Life is like that. Sometimes, at the height of our revelries, when our joy is at its zenith, when all is most right with the world, the most unthinkable disasters descend upon us. 2017's 'A Christmas Story Live', a live musical television performance that aired on FOX is one such example. It was so frustrating to watch, as it was made by people that clearly don't understand the source material. Based on the short stories of humorist author, Jean Shepherd. This musical remake of the 1983 film of the same name, focus on the 1940s story about a child named Ralphie Parker (Andy Walken) on his quest to get a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas, when everybody else, thinks, he shouldn't. To its credit, for most of the special, there wasn't a lot of botches and miscues when it come with the camera work, audio, lighting and musical timing dancing sequences. However, the pacing for this, was not good. There a lot of unrelated loose ends subplots that weren't needed like the girl learning to type. Plus, the musical numbers were a little too frequently, crammed in, without much breaks between them. Not only that, but the dance numbers last a little way too long for my taste as well. Some of them could had been cut, like the out of place modern day opening song from singer, Bebe Rexha; that look like something out of the TV show 'Glee' & the preview performance from the cast of 2017's film, 'the Greatest Showman'. Both had nothing to do with the film. Then, there was song sequences that had little to do with the main plot like the old man (Chris Diamantopoulos) doing crossword puzzles & mother (Maya Rudolph) singing about her domestic housewife life. I really don't get why the parents have fantasy daydreaming sequence now. It's jarring, because the story is told through Adult Ralph (Matthew Broderick)'s memory of his childhood. Then, again, song like 'He Won a Major Award' fit into the mold of the original movie, however, it still come across, as filler. Plus, it's way over the top to a point that it seem unconnected. Then, there is the musical numbers that could had been cut as they were already similar songs with the same premise. A good example of this, was 'Ralph's Nightmare' & '"You'll Shoot Your Eye Out" about the fears of Ralph of not getting his wish. To add on that, the catchy 'Ralphie to the Rescue' & 'Red Ryder Carbine Action BB Gun' western dance sequences could had been combined as well, so that the live event didn't have the 3 hour run time. There were already enough patting in the original film with all the subplot. This musical didn't need to add more to it, like a song about Hanukkah. That sequence felt does really oddly place, since its showcase during a live special entitled 'A Christmas Story', with the goyish main character. Plus, putting Hanukkah into this, is really opening a can of worms. What's next, Kwanzaa, Dongzhi, Shabe Yalda & Newton-mas spotlight, whenever they do any type future Christmas special! That's really too SJW for my taste. It's going seem more of a mess. Not only is it, not going to appeal to progressives; it's going to upset the majority of traditionalists, big time. It's really not worth it. Just do a one off Hanukkah special, instead. Let's Christmas specials, be about Christmas. Simple as that. Anyhow, the music written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul was mostly alright, however, the acting & singing throughout this special, were not that impressive. A good example of this, was Rudolph & Walken; they can't sing a tune nor capture the magic of the original performers from the 1983 movie. The only person that came close was Diamantopoulos, who was surprisingly, very entertaining to watch throughout this special. Regardless, most of the performances seem kinda hasty & rushed rather than normal & leisurely. Most of the recycled off tiresome repetitive color jokes told by them, including the sexual innuendos, under aged swearing and slapstick humor need the right amount of timing to work. Without it, most of the punchlines will fall flat than carry laughs. That's what happen here. It was butcher. Plus, it seem tamer. One such example was the narrator played by Matthew Broderick. He seems like he was awkwardly silently speed reading without much emotional depth, rather than taking his time, speaking loud and clearly. Don't get me wrong, Broderick can be a good actor, especially in musicals at times. However, this was not his best. He didn't conjure much of a mood, create a sense of place, evoke laughter, and bring the whole thing to life to the piece. It's such a letdown, because he does have somewhat of a soothing voice. Too bad, FOX couldn't just use the same old recording of Jean Shepherd narrating, again. It would had made this special better. Instead, we got cheesy angelic sound effect that follow Broderick, whenever he speaks. That was really tacky. Regardless, the musical was shot pretty well and the use of old timing locations really made it seem like it takes place in the early 1940s. However like many spin offs, prequels & sequels that follow the 1983 film. It ultimately falls short. It was a fudge to get through. Can't recommended seeing. Watch the original, instead.
70 Reviews
If your a fan of the Classic Movie...Give it a chance.
rukstar6919 December 2017
I don't understand the huge amount of negativity in all these reviews. The only thing I didn't like was the musical numbers. They were kind of corny and not part of the original but as an avid fan of the movie I enjoyed this production. I thought the actors did a great Job with very minimal mistakes considering it was live, I noticed Maybe 2 or 3 miscues. The political correctness is silly too but that the world we live in today so get used to it. All in all I enjoyed it.
