LoginWhat a wonderful movie! I didn't realise Bob Clark had a movie in him like this. In fact I had to double check that it was Bob Clark who directed this, because while Black Christmas was good, he also did the atrocious Baby Geniuses movies and the lacklustre Rhinestone. Here in A Christmas Story though, this is not only the best I've seen Clark direct but I think it is his best film too.
I love Christmas movies, and while A Christmas Story is not my absolute favourite, I think it fully deserves its title as timeless Christmas treasure. The film looks great with the cinematography skillful and the locations striking. The script is always witty and insightful, I loved the home truths and the lack of smut and saccharin which may have marred the film slightly if included. The story is beautifully structured and an enormous joy all the same. The pace was spot on too, while the entire cast performed impeccably.
In fact, everything I have to say about A Christmas Story is good. It could have been a little longer perhaps, but overall this film is a classic and never less than hugely enjoyable. 9.5/10 Bethany Cox
A Christmas Story Reviews
A Christmas Story review
Posted : 2 years, 1 month ago on 28 March 2022 02:53
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A classic
Posted : 2 years, 4 months ago on 10 January 2022 11:27
Since this movie is a classic, I was quite eager to check it out. To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of such Christmas flicks but I have to admit that this one was not bad at all. There has been some discussion about when the damned thing was actually taking place and I was myself struggling to figure it out but, apparently, it took place at some point in the 40’s. Well, the US audience has always been so fond about looking back on how everything was great back then in the 40’s-50’s-60’s but, to be honest, it’s not a fascination/obsession that I really share with them. Anyway, the damned thing didn’t really have a real plot, it was more a succession of small stories/anecdotes involving the main character and it was, as a result, rather episodic. Anyway, as far as I was concerned, the end-result was rather hit-and-miss. Still, I have to admit that some bits were actually quite pitch perfect. Indeed, they really captured the feverish obsession I used to have around the same age when I was thinking about my next Christmas present and the moment when this kid get to open the gift of his dreams was just pure gold. I also enjoyed the scene during which this young boy was convinced that his school essay would be rightfully judged as the next literary masterpiece, another situation that happened to me so many times when I was a kid. Concerning the cast, there is no doubt that Peter Billingsley was quite charismatic and the kid gave here a really solid performance. Anyway, to conclude, even if I didn’t really love the damned thing, I have to admit that it was still a decent watch and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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You'll Shoot Your eye out!!
Posted : 15 years, 3 months ago on 22 January 2009 07:18
The 1983 classic tale of a kid and his hopes for the perfect Christmas gift. Not every child in the world wants a Red Ryder BB gun for that special end of the year holiday, but the drive that young Ralphie has is the same as all of us when we were his age. Think back, to when you saw that commercial or that ad in the paper and you became fixated on that present; wanting to open that and that specifically for Christmas. Along side of his goal of opening that long thin gift in the shape of his dreams are his everyday struggles; from an annoying puffed out brother, to the bully that once in a lifetime every kid had to deal with. With a range of films from "Porky's" to "Deathdream" and then back to this holiday classic; Bob Clark doesn't miss a step or in my mind have a talent more in one type of movie than the other. Bottom line, he is a good director no matter what script he is trying to bring to life. Winning 2 Genie Awards, both best Screenplay and best Achievement in direction for this movie, I couldn't imagine being alive without having this to put on around Christmas time. Such a good movie that in New York there is a station that plays 24 hours of this movie, back to back! Never seeming to be outdated as far as family antics, bad fake Santa Clauses at department stores, and beating up bullys to a bloody pulp in the snow. Thanks for giving us all something to watch during the holiday season.
Ralphie: Oooh fuuudge!
Ralphie as Adult: [narrating] Only I didn't say "Fudge." I said THE word, the big one, the queen-mother of dirty words, the "F-dash-dash-dash" word!
Mr. Parker: [stunned] *What* did you say?
Ralphie: Uh, um...
Mr. Parker: That's... what I thought you said. Get in the car. Go on!
Ralphie as Adult: [narrating] It was all over - I was dead. What would it be? The guillotine? Hanging? The chair? The rack? The Chinese water torture? Hmmph. Mere child's play compared to what surely awaited me.
Ralphie: Oooh fuuudge!
Ralphie as Adult: [narrating] Only I didn't say "Fudge." I said THE word, the big one, the queen-mother of dirty words, the "F-dash-dash-dash" word!
Mr. Parker: [stunned] *What* did you say?
Ralphie: Uh, um...
Mr. Parker: That's... what I thought you said. Get in the car. Go on!
Ralphie as Adult: [narrating] It was all over - I was dead. What would it be? The guillotine? Hanging? The chair? The rack? The Chinese water torture? Hmmph. Mere child's play compared to what surely awaited me.
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Wonderful Christmas classic!!!
Posted : 15 years, 11 months ago on 2 June 2008 09:46
"I want an official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle!"
A Christmas Story is one of cinema's most superb Christmas movies: a film that children and parents alike frequently watch towards the end of December each year. All and sundry can recall a Christmas movie that possesses a special place in their heart. A Christmas Story is a heart-warming and charming tale that is commonly held in high regard. This film is for both the children and adults because it's something both generations can relate to. While kids will enjoy the Christmas flavour of this saga, the adults will find a deeper experience due to the nostalgia and realism. For many families and cinema buffs, this is traditional viewing every year when the holiday season kicks in.
