A Christmas Story Review

 

        12 years ago while in New Mexico, in the hotel room the tv was tuned into the channel TBS. Playing was the classic A Christmas Story, while I was watching the film, it was almost done. It interested me since I haven’t seen it before and what I could gather was a man remembering his youth. Little did I know that the channel was airing a whole days rerun of the beloved film. Looking at it now, it’s another classic of the holidays. SPOILERS will appear in the review. 

1. Story

        As I mentioned earlier, the film is about an old man reminiscing on his Christmas time when he was young. The narrator is played by Jean Shepherd. He actually wrote the book the film is based on “In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash”, which is a collection of fictional stories based on childhood. I found it was sort of meta that the author would voice the older character in the movie. 

        With that, the film is about the young boy Ralphie played by Peter Billingsley. Throughout the film he wants a bb gun. Not just any toy gun, he explicitly wants an “official Red Ryder carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle with a compass in the stock”. Time and again he is told by his mother, teacher, and a mean-spirited Santa Claus that he’ll shoot his eye out. 

        The whole film has a very nostalgic feel to it. Since it takes place in 1944 in a fictional town in Indiana. It feels authentic with the old cars and Ralphie listening to the radio when his show was playing. All of it feels quaint and I think that was the whole point of it. You know it has that feel to it when the young boy uses a thing called a decoder ring.

2. Ralphie

        This kid is the star of the film. His face is plastered in the cover when anyone buys the film on Blu-Ray or in any medium. The actor does a good job with playing the character. Other than wanting the elusive toy gun. We see Ralphie in school and hanging out with his friends. Among them, he talks with swears sprinkle in. It’s authentic since people think that kids are sweet when in reality they mimic words they hear from their parents. 

        He does have a bully he faces. I find it funny where he talks about the bullies eyes being yellow when they are sort of squint like. Ralphie does go through a character arc, meaning he grows up. My favorite scene is when he actually stands up to the bully and beat him up repeatedly. What prompts him was when he gets hit by a snowball. Before that, his teacher gave him a C+ on an essay about what he wants for Christmas. 

        What makes him endearing is that he is a kid. Ralphie lies and swears like any kid. He lies to his mom when he uses his friend Flick when she asks where he heard the f-word. As well as saying that word when he helps his Dad fixing a flat tire. It would be one thing to have him be a good kid but he’s just a kid. His older self narrated saying he regrets doing it, but you can’t really blame his younger self for doing it. 

3. The Leg Lamp

        When talking about the film, I got to talk about the lamp. Other than being something that the Dad adores, for obvious reasons I think it means a lot more. When the Dad sets it up, the mom is utterly mortified by it. Right down to turning it off when the family goes tree shopping. To put it bluntly is that she does not like it. I find it odd that she has concerns when Ralphie wants the elusive bb gun. 

        I think the film is talking about the idea of disappointment. Bear with me while I explain exactly what I mean. When the Dad sees the lamp in pieces, he blames the mom since he thinks she was jealous. He tries to put it together but it can’t hold. The same thing with Ralphie when he gets the gun. Throughout the film, he fantasizes of using it against intruders, to act like a Lone Ranger type hero. 

        Eventually he gets the gun, he shoots at a target. The pellet ricochets and hits him. Making it worse is that he accidentally steps on his glasses. He avoids telling his mom the truth and lies about it. What I think all of those two sequences have in common is just being disappointed. The snap back in reality that the Dad and Ralphie go through fits the theme.  

4. What Makes it Good

        With any countdown lists of best Christmas movie, this one is usually in the top five. What makes it good is that utilizes nostalgia. The narrator is remembering his childhood in what could be his best Christmas he had. Before that, a lot of events happened that the older Ralphie comments on that had some significance in his life. It can be relatable to a lot of people since it’s the time where when they were little is probably the best because they got the things they asked for. 

        It worked with me since I had a real good time with my family during the holidays. With the film, most of the focus is on the entire family and not just Ralphie. Like seeing his little brother Randy being bundled in layers and Ralphie commenting the whole process as being ready to dive underwater. Which felt like that when I encountered snow in New Mexico. I feel that the childhood aspect is intrinsically tied with nostalgia. It doesn’t go and romanticize the time but keeps it to the family and wherever Ralphie goes. 

5. Legacy

        When it came out, it was considered a sleeper hit. What that means is that the film wasn’t successful but becomes a hit in the long run despite having very little publicity. Then when it became available on video, Ted Turner bought a majority of MGM Studios film library before 1986, which the film was part of the slate. It was from there that channels associated with Ted Turner such as TBS, TMC, and TNT started to air a 24-hour rerun of the film on Christmas day. 

        I think it was the airing that many people started to see the film for the first time. The merchandising has been everywhere as well. The horde of merchandizing is comparable to Star Wars. Around this time, you can’t expect to see anything associated with the film since it’s everywhere. 

        Little did people know was that it started a film series. Albeit with different seasons of the year. Such as a family vacation and a summer vacation. Most of the sequels are based on the same book. Now, I have to admit, 30 years later a literal sequel was based on A Christmas Story. It dares to have a number 2, I’ve seen the trailer and it looks terrible. Just an abomination to be honest, and I haven’t seen it. 

6. Overall

        This is one of the most beloved films involving Christmas. It is easily relatable since it taps into the childhood memory of Christmas. Most of the characters are enjoyable and they do their part good. If it wasn’t for Ted Turner, I wouldn’t have heard of this film or seen it. In terms of ranking this film in a countdown, it’s without a doubt a number one. 

        A Christmas Story gets a five out of five.