HEARD THE ORIGINAL ON RADIO IN LIKE 1959.
walterdennisleen19 December 2017
Now age 75 , I can related to this story and best evaluate its merits versus all 4 prior medium versions, down to the fact that TV did not exist at the time of the story or in my house either but bith hosuies had coal fired heating and I really wanted that RR BB gun, Yes, every adult told me " YOU WILL SHOT YOUR EYE OUT" In life that RR BB gun was the only thing I really wanted that I never obtained, but I always loved and respected my parent anyhow. I I Enjoyed this 5th level version and saved it on tape to share some ( but not all ) with my grandchildren who always ask about the "Leg " nitelite in my home. Down to the playground "monkey bars" the stage set were as valid as the songs were bad and rushed. The openning jazz seen was unnecessary but the coming attractions( live or made to appear live -fooled me ) was awesome. However, I am one of the few peopel who can say that i heard the original the first time told ny the "Shep' on NYC WOR radio on Christmas eve 1959 ( or so) and then read the book ( In God We Trust All Others Pay Cash" --like JamesBond- first published in Playboy Magazine ), long before the movie . Two years ago I saw the PLAY off-broadway. Only true Jean Shepherd fans/followers realized how much is lost at evey new levelwhile perhaps adding something new-- like music ,or as in this live TV production some political correct stuff. Hiowever, while I can't remember 1959 so well ( it was 250,000 miles of air travel ago ) Schwartz was in fact a Jewish family so those new additiions may well be more valid than the movie. It is hard to please the young today or capture their attention , but I do hope i will not live to see" A Christmas Story- the Video Game".
Awful, horrible, waste
schobin18 December 2017
Absolutely awful. Complete waste. Should not have been a musical. The reasons the film is so popular and never loses its charm are the nostalgic feelings it churns up no matter how many times you watch it and the authentic portrayal of that era. Throwing in a bunch of poorly written modern show tunes sung even worse than the lyrics themselves completely disconnected the great story and the era it came from.
Satisfactory rendering of a surprisingly great Broadway musical.
mark.waltz25 December 2017
Warning: Spoilers
After a rather inappropriate rap opening (with impossible to understand lyrics), this takes off with gusto in recreating all the classic moments from the 1983 cult favorite film adapted for the stage as a touring production and coming to Broadway in 2012. Having seen that production (right after visiting the other Christmas musical, "Elf!"), I was completely enchanted. Revisiting it the following year in the cavernous Madison Square Garden, I was too far away to regain that delight, but in anticipation of this TV special, prayed that all my favorite parts would be included. A few alterations didn't make much of a difference, although one major obvious blooper instantly got my attention, involving the infamous leg of lamp.
Headlining the cast as the narrator and older version of the hopeful kid wanting the Red Ryder bee bee gun is the understated Matthew Broderick, perhaps not my first choice, but gray haired enough to be age appropriate. Chris Diamantopoulos and Maya Rudolph are perfect casting as the beleagured parents of the nearly angelic boys Ralphie and Randy (Andy Walken and Tyler Wladis) who bellow their lines a bit but do a fine job otherwise. Jane Krakowski youthens teacher Miss Shields, but seems very 1940's like in her singing and dancing. My favorite part of the Broadway production was Caroline O'Connor as the slightly older version (still younger than the 1983 version) who seems very 1940's and can be seen in the 2013's Tony Awards clip.
A good majority of the Broadway score is present, and lovingly recreated. Certain changes are obviously p.c. based, but what matters is the joy that you can find if you open your hearts. Complaints about this being a musical were overwhelming to read, but it was never promoted as anything else. The important details are kept in place, especially the 1940's atmosphere. A little bit of Hannukah is added to diversify the holiday, and that's ok too. I just wish the continuity people noticed that there was another leg in the crate which made no sense for the burial of the entire lamp in that scene.
Headlining the cast as the narrator and older version of the hopeful kid wanting the Red Ryder bee bee gun is the understated Matthew Broderick, perhaps not my first choice, but gray haired enough to be age appropriate. Chris Diamantopoulos and Maya Rudolph are perfect casting as the beleagured parents of the nearly angelic boys Ralphie and Randy (Andy Walken and Tyler Wladis) who bellow their lines a bit but do a fine job otherwise. Jane Krakowski youthens teacher Miss Shields, but seems very 1940's like in her singing and dancing. My favorite part of the Broadway production was Caroline O'Connor as the slightly older version (still younger than the 1983 version) who seems very 1940's and can be seen in the 2013's Tony Awards clip.
