Schwarzenegger Plays Santa, Ritchson Robs Him: The Man with the Bag
Prime Video's first teaser for The Man with the Bag shows Arnold Schwarzenegger as Santa and Alan Ritchson as the thief he hires. It streams December 2.
Key art courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios.
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Santa Has a Terminator Problem, and Alan Ritchson Is the Fix
Prime Video has released the first teaser for The Man with the Bag, a Christmas heist comedy that streams December 2. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Santa Claus, a rogue elf with a grudge steals his red gift bag, and Santa hires a thief from his Naughty List to get it back. Alan Ritchson plays that thief, and he is on screen in the teaser.
Ritchson Does Christmas
We have a lot on Ritchson, and this is a new corner of it. Our Alan Ritchson explainer tracks how he got from supporting parts to leading man. Most of that road runs through Reacher: the season 1 review is where it clicked, season 3 and season 4 are the high points at 4.5 stars, and the Jack Reacher hub has everything in order, including the Neagley spin-off.
Outside Reacher, we have already covered him in The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, in the alien thriller War Machine and in the comedy Playdate. The comedy is the relevant precedent here: a Ritchson who plays the straight man next to a chaotic cast, and a Santa played by an action legend, is a better pairing on paper than most streaming Christmas films manage.
Is It for the Family Couch?
Schwarzenegger gets a last line that quotes his most famous catchphrase. It is a cheap joke, but a good one for a dad who grew up on the original films. Whether the film works for kids is the open question. A heist with a thief at the centre is not The Santa Clause, and we would not call it a young-kids movie before we have seen it. Our Santa Clause review is the safe-harbour version of the idea; this looks like the one for after bedtime or for older kids.
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What’s Next
A new teaser is not a verdict. Prime Video holds the film until December 2, and we will watch it on Prime Video that week and say plainly whether it earns a spot in the holiday rotation or stays a one-time watch.
The Dadnology Take
The premise is stronger than the usual streaming-Christmas filler, and the casting joke carries a whole teaser. What we do not know is the tone across a full feature, and whether the kids can be in the room. Interested, not sold.
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Disclaimer: This review and its visuals were created with the help of AI. Some links may be affiliate links – we may earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you.
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