A Christmas Story

Briefly, for readers who may not be intimately acquainted with the film, I strongly encourage you to purchase "A Christmas Story" and make it a regular part of your holiday routine. It will grow on you with each viewing and you'll soon find its one-liners making their way into your everyday vernacular. Which version should you get? That's why you're reading this review.

The original DVD release of "A Christmas Story" had no extra features. Nothing. No commentaries, no interviews, no documentaries. Just the movie. This was greatly disappointing, since I'm a big fan and was interested in the making of the film, what the actors are doing now, etc. So naturally I was looking forward to this special edition.

Well, I can't say I'm too satisfied with the reissue.

1. The documentary is very uninformative. The one positive aspect of it is the simple fun of seeing the actors all grown up. Ralphie is 30 now, but looks about the same. Flick has changed more in his appearance and his career choices. (Career choices? You'll have to look that up yourself. It's not on the DVD and I'm not about to ruin Christmas for you.) There just isn't that much to glean about the movie from the special features. If you would like to know what Ralphie wanted for Christmas when he was 10, or what the worst Christmas present Schwartz ever got was, then you'll likely be absorbed. I wasn't. What could've been an in-depth look at the making of this low-budget masterpiece, intermingled with musings from the actors turned into a Nickelodeon-style "what's your favorite color" type of Q&A session. What was particularly annoying was the graphics and sound effects that the editors added (e.g., if Ralphie says "my mom put her foot down," there's a big crashing sound with a monolithic stone foot superimposed over him. Just stupid). Bottom line, it's good for the serious fan who wants a peek at the grown up kids, but beyond that it's useless.

2. The other "special features" are even more lame. There's a trivia challenge (yawn), a decoder game where you match the dialogue from the scene, a history of the daisy rider BB gun, and the original radio readings from Jean Shepherd (the narrator). You might do these once, but it's nothing worth buying the DVD for.

3. The one bright spot is the commentary, and if there's a reason to buy the special edition, it's this. The director (Bob Clark) and Ralphie (Peter Billingsly) do provide some more insight into the making of the film, and if you're the type that enjoys commentaries, you'll find it's worth it.

4. Lastly, I don't think the film was restored in any way. We're talking 20 years here. The film was pretty marked up and I was disappointed they didn't go to any effort to fix it in the 20th anniversary edition. For those of you that don't know (and don't worry, I'll spare you the 1000 word treatise on the mechanics of film that another reviewer felt the need to share), artists go into the original film and frame by frame they remove specks of dust and dirt, and in some cases they even add paint to touch up obvious artifacts. This apparently didn't occur in "A Christmas Story" and it badly needed it. This would've gone a long way to help the value of this DVD set.

So what's the bottom line? If you intensely love this movie and have for years, then buy the DVD. It will be worth it. But if you're on the fence, maybe you've already got the first issue of the DVD, maybe you throw it in during the holidays, then save your money. And if you're just getting into the movie and don't yet own a copy, well, you should probably get the reissue since we're only talking about a few dollars in price difference.

This review applies mostly to readers who already have the first release and are considering getting the new version. If the features I mentioned appeal to you, then go for it. Otherwise, you might be better off just sticking with the original release and using your 20 bucks to get the "Christmas Vacation" reissue, which actually is worth it.


This modern Christmas classic deserves better treatment   December 16, 2002
Daniel S. Russell (Blacksburg, VA United States)
20 out of 21 found this review helpful

As many other reviewers have queried: Why isn't this movie in widescreen format? And couldn't the producers come up with any extra features? The DVD itself gets 3 stars, but the movie deserves 5.

These gripes notwithstanding, this movie is a modern-day Christmas classic. It captures the joy and fear and exhilaration and disillusionment of what it was like growing up in an America of a by-gone era. The late Jean Shepherd is from my parents' generation, but I can still relate completely to Ralphie, Randy and all their friends -- bullies at school -- Not getting what you really want for Christmas -- having your mouth washed out with soap and fantasizing about the day when they'd all be sorry... It's all there!

Darren McGavin is great as the blustery but sentimental dad and Melinda Dillon as the mom who is wiser than her kids give her credit for. The movie is touching and hilarious at the same time. It's so hard being a kid sometimes!

This is one of the few movies I can watch over and over again and still laugh.


Excellent, funny, well-done film   December 11, 2001
Matthew Spady (New York, NY)
52 out of 61 found this review helpful

This movie remains so fresh with each viewing, it is easy to forget that it is almost twenty years old. Told from Ralphie's viewpoint, these are the Christmas reminiscences of an adult whose pre-teen Christmas wish is a BB-gun that adults discouraged with the phrase "You'll shoot your eye out."