A good majority of the Broadway score is present, and lovingly recreated. Certain changes are obviously p.c. based, but what matters is the joy that you can find if you open your hearts. Complaints about this being a musical were overwhelming to read, but it was never promoted as anything else. The important details are kept in place, especially the 1940's atmosphere. A little bit of Hannukah is added to diversify the holiday, and that's ok too. I just wish the continuity people noticed that there was another leg in the crate which made no sense for the burial of the entire lamp in that scene.
Great job for a live 3 hour musical
snd196418 December 2017
Warning: Spoilers
You cannot compare the original movie to a musical. It is like trying to compare apples to oranges.
With this being a musical and performed on the back lot, it looked realistic. Even down to there cars were driving by.
There was one thing I missed seeing, which probably had to do with advertising... Ovaltine. I was looking forward to seeing the Chinese restaurant workers singing "Deck the Halls" mispronouncing the words. But, that didn't happen.
The one issue they had was the audio when in the store with Santa. The mics were either not turned on there was a problem. Could not hear the elf and Matthew Broderick.
I especially liked when Ralphie told his mother an icicle hit him on the cheek, that after Ralphie ran inside, she knew he got hit with the BB.
For a Live 3 hour tv musical, they did a great job. I have watched these live performances before Christmas these past few years and I loved each one. Good job to everyone involved.
With this being a musical and performed on the back lot, it looked realistic. Even down to there cars were driving by.
There was one thing I missed seeing, which probably had to do with advertising... Ovaltine. I was looking forward to seeing the Chinese restaurant workers singing "Deck the Halls" mispronouncing the words. But, that didn't happen.
The one issue they had was the audio when in the store with Santa. The mics were either not turned on there was a problem. Could not hear the elf and Matthew Broderick.
I especially liked when Ralphie told his mother an icicle hit him on the cheek, that after Ralphie ran inside, she knew he got hit with the BB.
For a Live 3 hour tv musical, they did a great job. I have watched these live performances before Christmas these past few years and I loved each one. Good job to everyone involved.
Everybody associated with this production needs to be blackballed from the entertainment industry...
Keldrick18 December 2017
Having been thoroughly disappointed by Peter Pan Live, The Sound of Music Live and Grease Live, I'm not sure why I expected A Christmas Story Live, based on one of my favorite movies of all time, to be any better. (ed. It was worse. Far worse than I could have possibly imagined.)
The good: The kid playing Ralphie did look kinda like Peter Billingsley.
That's it for the good.
Everything else, from the awful pre-intro by some atrociously auto-tuned and over-mixed pop thing, to the horrible finale, was just wave after wave of telecinematic diarrhea. It was like the producers, director and Matthew Broderick went out on a weeklong bender of Pabst Blue Ribbon, dubious quality burritos, chili-cheese fries and buckets of MSG, then proceeded to explosively defecate this show on the consciousness of the North American people.
Broderick, your career was pretty much dead. You should have let it die completely, rather than sign on to this.
Every character, completely mis-cast, and without getting into specifics, the liberal-agenda political correctness B.S. sprinkled throughout was glaringly obvious and contrived.
Everybody associated with this production, from the executive producers, all the way down to the youngest performer, even the poor kid from the catering company who put out the napkins, needs to be blackballed/blacklisted from the entertainment industry, and be forced to eke out their existence flipping burgers. And not the good $15/hr burger-flipping jobs in Washington state. The crappy $10/hr burger-flipping gigs where the employees still get treated like scum.
Sadly, IMDB does not allow me to give this piece of excrement a zero-star rating. I'm looking at the other reviews, and anything that is not a 1star, I'm thinking "What the hell did you watch? Because you clearly saw something different than what I was watching."
The good: The kid playing Ralphie did look kinda like Peter Billingsley.
That's it for the good.
Everything else, from the awful pre-intro by some atrociously auto-tuned and over-mixed pop thing, to the horrible finale, was just wave after wave of telecinematic diarrhea. It was like the producers, director and Matthew Broderick went out on a weeklong bender of Pabst Blue Ribbon, dubious quality burritos, chili-cheese fries and buckets of MSG, then proceeded to explosively defecate this show on the consciousness of the North American people.
Broderick, your career was pretty much dead. You should have let it die completely, rather than sign on to this.
Every character, completely mis-cast, and without getting into specifics, the liberal-agenda political correctness B.S. sprinkled throughout was glaringly obvious and contrived.
