December 19, 2008: A Christmas Story
A Christmas Story (1983) is one of those cult classic Christmas movies, which some hold near and dear to their hearts, and others have no use for. This being my first viewing, my opinion was as yet unformed. Yes, I know I should have seen this before, but it’s really not possible to have seen EVERYTHING that people think a movie guy should have seen. It happens that Christmas 2008 was the 25th anniversary of the release of the film, so there was elevated media attention paid to the legions of fans and their pilgrimages to the midwestern US locations where it was shot.
This is often known as the story of a little boy (Ralphie) who desperately wants a BB gun for Christmas. Whenever he excitedly tells anyone that he wants the gun, they immediately note that it’s a bad idea since he will probably shoot someone’s eye out. What happens in the end will be left unspoiled for those who have not yet seen the film, but keep in mind that it may involve a gun and someone’s eye being shot out. The full plot of the film is a bit more nuanced, and also more episodic, than just a story about Ralphie wanting a BB gun. There are subplots about local bullies and about ongoing disputes between Ralphie’s parents, filling out the character background (including a famous bit where one of the kids gets his tongue stuck to a frozen pole) and also bringing us up to feature length.
The acting by the kids is actually pretty good. The adults, played by Darren McGavin (TV’s Bewitched) and Melinda Dillon (Close Encounters of the Third Kind) are ridiculous caricatures, but they aren’t intended as anything different, so that’s fine.
A Christmas Story may or may not appeal, and I’m not sure whether that’s predictable for any individual. I have to say that I don’t feel keen to see it again, not even necessarily as an annual family tradition in the vein of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation or Die Hard. While the episodic structure led to abbreviated stories, as a whole I felt that the movie kind of dragged along. It seems to me that people who first viewed this at the correct age or with the right sentimental attitude might come to love it as holiday feel-good entertainment. For me, maybe the built-up anticipation led to my ultimate disappointment.
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