In his quest to convince his parents that he is old enough to have a BB-gun, young Ralphie hatches several plots, including writing the best "What I Want for Christmas" essay in his class, being leaving BB-gun ads in conspicuous places, and, as a last resort, asking Santa Claus. (Parents with young sons, beware: you may want to delay purchasing this film until you are ready to deal with a similar request.)

Told in episodic fashion, there are many vignettes which stand out: Ralphie wearing Aunt Martha's Christmas present, visiting Santa Claus and helping his father change a flat-tire come to mind immediately. Exaggerated acting, distorted camera angles, and day-dream sequences all enhance the child's viewpoint, but do not detract from the film's excellent portrayal of 1950's small-town Christmas ritual.

Melinda Dillon and Darren McGavin have a tongue-in-cheek style as Ralphie's parents. Peter Billingsley has just the right pre-teen balance between adorable and obnoxious, and Ian Petrella is downright irritating as baby brother Randy. Among the smaller roles, Zack Ward is perfect as the clay-footed bully and Tedde Moore excellent as Ralphie's kind, but practical teacher. (Jean Shepherd, the author and narrator of the film makes a cameo appearance standing in line, waiting for Santa.)

This is one to enjoy each Christmas.


"A Christmas Story"   November 30, 1999
Keith (Arkansas, United States)
15 out of 15 found this review helpful

This is quite possibly the funniest movie I've ever seen. My holiday season officially begins the first time I watch "A Christmas Story". The movie features wondefully comedic writing, especially in the very effective narrative framework as Peter Billingsley's character "Ralphie", now grown, describes the events and characters leading up to the Christmas he receives his first Red Ryder BB Gun, the highlight of his young life. Darren McGavin is hilarious as Ralphie's dad, and everytime I see "Kenny" on "South Park" I think of the little brother all bundled up in his snowsuit and parka trying to keep up with the big boys. It's a wonderful family movie. Anyone who watches it can see a piece of their own childhood in the film--the Bumpas' dogs, the bully Scott Farkas, the admonition that a toy will "shoot your eye out." It's beautiful. Watch, rent, buy this movie. You won't regret it. And don't take any triple dog dares involving flag poles!


You'll shoot your eye out   September 28, 2007
E. A Solinas (MD USA)
17 out of 18 found this review helpful

I was almost finished recording "A Christmas Story" on last Christmas morning. Fifteen minutes before it ended, my father walked in and said that we would get the special edition.

That I didn't go postal at losing an hour and a half on something that would shortly be redundant shows how much I love "A Christmas Story." This 1983 classic is not just a heartwarming little story about a loving (if bickery) family in the dour America of the late 1940s, but a hysterical comedy about what it's like to be a kid at Christmas.

Ralphie Parker's (Peter Billingsley) Christmas wishes are simple: a official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle with a compass and a "thing that tells time." But his mom says he'll shoot his eye out. So Ralphie begins a quiet crusade to get it as a present -- he writes an essay on it and even asks Santa, only to get the same terrible reply: "You'll shoot your eye out."

As the days tick down to Christmas -- with no sign of an air rifle -- Ralphie hits other obstacles when he clashes with bullies, says "the mother of all dirty words," and watches his parents battle it out over a tacky "major award" (leg lamp). But there are surprises in store for the Parker family on Christmas morning -- and some of them involve smelly bloodhounds.

Yes, the plot is pretty simple -- it's the delivery that makes it special. It's narrated by an adult Ralphie who offers his slightly sardonic take on everything ("We plunged into the cornucopia quivering with desire and the ecstasy of unbridled avarice"), mingled with a hint of nostalgia. And it's completely tuned in to how kids think, and how a toy can seem like the most important thing in the world.

Fortunately the scriptwriters never condescend to the audience by adding some kind of syrupy message -- after all, real life doesn't work that way. Instead there are all sorts of classic moments -- the leg lamp, Chinese turkey, the terrifying visit to Santa ("HOOOO HOOOO HOOO!"), and Ralphie's fantasies of defending his family with "Ol' Blue" against a bunch of inept, unarmed bandits.

And Jean Shepherd -- the co-writer and narrator of the movie -- deserves especial credit for bringing this movie to life. He covers the movie with a snowstorm of one-liners and hilarious dialogue: "Over the years I got to be quite a connoisseur of soap." "He looks like a pink nightmare!" "Oh FUUUDDDDGGGE!" and others.

Billingsley is a little stiff as Ralphie, but gives the portrayal of this everykid his charming, slightly frenetic best. Melinda Dillon and Darin McGavin are the comic geniuses here, with their slightly kooky but loving parents (one of the highlights is Dillon's "show me how the piggies eat!" scene, and McGavin's revolted response), and there's an array of very convincing bullies and classmates too.

"A Christmas Story" didn't get much notice when it came out in 1983. But now it's one of the quintessential holiday movies, and a must-see at Christmastime. HOOOOO HOOOOO HOOOO...