Neal Justin: ‘Jingle All the Way’ is more fun when you know secrets behind the Twin Cities shoot

“Jingle All the Way” was the most ambitious film ever shot in Minnesota. It also was a bit of a disappointment.

True, it quickly recouped its $79 million budget and went on to gross nearly $130 million around the world. It remains a popular watch on streaming services, especially during the holiday season. (It’s currently on Prime Video.)

But the profit margin paled in comparison to other Arnold Schwarzenegger films of the era. Most reviewers hated it. It has a mere 20% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was a punchline on “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” for more than a decade.

The criticism is justified.

Schwarzenegger, playing an overworked mattress salesman trying to buy a red-hot toy for his kid on Christmas Eve, fails to deliver the kinds of laughs he generated in “Twins” and “Kindergarten Cop.”

Co-producer Chris Columbus clearly tried to mimic the violent tone of his blockbuster “Home Alone.” But watching Sinbad get kicked in the private parts by Jake Lloyd, who went on to play young Anakin Skywalker in “The Phantom Menace,” isn’t nearly as amusing as seeing Macaulay Culkin bring the pain to inept intruders.

Still, “Jingle” has its treats, especially when you’re privy to some of the behind-the-scenes stories. Here are a few that might convince you to give “Jingle” another go.

Columbus and co-producer Mark Radcliffe were set to film in Wisconsin. They were only stopping by Minneapolis to do research on the Holidazzle parade, the inspiration for the film’s climactic showdown between two desperate dads. But during that visit, they learned that their star was insisting on a Minnesota shoot.

“His was the only vote that counted,” said Anne Healy Shapiro, who served as an assistant location manager on the film.

That decision, which brought $10 million in business to the state, was likely influenced by the fact that Planet Hollywood, the movie-themed chain Schwarzenegger had backed with other ‘80s superstars, had opened in the Mall of America three years earlier.

When the film spent a week at MOA for a complicated chase scene, Schwarzenegger used the restaurant as a trailer.

“He would smoke cigars in there,” Shapiro said. “Nobody dared tell him he couldn’t.”

More than 20,000 people showed up in November 1996 for the world premiere at MOA, where Schwarzenegger revealed another reason he came to the Twin Cities.

“I was here five years ago for the Special Olympic Games, and I never forgot how enthusiastic you were in supporting those athletes,” he said during a post-screening ceremony at Planet Hollywood, which left the area in 2013. “I decided then that if I could ever make a movie here, I would do it.”

Shapiro has collaborated with a lot of A-listers, including Sophia Loren, Kirsten Dunst and Billy Bob Thornton. But the future California governor stood out.

“Of all the people I’ve worked with, he was the most professional,” she said. ”I loved him. He wasn’t high-maintenance in any way.”

He made time to pose for pictures with schoolkids and wrote handwritten notes to anyone who gave him a gift. He also made time for his own family. Local actor Bruce Bohne, who played a sinister Santa in the film, remembers watching Schwarzenegger’s kids jump into Dad’s arms between scenes.

“He seemed very different than Conan the Barbarian,” Bohne said. ”He was just a regular dad who loved his kids.”

Of course, you never forgot that the fun-loving actor was a superstar. According to Shapiro, even though Schwarzenegger had a driver, he had his Humvee shipped in for joy rides.

Shooting centered around an Edina neighborhood for about six weeks. But securing the house for Phil Hartman’s character wasn’t easy. When Shapiro went to negotiate with the owners, the elderly couple slammed the door in her face. They relented only after their children explained that it was a big deal.

Producers also wanted to use the Linden Hills location for Creative Kidstuff. But the former toy store chain that specialized in educational toys didn’t care much for Turbo Man, the action figure that everyone clamors for in the movie. Shapiro said they eventually changed their minds and ended up stocking the toy on their shelves.

Many familiar sites pop up, including Mickey’s Diner, the State Theatre and the St. Paul Hotel. But no landmark looks more dazzling than St. Paul’s Palace Theatre, the backdrop for a massive fight scene. But the Palace was pretty much dark in the ‘80s and ‘90s.

“There was nothing there, which made it great as a location, because we didn’t have to shut anyone down for a few days,” said Laura Mylan, who was the city’s film liaison at the time. ”They hung banners, refurbished signs, decorated windows, created cute cafes. It gave you an idea of what that pedestrian mall could look like with some investment.”

Today, thanks to a full concert schedule and hangouts like Meritage, the mall looks just as lively as it did on the big screen.