Back in December, the cable station TNT showed "A
Christmas Story" twelve consecutive times. The
film has become the most televised Christmas
movie, inheriting that title from "It's a Wonderful
Life".
It is a story of about one month of Ralphie's
life. Ralphie is a boy, about nine years old,
growing up in a middle class neighborhood during
the (late?) 1930s. He dreams of getting a BB gun
for Christmas, waits anxiously for his Little
Orphan Annie package to arrive in the mail, and
suffers indignities at the hands of the local
bully. The narrator is Ralphie grown up, and his
nostalgic and whimsical (but never patronizing)
comments bring across what it feels like to be a
kid. My favorite narrated line is "getting ready
for school was like preparing for deep sea
diving", delivered as the kid brother is weighed
down by layers of winter clothing.
Darren McGavin plays Ralphie's father. His
character is excitable and gregarious, and he
plays it so winningly that you forget that he is
old enough to be Ralphie's grandfather.
Why is "A Christmas Story" so popular? Because
it's funny! It is a rare comedy in which nearly
all the scenes work, and repeated viewings only
add to the fun, since one catches things that
were missed the first time around. For example,
before the mother sets out to "accidently" break
father's ridiculous leg lamp, she has a knowing
look on her face and has waited until father is
distracted by fighting the wheezing furnace. And
when father whispers to mother the shocking
obscenity that Ralphie had just uttered, his
young brother leans forward to overhear with a
huge grin on his face.
There is a department store Santa who definitely
does not have the Christmas spirit, and his elf
helpers are even more surly than he is. One of
the most intimidating Santas in film history, it
is no wonder that kids start crying as soon as
they are dragged by elf helpers to his lap. Great
stuff.
Only a few minor criticisms. A joke about the
word 'fragile' doesn't come off. Also, the film
may have been secretly funded by the milk lobby,
as many kitchen scenes feature a large, full milk
bottle, and then there's the decoder ring
secret... (81/100)
This vignette-laden nostalgic view of Christmastime in 1940s Indiana follows nine-year-old Ralphie who desperately wants a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christ...More at Family Video
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