1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- A Christmas Story

#720- A Christmas Story
Starring: Peter Billingsley, Darren McGavin, Melinda Dillon
Directed by: Bob Clark


Plot Summary: Ralph Parker reminisces about the events of the Christmas when he was nine-years-old, and known as Ralphie. The one present Ralphie wants for Christmas is a Red Ryder BB Gun with a compass in the stock, and "the thing which tells time." During the holiday season, Ralphie also has to encounter bullies, meeting Santa Claus, hungry dogs, leg lamps, bars of soap, and much more while trying to convince everyone that if he had a Red Ryder BB Gun, he wouldn't shoot his eye out.


One of my favorite Christmas movies to watch growing up was A Christmas Story. I always found Ralphie's pursuit of the ultimate Christmas present to be a story I could relate to. As I got older, I found a deeper appreciation of the film from the point of view of childhood memories. It's that time of year where I watch it again, and this year, the film still offers more laughs and appreciation towards childhood and the holiday season.

Ralphie Parker, played by Peter Billingsley, is a likeable kid that most audience members can relate to. There isn't a whole lot of depth to his character, as we mostly follow the adventures of the nine-year-old child during Christmas time. That doesn't mean that there isn't a lot there, as Ralphie has become one of the iconic faces of the holiday season (I even saw his face on a pair of sweat pants at Target last week).  There is just a charming quality to Ralphie, and he is the right type of child that the audience can like, as opposed to his friends who seem more sarcastic and snotty, and let's be honest, we all have been in Ralphie's situation before, so we can definitely understand him more than any other character (but I'll get to that a little later).

Ralphie's family embody the right amount of dysfunctional love for the film. There's Ralphie's brother Randy, played by Ian Petrella, who is mostly there for comic relief due to his eccentric behavior, and Ralphie's mother, played by Melinda Dillon, who can be nurturing with her family, but also no nonsense when the situation calls for it. But my favorite character in the film is Ralphie's father, played by Darren McGavin, who is one of the best film fathers I have ever seen. He knows when to be strict, but also offers some of the film's biggest laughs from his buffoonish antics (I laugh every time he yells "NOT A FINGER!"). 

A Christmas Story offers some of the best comedic moments you could ever imagine a Christmas film to have.  The film is famous for its hilarious scenes involving Ralphie visiting Santa at the mall, sticking someone's tongue to a frozen flagpole, and a subplot involving a seductive leg lamp. The film's narration is also clever and witty, as the older version of Ralphie is voiced by Jean Shepherd (the author of the film's source material).

The film not only offers a lot of laughs, but also has a lot of heart in the story it is telling. Look at the Christmas Ralphie had, the type of family he was in, the type of shenanigans he got into, and tell me you couldn't relate to at least one of the scenarios he went through. Regardless of the different time period, there are some elements to Ralphie's childhood that are applicable to most childhoods. In fact, I still can watch this movie with a friend or relative and have them say that some scenes got it done perfectly, such as the interactions between Ralphie and his family, dealing with a bully, and the overall excitement of the holiday season.


Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

A Christmas Story is the perfect film to watch this time of year if you love reminiscing on Christmas memories. It's a Christmas film that should be watched year round, and is a film I would recommend everyone seeing once a year, particularly this year if you haven't seen it before.

Comment below to share your thoughts on the movie or to discuss a topic that I left out of my review

A Christmas Story and movie images are copyrighted by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer