The holiday staple A Christmas Story is a movie people either love or hate. I have yet to find someone in between.For those who love it, it's an intense fandom. For those who hate it, it's with an unwavering, fixed disdain. It's like the Marshmallow Peep of movies. It's either enjoyed or hated. There's no in-between.
I'm in the fan camp with this one. I find it original, and a simple entertaining story.
I'm very honest when I say I cannot understand the dislike some have for this traditional Christmas movie - one that's on the same holiday movie classics list as It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, and A Christmas Carol. It's very relatable. It's not pretentious nor is the story and comedy over-the-top and ridiculous. For anyone who hasn't seen this film, or know nothing about it, it's a narrated story set in fictional Hohman, Indiana back in the post-war 1940s. It centers on young Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley) and his quest for someone to give him a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas.
Despite his requests to his mom, his teacher, and even Santa Claus, all he's given is the same warning, "you'll shoot your eye out." It has become a Christmas catchphrase that surely everyone has heard whether they've seen this movie or not.
Then again, with TNT and, I think other networks, running A Christmas Story on a 24-hour loop during the holidays since 1997, and the obnoxious onslaught of merchandise bombarding us every holiday season for the last 20 or so years, I understand the disgust. That's what saturating a market with merchandise can do - even to Star Wars, but that's getting off topic. All that saturation turned a rather quiet gem of a movie into a victim of exploitation. With that much Christmas Story inundation, I can maybe see why people would be sick of it. All that commercialism has taken something away from the movie.
Fans can even visit the actual house in Cleveland, Ohio where the exterior shots were filmed.
Someone purchased that house, gutted the inside, and refurbished it to look as close to the movie as possible, right down to the small details. Despite my dislike for the commercialism of A Christmas Story, I admit I want to see this house for myself.
I see aspects of my own youth in some scenes and characters. Ralphie's teacher even reminds me of my second grade teacher, all the way down to her hair and vintage dresses.
Speaking of commercialism, there was a part two released in 2012 despite the original movie not ending on any kind of cliffhanger whatsoever. I don't know if anyone asked for a sequel, but I think Hollywood is long past that.
A Christmas Story 2 is one giant cash grab of a movie that takes void of all the charm, honesty, and simplicity of the original. Never has a sequel been so unnecessary.
It sucks out the small-town charm and simplicity of A Christmas Story.
I've only seen copies of part two sold bundled with the first movie. That's probably the only way producers could get anyone to buy a copy.
It's not the first sequel, though. The 1994 film It Runs in the Family (aka My Summer Story) was the first. Like A Christmas Story, that movie was directed by Bob Clark and narrated by Jean Shepherd - I'll get to him shortly.
There was also some horrific, completely forgettable live TV musical production called A Christmas Story LIVE! that aired in 2017 which...I just don't want to talk about it.
A Christmas Story was no commercial success when it was released in 1983. It took a lot of years to grow on audiences the way it has. Even critic Roger Ebert gave it a good review back in 2000.
But to determine if it's not really a good movie and deserves to be ignored, I'll start with its roots.
The movie is based on the writings of humorist Jean Shepherd, specifically his book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash. It's a novel about American homelife. The stories come from those which Shepherd used to tell over the radio.
Shepherd narrates the movie.
His writing can keep a reader glued just by his careful choice of words when describing a day-to-day situation. His relatable stories about childhood flow so nicely. His writing is fun to read. It's poetic with creative use of words. And it's certainly not pretentious. Shepherd is hilarious and a wonderful storyteller. His cleverness is clear in the movie as many of his narrations are lifted straight from his writings.
"Only one thing could pull me from the soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the window" he narrates at one moment in the movie when Ralphie and his younger brother, Andy, leave the stimulation of their dad's leg lamp - an advertising piece for Nehi (pronounced 'knee-high') soda - in the front room window to tune into Little Orphan Annie on the family radio.
Fans can even visit the actual house in Cleveland, Ohio where the exterior shots were filmed.
Someone purchased that house, gutted the inside, and refurbished it to look as close to the movie as possible, right down to the small details. Despite my dislike for the commercialism of A Christmas Story, I admit I want to see this house for myself.
I see aspects of my own youth in some scenes and characters. Ralphie's teacher even reminds me of my second grade teacher, all the way down to her hair and vintage dresses.
Speaking of commercialism, there was a part two released in 2012 despite the original movie not ending on any kind of cliffhanger whatsoever. I don't know if anyone asked for a sequel, but I think Hollywood is long past that.
A Christmas Story 2 is one giant cash grab of a movie that takes void of all the charm, honesty, and simplicity of the original. Never has a sequel been so unnecessary.
It sucks out the small-town charm and simplicity of A Christmas Story.
It's not the first sequel, though. The 1994 film It Runs in the Family (aka My Summer Story) was the first. Like A Christmas Story, that movie was directed by Bob Clark and narrated by Jean Shepherd - I'll get to him shortly.
There was also some horrific, completely forgettable live TV musical production called A Christmas Story LIVE! that aired in 2017 which...I just don't want to talk about it.
A Christmas Story was no commercial success when it was released in 1983. It took a lot of years to grow on audiences the way it has. Even critic Roger Ebert gave it a good review back in 2000.
But to determine if it's not really a good movie and deserves to be ignored, I'll start with its roots.
The movie is based on the writings of humorist Jean Shepherd, specifically his book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash. It's a novel about American homelife. The stories come from those which Shepherd used to tell over the radio.
Shepherd narrates the movie.
His writing can keep a reader glued just by his careful choice of words when describing a day-to-day situation. His relatable stories about childhood flow so nicely. His writing is fun to read. It's poetic with creative use of words. And it's certainly not pretentious. Shepherd is hilarious and a wonderful storyteller. His cleverness is clear in the movie as many of his narrations are lifted straight from his writings.
"Only one thing could pull me from the soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the window" he narrates at one moment in the movie when Ralphie and his younger brother, Andy, leave the stimulation of their dad's leg lamp - an advertising piece for Nehi (pronounced 'knee-high') soda - in the front room window to tune into Little Orphan Annie on the family radio.
Incidentally, this same Nehi leg lamp scene was first enacted in the 1976 made-for-TV film "Phantom of the Open Hearth" based on Shepherd's writings.
"There it was. Nehi orange! It was so spectacularly gassy that violent cases of the bends were common among those who gulped it down too fast. It would clean out your sinuses faster than a Roto-Rooter," Shepherd narrates in that film.
Anyways, at another moment in "A Christmas Story" when Ralphie has to write a theme for homework, Shepherd describes Ralphie's eagerness and satisfaction with his finished work by saying, "Oh, rarely did the words flow from my penny pencil with such feverish fluidity."
Shepherd later describes the Parker's activities of Christmas morning by stating, "we plunged into the cornucopia quivering with desire and the ecstasy of unbridled avarice."
His words expose the humor in typical American behavior for his readers to see and laugh at.
Having watched A Christmas Story every holiday since my age was in the single digits, these quotes have stuck with me.
A Christmas Story has a lot of good things going for it in and of itself. Its cast for instance.
Actor Jack Nicholson was originally considered for the role of the "old man" - Ralphie's dad. The
part ultimately went to actor Darren McGavin, who was known for his playing Kolchak in the TV series Night Stalker.
Actress Melinda Dillon, who may be recognized from the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, played Ralphie's mom.
And Peter Billingsley, who aside from a role in an episode of Little House on the Prairie as well as roles in movies such as If Ever I See You Again, Honky Tonk Freeway, Paternity, and Death Valley, wasn't a major child star back then.
Without the distraction of big-name actors, it's easier for audiences to relate to the characters. They can appreciate the movie for what it else rather than watching it just to see their favorite actors. The movie is A Christmas Story, not "that Jack Nicholson Christmas movie about the kid who wants a BB gun."
Incidentally, we never find out what the names of Ralphie's parents are. They're just Mrs. Parker and Mr. Parker - the old man. But they're every person's mom and dad, making them relatable to audiences.
Remember when your mom did this, and your dad did that.
The depiction of the not-so-stereotypical Midwest American family works in the favor of A Christmas Story.
The era the movie is set in is often looked upon by people who never lived through the decade as golden. It's an era that certainly didn't have the circumstances we do today. Men were men, and women were women back then. Father knew best. Mom stayed home and took care of the house. Everything must have been perfect in America. That's generally the depiction we see in movies and television.
But the Parker family, though not falling apart, possess a lot of imperfections. They're not a completely dysfunctional family. There are still ties that bind. But they are far from the ideal Americana family we think so many families of the early to mid-part of the 20th century must have been like thanks to movies and television.
The exhausted Mrs. Parker can't get a warm dinner because dad and the kids keep asking her to scoop more supper onto their plates.
The dad basks in the appreciation he received after winning some newspaper contest and being rewarded with a gaudy "major award."
That attention and appreciation isn't something he must receive much of, if at all, from his family. They seem too engrossed in their own goals and tasks. So, he'll take it from wherever he can get it.
Otherwise, he curses and swears at his coal furnace, and whatever else is causing him grief - a broken lamp, his frozen Oldsmobile.
Anyways, at another moment in "A Christmas Story" when Ralphie has to write a theme for homework, Shepherd describes Ralphie's eagerness and satisfaction with his finished work by saying, "Oh, rarely did the words flow from my penny pencil with such feverish fluidity."Shepherd later describes the Parker's activities of Christmas morning by stating, "we plunged into the cornucopia quivering with desire and the ecstasy of unbridled avarice."
His words expose the humor in typical American behavior for his readers to see and laugh at.
Having watched A Christmas Story every holiday since my age was in the single digits, these quotes have stuck with me.
A Christmas Story has a lot of good things going for it in and of itself. Its cast for instance.
Actor Jack Nicholson was originally considered for the role of the "old man" - Ralphie's dad. The
part ultimately went to actor Darren McGavin, who was known for his playing Kolchak in the TV series Night Stalker.
Actress Melinda Dillon, who may be recognized from the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, played Ralphie's mom.
And Peter Billingsley, who aside from a role in an episode of Little House on the Prairie as well as roles in movies such as If Ever I See You Again, Honky Tonk Freeway, Paternity, and Death Valley, wasn't a major child star back then.
Without the distraction of big-name actors, it's easier for audiences to relate to the characters. They can appreciate the movie for what it else rather than watching it just to see their favorite actors. The movie is A Christmas Story, not "that Jack Nicholson Christmas movie about the kid who wants a BB gun."
Incidentally, we never find out what the names of Ralphie's parents are. They're just Mrs. Parker and Mr. Parker - the old man. But they're every person's mom and dad, making them relatable to audiences.
Remember when your mom did this, and your dad did that.
The depiction of the not-so-stereotypical Midwest American family works in the favor of A Christmas Story.
The era the movie is set in is often looked upon by people who never lived through the decade as golden. It's an era that certainly didn't have the circumstances we do today. Men were men, and women were women back then. Father knew best. Mom stayed home and took care of the house. Everything must have been perfect in America. That's generally the depiction we see in movies and television.
But the Parker family, though not falling apart, possess a lot of imperfections. They're not a completely dysfunctional family. There are still ties that bind. But they are far from the ideal Americana family we think so many families of the early to mid-part of the 20th century must have been like thanks to movies and television.
The exhausted Mrs. Parker can't get a warm dinner because dad and the kids keep asking her to scoop more supper onto their plates.
The dad basks in the appreciation he received after winning some newspaper contest and being rewarded with a gaudy "major award."
That attention and appreciation isn't something he must receive much of, if at all, from his family. They seem too engrossed in their own goals and tasks. So, he'll take it from wherever he can get it.
Otherwise, he curses and swears at his coal furnace, and whatever else is causing him grief - a broken lamp, his frozen Oldsmobile.
"That sonavabitch would freeze up in the middle of summer on the equator!"
He's not the brightest man on the block, but he's no imbecile or deadbeat.
The kids, Ralphie and Andy, aren't bad kids, but are certainly not outstanding overachievers. Ralphie is a day dreamer. His little brother Andy is, well...he's a part of things, too.
The kids, Ralphie and Andy, aren't bad kids, but are certainly not outstanding overachievers. Ralphie is a day dreamer. His little brother Andy is, well...he's a part of things, too.
And the ending is a charming one. The one person who gives Ralphie his BB-gun for Christmas is the one person Ralphie doesn't ask - his dad.
The situations in the movie are very relatable - bullies, homework assignments, picking out a Christmas tree, going to visit Santa at the mall.
The movie is a collection of small moments certainly not dripping, or even damp, with the syrupy perfect goodness often seen in portrayals of post-World War II era America. None of it is far-fetched humor overdoing the imperfections of the Parker family. For all practical purposes, they're a normal family. And thanks to humorist Jean Shepherd, we can see the humor, through the Parker family, in what we as Americans do and have always done, especially around the holidays.
The audience is on the outside looking in on, and laughing out loud at, the big details and the small idiosyncrasies.
This movie can really open a conversation among audiences ... "It's funny because in my family, we used to..."
With the overblown commercialism of A Christmas Story, I can understand why a lot of people roll their eyes when the movie comes up in conversation. I'm bothered by that, too. Not everyone is going to like this movie or relate to the story or the characters. But I think to say it's a stupid movie is, perhaps, misguided. It's a movie that has a lot going for it and still does despite the onslaught of merchandising, and the unnecessary, stupid A Christmas Story 2.
Correction: 12/10/2020
This movie can really open a conversation among audiences ... "It's funny because in my family, we used to..."
With the overblown commercialism of A Christmas Story, I can understand why a lot of people roll their eyes when the movie comes up in conversation. I'm bothered by that, too. Not everyone is going to like this movie or relate to the story or the characters. But I think to say it's a stupid movie is, perhaps, misguided. It's a movie that has a lot going for it and still does despite the onslaught of merchandising, and the unnecessary, stupid A Christmas Story 2.
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| Jean Shepherd |
Correction: 12/10/2020
I mention that It Runs in the Family, released in 1994, is the "first sequel" to A Christmas Story. This isn't correct. The 1988 made-for-TV movie from American Playhouse called Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss is considered the first sequel.
Before this, another made-for-TV production called The Star-Crossed Romance of Josephine Cosnowski aired on American Playhouse in 1985 It follows the character Ralph Parker and his family.
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