (Arnold's character) is as bad of a husband and father as we're meant to think he is. I'll use the karate tournament as an example. The screenwriters want us to think Howard is neglectful because he didn't make it to see Jamie get his belt. But let's examine:

1. Leaving aside whether or not Howard shouldn't have stayed so late at the office to begin with, it's worth noting he was the only one actually working. Everyone else was partying while he was doing his job.

2. He shouldn't have driven on the side of the road admittedly, but that cop was a jerk with nothing better to do. End of story. Simply ticketing Howard and letting him go would've been sufficient, but I guess Officer Dickwad was just looking for a means to amuse himself.

So, Howard missed the tournament because he was working, which is how he pays for all that stupid Turboman junk Jamie likes and puts food on the family's table, and because he was held up by an idiotic policeman. I can understand Jamie's reaction to be honest. He's a child and therefore doesn't understand how or why his father would break a promise: all he knows is the promise was broken.

That aside, it's clear to be that the movie wants us to side with Jamie, and dislike Howard for being unable to keep his promise. The entire movie is like this. Nearly everything Howard does is for Jamie's benefit, but due to circumstances either understandable (working late), or beyond his control (a cop with a grudge against him), or both (that meddling mailman Myron and the scarcity of Turboman figures), he is made unable to. And we're supposed to think he's a bad father?

The one and only time he crosses the line is when he breaks into his neighbor's house to steal the Turboman figure from Jamie's friend, Johnny. But...he thinks better of it and puts it back. Everything would've been fine if Johnny's dad didn't have that stupid reindeer.

I gotta say I find this pretty disgusting. If you wanna make the character a bad father, MAKE HIM A BAD FATHER. Don't depict him as hardworking and eager to please his son, and the victim of bad luck, and then ask us to hate him.

[–] StarNuts 15 years ago

I disagree. I didn't look at Howard as a bad father and I don't think he was intended to look that way. Well, they show two sides. He is a bad father in everyone else's eyes, but to the viewers, we see that he isn't.

We're suppose to sympathise with Howard. Nobody makes family movies about a deadbeat dad as the main character.

[–] diarmaid_blah_blah 15 years ago

I never thought he was a bad father. He's a good father with a few priorities a bit mixed up is all

[–] BulletHeadedSaxonMothersSon 15 years ago

I agree with the OP up to a point in that I didn't like the way Howard was always getting the short end of the stick throughout the picture. It's one of the reasons I didn't like this movie. It reminded me a lot of Meet the Parents in that I felt so terrible for the protagonist that it took away from the enjoyment of the film, and both films are supposed to be *comedies*!

I thought Howard was pretty much the only decent character in the whole film. His wife, Jamie's mom, was a real bitch: when he gets home she's all "Do you have any idea what time it is?" And then whe he responds as you expect he would she's all "Don't explain it to me, it wasn't my karate class you missed!" And the way she's all "Damn you, Howard" when she sees Jamie yelling over the phone at Howard when she might instead realize that Howard could have hit some snags and take Jamie aside and explain that his dad is probably working really hard to get Jamie what he wants and be at the parade.
I thought Jamie himself was a real brat throughout the film.

And of course, you've got Myron, Ted, and the bike cop who seem to serve no purpose whatsoever other than to piss Howard off even more.

How anyone could have actually enjoyed this film is beyond me.

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] BulletHeadedSaxonMothersSon 15 years ago

Not to mention Jim Belushi and all the other "Santa Clause"s who rip people off, including Mr. "I'm Gonna Deck Your Halls Bub!" Or when all the others are piling onto Howard and Belushi actually grins like a kid and yels "DOG PILE!"

What kind of grown men actually talk and behave like this?!

[–] jsn_hylnd 8 years ago

The kind in movies. James Belushi was awesome, everyone else is wrong about him, sorry.

[–] joe_538 11 years ago

Most comedies have bad things happen to the hero, it goes back to Chaplin and Keaton. The wife and son being peeved was for dramatic effect, but Phil Hartman, Sinbad, Jim Belushi, and Robert Conrad were all there to be funny. You have to laugh with it. WC Fields, Danny Kaye, Jerry Lewis, Jack Carson, Don Knotts, Chevy Chase, Homer Simpson, Adam Sandler, Jack Black... they all played hard-luck underdogs.

"People will always laugh at somebody else's discomfort. But they only laugh because they have suffered the same indignity themselves or known darn well how it feels. Being a comedian is almost like being a doctor--the more troubles you discover and understand, the more gladness you can bring to an audience." ---Jack Carson

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] bbsy 15 years ago

Uh, the point of the movie is, he could have got the doll sooner, not wait for the last minute, like people normally do. It was more of a corny message for the audience than a reason to hate on Howard.

Team bbsy for Life

[–] Hungerhill 15 years ago

As a father of two I wish I'd had a pound for everytime I've upset my kids only because I've tried to do the right thing by them and failed miserably!!!

[–] Dr_Illuminatus 15 years ago

What's a pound? Are you saying you want to get fat?

Joking. Just joking.

[–] Hungerhill 15 years ago

Ok ...for our U.S. cousins I wish I had a dollar !!!

[–] Dr_Illuminatus 15 years ago

I said I was joking.

[–] Hungerhill 15 years ago

So was I !!!!

[–] chocolate_orange 15 years ago

why can't we all just get along?!!

[–] ss5mmyers 14 years ago

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Ptitle2w5ss59f?from=Main.CatsInTheCradle

[–] BulletHeadedSaxonMothersSon 14 years ago

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Ptitle2w5ss59f?from=Main.Ca tsInTheCradle

[–] RIPLucas 14 years ago

I think the idea is that he could have prevented all of it.

1. He could've easily left work early as his assistant continually reminded him of the karate class.

2. He could've picked up the toy before they were all sold out.

3. He had a habit of breaking promises to the kid, not just during the spam of the film.

NOTE: I agree he still got unfairly dissed by his wife. I mean cmon, the cop...Howard should've freaking sued the police department for that man's behavior.

[–] RCeditor 12 years ago

In addition to what NickParker said, what I got out of the film is that too much emphasis is placed on the material things (the Turbo Man doll) at Christmas. I thought the people competing for the lottery balls in the mall was funny. However, it's sad that people really do things like that.

THE RAP CRITIC
http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/teamt/rap-critic

[–] jsn_hylnd 11 years ago

I don't think he was a bad father, just a normal human being who loves his job and makes mistakes.

[–] ExplorerDS6789 11 years ago

It's a cliche as old as time: make the hard-working father the bad guy.

[–] Black-Warrior 9 years ago

bumped to maintain relevance