We may haveCyber Monday to help us cope, but for many, the act of going out the day after Thanksgiving to brave the torrents of shoppers in search of the biggest discounts of the year is a specific mood that cannot be replicated online. Having said that, many of us won’t have that option this year, so perhaps we can use our internet to deliver some mad shopping vibes to our homes with these movie recommendations.
The definitive Black Friday film for Americans is undoubtedly the chaotic comedyJingle All the Way.Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad, the film sees a pair of fathers on the hunt for the holiday’s hot toy for kids: a premium action figure that has sold out in stores everywhere. Scalping wasn’t nearly the phenomenon then as it is today, so the Arnold and his rival rely on each other’s leads in a bizarre and desperate last minute struggle to try and secure a Turbo Man toy in time for the holidays.It may be starting to show its age, especially in an era of cyber shopping, butJingle All the Wayperfectly distills the 90’s era of Black Friday commercialism into a topsy-turvy rampage on film.
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Perhaps another angle to appreciate Black Friday might be from the perspective of the toys. Sure, you could go for the expected, likeToy Storyor one of its sequels, but given the year 2020 has been, wouldn’t it be a bit more appropriate to watchChild’s Play?One could revisit the 1988 original – which traumatized plenty of children of the day – or the 2019 remake – which twiststhe slasher concept for more modern toy technology.
For a similarly grim flavor, there’s of course the classic zombie genre to remind ourselves of our ravenous, moblike descent into capitalism. That was, after all, the original intent Romero had when he popularized the genre for the modern day with his classicDawn of the Dead,and its remake maintains that spirit, for sure. Either would make an appropriate watch for the occasion of Black Friday.
But if one truly wanted to escalate the submersion of drowning in a horde thatflocks like a hivemind toward an objective, there’s the more recentWorld War Z.Brad Pitt spends much of the most intense scenes aimlessly meandering in a confused shamble away from the chaos, glancing over his shoulder at the horrific sights of customers – er, zombies – hellishly diving together in maniacal droves.
For a more literal take on this brand of horror, of course,there’s an upcoming film literally calledBlack Fridayon the way, featuring Bruce Campbell, famed in the genre. The movie is still in production, however, so like many things this year, we’re left waiting on it.
It’s perhaps not all that surprising that the majority of movies that might remind us of Black Friday are, well, dark and horrific. The occasion itself - practically a national holiday in the mentality of America - can certainly be a stressful one, at the least,so it may be preferred to stay inside and let that stress wash overone’s self for an hour and a half and be done with it with this year.
