Not suitable under 8; parental guidance to 9 (violence, adult themes)
This topic contains:
Children under 8 | Not suitable due to violence and adult themes. |
Children aged 8–9 | Parental guidance recommended due to violence and adult themes. |
Children aged 10 and over | Ok for this age group. |
This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines. Other classification advice (OC) is provided where the Australian film classification is not available.
Name of movie: | Jingle All The Way |
Classification: | PG |
Consumer advice lines: | Low level violence |
Length: | 82 minutes |
This review of the movie contains the following information:
Jamie Langston (Jake Lloyd) is a typical young boy who loves superheroes and, in particular, ‘Turbo Man’. His father Howard (Arnold Schwarzenegger) promises to get him a Turbo Man doll for Christmas but, as is usual for Howard, forgets all about it until just before Christmas day when reminded by his long-suffering wife Liz (Rita Wilson). Howard rushes to the shops to discover that he is one of many desperate parents trying to find a Turbo Man doll. Chaos and fights erupt between greedy parents. Howard is followed everywhere by another, even more desperate, dad, Myron (Sinbad).
Howard gives up at the end of a long day and returns home to keep at least one promise to his son, to attend the annual Christmas Parade. Along the way, however, he’s dragged inside a garage where he’s mistaken as the fill-in guy for Turbo Man who has been taken sick. As Turbo Man, Howard loves being the centre of attention, waving to all his adoring fans. He has the task of choosing a lucky bystander to gift a super-charged Turbo Man doll. Howard, of course, chooses Jamie. Myron then appears on the scene as Turbo Man’s archenemy, ‘Dementor’, and a real-life superhero fight breaks out, with Jamie having to escape the clutches of Dementor. In the end, when Jamie discovers the identity of Turbo Man, he gives away his prize to Myron as he now has the real thing at home.
Children and adolescents may react adversely at different ages to themes of crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependence, death, serious illness, family breakdown, death or separation from a parent, animal distress or cruelty to animals, children as victims, natural disasters and racism. Occasionally reviews may also signal themes that some parents may simply wish to know about.
Superheroes; Consumerism.
Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.
Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.
There is quite a lot violence in this movie, mostly done for laughs. Some examples include:
Other violence includes:
Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.
In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children under the age of five, including the following:
Children aged five to eight will also be frightened by scary visual images and will also be disturbed by depictions of the death of a parent, a child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.
In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes and scary visual images, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children aged five to eight, including the following:
Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.
In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children aged eight to thirteen, including the following:
Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.
The following products are displayed or used in this movie:
There are some sexual references in this movie, including:
There is some use of substances in this movie, including:
There is some coarse language in this movie, including:
Jingle All The Way is a comedy about Christmas and the desperation many parents feel at this time to please their children. However, it focuses on the worst aspects of Christmas – greed and consumerism. The film’s saving grace is Jamie giving away his much longed for toy and realising that what he really wanted all along was his father’s time and attention. Though, there are also some adult themes and innuendo, making the film unsuitable for children under 8. Parental guidance is also recommended for 8 to 9 year olds.
The main messages from this movie are to always keep your promises if you want to keep your friends; and that love and attention are more important than material possessions.
Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:
This movie could also give parents the opportunity to discuss with their children attitudes and behaviours, and their real-life consequences, such as:
Tip: Leave out the first A, An or The
Selecting an age will provide a list of movies with content suitable for this age group. Children may also enjoy movies selected via a lower age.
Content is age appropriate for children this age
Some content may not be appropriate for children this age. Parental guidance recommended
Content is not age appropriate for children this age
Children and Media Australia (CMA) is a registered business name of the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM).
CMA provides reviews, research and advocacy to help children thrive in a digital world.
ACCM is national, not-for-profit and reliant on community support. You can help.
ABN: 16 005 214 531