Everybody associated with this production, from the executive producers, all the way down to the youngest performer, even the poor kid from the catering company who put out the napkins, needs to be blackballed/blacklisted from the entertainment industry, and be forced to eke out their existence flipping burgers. And not the good $15/hr burger-flipping jobs in Washington state. The crappy $10/hr burger-flipping gigs where the employees still get treated like scum.
Sadly, IMDB does not allow me to give this piece of excrement a zero-star rating. I'm looking at the other reviews, and anything that is not a 1star, I'm thinking "What the hell did you watch? Because you clearly saw something different than what I was watching."
True to form and fun
macdaddy359818 December 2017
To the strange, negative reviewers - this isn't a remake of A Christmas Story movie. This is true and accurate to the Broadway musical A Christmas Story. Many of the comments are obviously people who have never seen a live theater show.
Live shows aren't everyone's cup of tea (clearly) but this rendition was well produced, with excellent choreography and top notch acting. Remember, being live means every actor must remember nearly 2 hours of dialog, dance moves, positions on the multiple stages - and absolutely critical production and camera placement.
The cast is very good and well suited for live theater. The show is well done and I'm looking forward to watching it again.
Live shows aren't everyone's cup of tea (clearly) but this rendition was well produced, with excellent choreography and top notch acting. Remember, being live means every actor must remember nearly 2 hours of dialog, dance moves, positions on the multiple stages - and absolutely critical production and camera placement.
The cast is very good and well suited for live theater. The show is well done and I'm looking forward to watching it again.
Pluses win Over Minuses
dodgercodger18 December 2017
Warning: Spoilers
As a true aficionado of the original, I was at first disappointed and confused. I was on the verge of giving up during the first 45 min. Then, something started to grow on me. Sure, there were many elements that were not part of the original, but the essentials were there. True, the presence of Broderick on set was a stretch, but then, so is the notion of characters bursting out in song and dance every five minutes. (Am I the only one that thought he was an Alton Brown dopplganger?) I though, for the most part, the additional elements did add to the overall telling of the tale. (I was sorry that the Ovaline/Orphan Annie segment was lost).
More positives must be noted in the overall staging of the production -- moving seamlessly between sets, quick costume changes, etc. cannot be ignored. And as with any live performance, the occasional goofs (well, ones that the audience might pick-up on) lend an even stronger bit of entertainment. (I noticed the small clock falling off the cellar door and the "purkey/turkey" exchange). I'd also like to know the secret of the tongue-on-flagpole scene. His tongue really did seem firmly attached!
So, to my purist brethren -- enjoy the original. Everyone else -- sit back and relish in the journey.
Another movie that should not have been made into a musical
jsaus6330418 December 2017
First then good. The actors for the father and teacher did quite a good job and obviously have had extensive stage experience. The costumes were accurate and some of the characters looked very much like the original movie.
The bad. The rest of the cast would appear to have never seen a musical let alone sing in one. I have been to a lot of musicals and often there is a guest star who does a passable job in a role while the rest of the cast is superb. This was quite the opposite. There were new scenes and almost unrecognizable old ones, but the worst was the butchering of the funniest scene in the movie just to make the restaurant scene politically correct.
This will not become a classic like the original movie. Will have to watch the movie to erase the thoughts of this one.
The bad. The rest of the cast would appear to have never seen a musical let alone sing in one. I have been to a lot of musicals and often there is a guest star who does a passable job in a role while the rest of the cast is superb. This was quite the opposite. There were new scenes and almost unrecognizable old ones, but the worst was the butchering of the funniest scene in the movie just to make the restaurant scene politically correct.
This will not become a classic like the original movie. Will have to watch the movie to erase the thoughts of this one.
Fresh and vibrant
moduo18 December 2017
Nice and cheery songs. Nice choreography.
imseeg27 March 2022
Nice, cheery songs, with good music and a reasonable good choreography.
Best to be enjoyed INSIDE a theatre, but it'll do as a Christmas movie as well for those who are into these kind of musicals.
Anything special? Not really, the acting by itself is rather cheesy, but that is often the case with these kind of musicals.
Best to be enjoyed INSIDE a theatre, but it'll do as a Christmas movie as well for those who are into these kind of musicals.
Anything special? Not really, the acting by itself is rather cheesy, but that is often the case with these kind of musicals.
2 HOUR OLD NAVY COMMERCIAL WITH A BAR OF SOAP IN YOUR MOUTH!!!
BrokenController15 December 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This program was way too horrible and cheery for a classic it's actually based on a horrible Christmas for a child. Nothing in the original is cheery and fun. The original is about getting beat up by bully's, having to have the fire department called because your tongue is frozen , getting beaten by your parents , soap I your mouth, gotta wear that rediculoya outfit my aunt bought me, Santa is creepy and so is his evil elves kinda movie. LEAVE IT ALONE ITS PERFECT WITHOUT ALL YOUR DANCING AND SINGING !!!!! Ick to the 5th power!!! Wait a minute my secret decoder ring says this show sucks!!!