A Christmas Story is told in a series of flashbacks as we examine the lead up to Christmas from the perspective of little Ralphie Parker (Billingsley) who lives with his typical suburban middle class family in a small town during the 1940s. The only thing Ralphie wants for Christmas is (as he affectionately describes it) the "Holy Grail of Christmas gifts - The Red Ryder 200-shot, Range Model air rifle". However, Ralphie's mother is not pleased with the choice and does not wish to give her son a BB gun for Christmas in fear he will "shoot his eye out" (a recurring phrase spoken by several characters).
The film is about something much more than just a BB gun. A Christmas Story looks at a young boy's perspective on the world in the lead up to Christmas with the BB gun as a mere centrepiece. The saga is narrated by an older version of Ralphie (Shepard, who also wrote the short stories on which the film is based) whose lines of narration are filled with nostalgia as he reminisces about his childhood. The movie is made up of several short vignettes. Each vignette represents a different aspect of Christmas. Basically everything that one would remember about the holiday season is lovingly recreated: meeting Santa at a department store, the socks you receive as a present but never wanted, and so much more. Of course, a lot of these vignettes represent purely American traditions around Christmas time. Those viewers who do not reside in America (like myself) won't be able to relate to the cold weather, the snow or the craze with BB guns among many other things. This does not affect the film's overall value, but it's worth noting.
The characters are of course played to absolute perfection. Young Peter Billingsley is wonderful: not only is Billingsley adorable and cuddly but the very picture of childhood innocence. The actor was at an extremely young age when the camera started rolling. Although still an infant, his acting skills are definitely above average. Melinda Dillon and Darren McGavin are accurate portraits of your standard parent figures. Ian Petrella is dead-on as Ralphie's younger brother: similar to Billingsley he acts like an average child you'd expect to find looming around a toy store. The whole film is lovingly stitched together with the warm narration from Jean Shepard.
A Christmas Story embodies all the qualities of Christmas season from the perspective of an infant. Christmas time will always be the centre of every child's universe; it's the day of the year every kid waits for. The nostalgia of being a child is perfectly portrayed with this sublime movie. It's corny beyond all belief and sometimes fairly predictable (the only aspect in which the film is flawed), but on the contrary the film is exceedingly heart-warming and brilliant. Never before or since has a movie been able to accurately capture the nostalgic flavour of the Christmas season. For many families it will always be tradition to watch it on Christmas Eve.
8.2/10
A Christmas Story is one of cinema's most superb Christmas movies: a film that children and parents alike frequently watch towards the end of December each year. All and sundry can recall a Christmas movie that possesses a special place in their heart. A Christmas Story is a heart-warming and charming tale that is commonly held in high regard. This film is for both the children and adults because it's something both generations can relate to. While kids will enjoy the Christmas flavour of this saga, the adults will find a deeper experience due to the nostalgia and realism. For many families and cinema buffs, this is traditional viewing every year when the holiday season kicks in.
A Christmas Story is told in a series of flashbacks as we examine the lead up to Christmas from the perspective of little Ralphie Parker (Billingsley) who lives with his typical suburban middle class family in a small town during the 1940s. The only thing Ralphie wants for Christmas is (as he affectionately describes it) the "Holy Grail of Christmas gifts - The Red Ryder 200-shot, Range Model air rifle". However, Ralphie's mother is not pleased with the choice and does not wish to give her son a BB gun for Christmas in fear he will "shoot his eye out" (a recurring phrase spoken by several characters).
The film is about something much more than just a BB gun. A Christmas Story looks at a young boy's perspective on the world in the lead up to Christmas with the BB gun as a mere centrepiece. The saga is narrated by an older version of Ralphie (Shepard, who also wrote the short stories on which the film is based) whose lines of narration are filled with nostalgia as he reminisces about his childhood. The movie is made up of several short vignettes. Each vignette represents a different aspect of Christmas. Basically everything that one would remember about the holiday season is lovingly recreated: meeting Santa at a department store, the socks you receive as a present but never wanted, and so much more. Of course, a lot of these vignettes represent purely American traditions around Christmas time. Those viewers who do not reside in America (like myself) won't be able to relate to the cold weather, the snow or the craze with BB guns among many other things. This does not affect the film's overall value, but it's worth noting.
The characters are of course played to absolute perfection. Young Peter Billingsley is wonderful: not only is Billingsley adorable and cuddly but the very picture of childhood innocence. The actor was at an extremely young age when the camera started rolling. Although still an infant, his acting skills are definitely above average. Melinda Dillon and Darren McGavin are accurate portraits of your standard parent figures. Ian Petrella is dead-on as Ralphie's younger brother: similar to Billingsley he acts like an average child you'd expect to find looming around a toy store. The whole film is lovingly stitched together with the warm narration from Jean Shepard.
A Christmas Story embodies all the qualities of Christmas season from the perspective of an infant. Christmas time will always be the centre of every child's universe; it's the day of the year every kid waits for. The nostalgia of being a child is perfectly portrayed with this sublime movie. It's corny beyond all belief and sometimes fairly predictable (the only aspect in which the film is flawed), but on the contrary the film is exceedingly heart-warming and brilliant. Never before or since has a movie been able to accurately capture the nostalgic flavour of the Christmas season. For many families it will always be tradition to watch it on Christmas Eve.
8.2/10
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all time great Christmas movies...
Posted : 17 years, 5 months ago on 18 December 2006 09:18
If you have the right channel, you can watch this for 24 hours straight on Christmas Eve. Yes, America is a wonderful place, and no, I don't triple-dog-dare you to watch the whole thing.
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