Thanks to TBS' annual 24-hour marathons, watching "A Christmas Story" on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day has become a household tradition for many. Choosing this film as the must-see holiday classic for the Big Day is a well-deserved honor. The movie has a wide family appeal and joyous warmth that wholly captures the Christmas spirit.
Set in the 1940s, but released in 1983, "A Christmas Story" is riddled with nostalgia. Nevertheless, even kids watching today can appreciate the movie's acute grasp on a child's wonder surrounding Christmas. Much of that keen portrayal comes from Peter Billingsley's timeless performance as Ralphie Parker, a nine-year old boy eagerly awaiting the holiday in a small Indiana town. This season, Ralphie has his eye on a very particular gift: "an official Red Ryder carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time."
While Ralphie has his heart set on the gun, it seems as if everyone in his world is against him finding it under the tree on Christmas morning. His mother (Melinda Dillon), teacher (Tedde Moore), and even "Santa Claus" himself (Jeff Gillen) warn him that he'll shoot his eye out. It is Ralphie's top priority to convince them otherwise. Through Billingsley's performance as well as Jean Shepherd's narration as an older Ralphie recounting the story in retrospect, we come to deeply identify with the young protagonist, remembering the excitement and anxiety one feels as a kid approaching December 25th.
However, the movie is about much more than a boy with an ideal Christmas gift. It is filled with episodic escapades between Ralphie, his family, and his friends. Through these side-stories, the film offers some of its most iconic sequences - Ralphie getting his mouth washed out with soap for swearing; Ralphie's mom and dad (Darren McGavin) fretting over a scandalous leg-shaped lamp in their window; and, of course, Ralphie's friend (Scott Schwartz) sticking his tongue to a frozen metal pole on a bet. While the Red Rider BB Gun gives the story direction, it's the copious deviations from that direction that have become so flavorfully memorable. It does not follow a generic Christmas movie structure, but creates its own by combining humorous originality with heartfelt familiarity.
In chronological history as well as audiences' minds, "A Christmas Story" occupies a space between the classic Christmas movies such as "It's A Wonderful Life" and "Miracle On 34th Street," and more contemporary additions such as "Home Alone," "The Santa Clause," and "Elf." It possesses the humble simplicity of the former group, but also the vivacious energy of the latter. Maybe it is because of this central location that it continues to be so relevant, beloved, and accessible.
Nonetheless, credit it still due to the wonderful child actors (both Billingsley and Ian Petrella, who plays Ralphie's little brother, Randy), a lovable script and voice-over from Jean Shepherd, and imaginative directing from Bob Clark. Because we've all seen "A Christmas Story" so many times, its magic can easily be taken for granted. In reality, though, this family-comedy could have gone unnoticed if initially taken in the wrong artistic hands. Its success is the product of soft yet masterful creativity, which keeps us tuning in year after year.
Set in the 1940s, but released in 1983, "A Christmas Story" is riddled with nostalgia. Nevertheless, even kids watching today can appreciate the movie's acute grasp on a child's wonder surrounding Christmas. Much of that keen portrayal comes from Peter Billingsley's timeless performance as Ralphie Parker, a nine-year old boy eagerly awaiting the holiday in a small Indiana town. This season, Ralphie has his eye on a very particular gift: "an official Red Ryder carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time."
While Ralphie has his heart set on the gun, it seems as if everyone in his world is against him finding it under the tree on Christmas morning. His mother (Melinda Dillon), teacher (Tedde Moore), and even "Santa Claus" himself (Jeff Gillen) warn him that he'll shoot his eye out. It is Ralphie's top priority to convince them otherwise. Through Billingsley's performance as well as Jean Shepherd's narration as an older Ralphie recounting the story in retrospect, we come to deeply identify with the young protagonist, remembering the excitement and anxiety one feels as a kid approaching December 25th.
However, the movie is about much more than a boy with an ideal Christmas gift. It is filled with episodic escapades between Ralphie, his family, and his friends. Through these side-stories, the film offers some of its most iconic sequences - Ralphie getting his mouth washed out with soap for swearing; Ralphie's mom and dad (Darren McGavin) fretting over a scandalous leg-shaped lamp in their window; and, of course, Ralphie's friend (Scott Schwartz) sticking his tongue to a frozen metal pole on a bet. While the Red Rider BB Gun gives the story direction, it's the copious deviations from that direction that have become so flavorfully memorable. It does not follow a generic Christmas movie structure, but creates its own by combining humorous originality with heartfelt familiarity.
In chronological history as well as audiences' minds, "A Christmas Story" occupies a space between the classic Christmas movies such as "It's A Wonderful Life" and "Miracle On 34th Street," and more contemporary additions such as "Home Alone," "The Santa Clause," and "Elf." It possesses the humble simplicity of the former group, but also the vivacious energy of the latter. Maybe it is because of this central location that it continues to be so relevant, beloved, and accessible.
Nonetheless, credit it still due to the wonderful child actors (both Billingsley and Ian Petrella, who plays Ralphie's little brother, Randy), a lovable script and voice-over from Jean Shepherd, and imaginative directing from Bob Clark. Because we've all seen "A Christmas Story" so many times, its magic can easily be taken for granted. In reality, though, this family-comedy could have gone unnoticed if initially taken in the wrong artistic hands. Its success is the product of soft yet masterful creativity, which keeps us tuning in year after year.