A Christmas Story Christmas movie review

MOVIE TITLE: A Christmas Story Christmas

This comedy movie is now available on HBO Max.

RATING: PG

LENGTH: 1 hour 38 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: A-

IN A NUTSHELL:

The movie follows the now-adult Ralphie as he returns to the house on Cleveland Street to give his kids a magical Christmas like the one he had as a child, reconnecting with childhood friends, and reconciling the passing of his Old Man.

My family has loved watching the original A Christmas Story for many years, so I was excited to see what the sequel would do. I was not disappointed. This new installment is sweet and charming, oozing with all of the nostalgia as the first.

THINGS I LIKED:

Fun fact: Other sequels have also been made, but aren’t referred to in this movie. If you’re interested, check out My Summer Story (1994) and A Christmas Story 2 (2012).
It’s really fun to see Peter Billingsley all grown up. He was adorable in the first movie, and he’s great in this second one. He helped produce this with Vince Vaughn through their Wild West Picture Show Productions.
Four of the actors from the original film returned in this one: Ian Petrella (Randy), Zack Ward (Scut Farkus), Scott Schwartz (Flick), and R. D. Robb (Schwartz). It was so fun to see what they were like as adults.
Erinn Hayes makes a supportive wife, and Julie Hagerty is such a sweet grandmother.
I’ve never heard of the Indiana omelet before, a secret trick to fix a broken radiator.
There’s a storyline about a father’s death that hit me hard because I just lost my own father last week. The movie is a kind tribute to the actor who played the father in the first movie, Darren McGavin, who passed away in February 2006.
This movie will make you laugh and cry.
Just like the first film, the narration is hilarious and insightful.
Boomers will get a kick out of all the nostalgia, showing things like Bactine, old cars, toys from the 1970s, and the power of a triple dog dare.
Like the original, there are some entertaining daydreaming sequences.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Drunk men hang out in a bar to avoid their families. That’s sad, not funny.
Unfortunately, Melinda Dillon retired from acting in 2007, so she wasn’t available to return to her role as Ralphie’s mother.
The movie can stand alone but is definitely more enjoyable if you’ve seen the first one from 1983. There are clips from the original movie, as well as references to things that happened in it, so you won’t quite know what’s going on unless you’re familiar with the first film.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Adults get drunk
Some profanity
Someone gets hurt and ends up on crutches
Someone gets hit in the eye and ends up with an eye patch
Talk of the death of a loved one

THEMES:

Family
Losing a loved one
Bullying
Traditions
Christmas
Creating memories

FUNNY LINES:

* “Well, this town is full of surprises. How fun.” – Sandy Parker (Erinn Hayes)

“You know, I grew up caroling.” – Sandy Parker (Erinn Hayes) “How could you?” – Mrs. Parker (Julie Hagerty)
“Now, one of the best reasons to have children is to make them do the things you don’t want to do as an adult.” – Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley)
“When it’s just us, it kind of feels like child labor.” – Julie Parker (Julianna Layne) “Oh no, Honey. It’s not labor if we don’t pay you.” – Sandy Parker (Erinn Hayes)
“In God we trust. All others pay cash.”