This funny holiday movie starts out by showing an episode of the Turbo-Man show and the son of Howard Langston (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) is eagerly watching the show. When his mother tells him to get ready because they?re heading out to karate class, he complains that his father misses everything.
The son is quite right. Howard is a dad who spends far too much time at work and not nearly enough at home. He?s always disappointing his family with his absences. He?s such a workaholic that while the workers at the mattress company where Harold works are busy celebrating with a Christmas party, Harold is busy working.
?You?re my number one customer? is what he says almost like a mantra to every customer who calls him. When his wife calls to tell him he?s late, he automatically starts to the end the call with the ?You?re my number one customer? saying.
He tries to fix the mistake, but his wife is so upset, she angrily hangs up on him. Realizing how badly he?s messed up, Harold makes a mad dash out in desperation to try and get to his son?s karate class.
He gets stuck in traffic and decides to drive down the emergency lane, which earns him a ticket from a sarcastic police officer who deliberately gives him a hard time. Meanwhile, his wife is at the karate event and sitting beside their next door neighbor the annoying divorced dad who keeps getting hit on by a group of women.
Harold misses the karate class completely and arrives home to find the neighbor up on the roof putting lights on Harold?s house, which makes him angry. His wife is still upset – and at first, his son won?t speak to him.
When he finally does speak to him, he tells his father that what he wants more than anything for Christmas is a Turbo-Man action figure. Howard promises his son he?ll get him one. But there are two major problems.
First, it?s Christmas Eve and the stores are jam packed. Secondly, the toy is so popular that it?s difficult to find one. When he does find one, he enters into a battle with a mailman who´s just as determined to get the toy, too.
What ensues after that is a hilarious series of escapades and near misses as Howard is determined that he won?t fail his son again. The family ends up at the Wintertainment Parade where Howard is able to give his son the action figure. But the sweet twist at the end is one that will make this movie one that you won?t soon forget.