Awful!!
Marynewcomb201325 December 2018
Warning: Spoilers
What people that get on those of us for hating this don't realize is, you can't capture lighting in a bottle!! What I mean is, the movie was the right cast, right place, right time!! The chemistry between the whole cast was perfect in the movie!! Doing the play is just ridiculous!! You go trying to hard to cast people to recreate the ones who did the movie back in 1983. That doesn't work!! They don't have the chemistry, they don't have the "magic" that the original cast had!! Also, they are focusing on being politically correct in what they do this day and time & none of it works!!! You can't have an all white or black or Latino or Asia cast with a different race mother!! What made the older movies classics are the cast & crews!! The director fought for what they knew the film needed to succeed!! Look at the Dirty Dozen, the cast was great & the direction was great but the studio wanted things changed. The director fought to keep his movie intact & he won over the studio & the rest is history!! That movie has gone down as a game changer & is the war movie that has lead to war movies today being able to show how awful war can be!!! I hope this helps people understand why this play and other remakes are awful!!
God Awful
bobsprit18 December 2017
You won't be humming any of these horrible tunes and the numbers add nothing to the story because they're generic & vapid. The whole production looks like an Old Navy ad. Watch Little Shop of Horrors and learn what good music actually is. This all wrong, from the casting on down...a Titanic level disaster.
Horrible
browser12318 December 2017
A very enjoyable production
lavignebiz118 December 2017
I'm thoroughly enjoying this production. The musical numbers are fresh and energetically presented, especially Jane Krakowski's tap number, the cast is amazingly talented, especially the kids and it's a fine interpretation of the story.
I was once visiting an elderly woman for the holidays and the only thing worth watching was the repeated showing of the original movie. It took me at least a decade to get up the energy to watch that movie again, and I'm pleased with this production. It's not as good as either Hairspray or The Wiz, but it's nowhere near as dreadful as the Peter Pan! I will probably stream this again!
Guilded turd
tonymars-6308723 June 2021
A Wonderful Show
Disney1529 December 2017
Horrible
mids-9687818 December 2017
Anyone writing anything positive about this is writing on behalf of the production team or the pr people. Even the scenes are set wrong. Go back to basic remake 101. You don't make a classic better you enhance what it was / update it. Should of kept it close to the original as possible. Worst show I've ever seen do not recommend it even if your deaf and blind.
Horrible, just horrible
matzek-982527 December 2020
Shoot EVERYBODY'S Eye Out!
dcarsonhagy19 December 2017
Lord love a duck, this debacle (and I'll admit I could NOT finish it), was mind-numbingly awful. From Maya Rudolph playing as one-dimensional mom (and the mom in the original was NOT one-dimensional), to all the caterwauling songs, this is probably the worst "live" TV I've ever witnessed.
Not coming close to resembling the original story (which is now on 24-hours a day every Christmas), this was about as miscast as any production could be. Matthew Broderick narrating as the older Ralphie was bad enough, but he apparently didn't even know his lines.
FOX lulled everyone to sleep and should pay for its out-and-out lie about this production. I never saw the first thing about this being a musical. And you would think if you're bold enough to take a 100 minute movie and turn it into a THREE HOUR production, there would be something--anything--that might be memorable.
This was horrible to the nth degree. AWFUL.
Not coming close to resembling the original story (which is now on 24-hours a day every Christmas), this was about as miscast as any production could be. Matthew Broderick narrating as the older Ralphie was bad enough, but he apparently didn't even know his lines.
FOX lulled everyone to sleep and should pay for its out-and-out lie about this production. I never saw the first thing about this being a musical. And you would think if you're bold enough to take a 100 minute movie and turn it into a THREE HOUR production, there would be something--anything--that might be memorable.
This was horrible to the nth degree. AWFUL.
I've seen musicals
mids-9687818 December 2017
But this was by far the worst. Many remakes of classical movies have been made and did very well. This on the other hand had scenes that never took place or were far off from the actually movie. Can't call yourself the Christmas story live if you don't plan on being somewhat clos to resembling the actual classic movie. The acting was mediocre at best and the so called singing could of used some professional help. Very disappointed and do not recommend anyone watching this. The production crew should be fired and never allowed to produce anything ever again.
You'll wanna shoot your eye out, kid.
jonathan-972-15013916 January 2018
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