This is not 'THE' Christmas Story, the one that took place in little Bethlehem two millennia ago. It is 'A' Christmas Story, one that has occurred in one version or another thousands, maybe millions of times since the original Christmas story. Regarded lightly on its release, television exposure has catapulted the film into the upper echelon of Christmas fare.
Our film is a family film; mom, dad, and two male siblings. The action focuses on the elder sibling (now nine) and his desire for a heavily promoted toy recommended by comic strip cowboy Red Ryder. Author Jean shepherd penned the source novel and screenplay and also narrated the film. The story follows Shepherd's writing style, putting together a number of individual Christmas oriented vignettes. All are tinged with humour.
Melinda Dillon ('Close Encounters of the Third Kind') gets top billing and Darren McGavin gets the best lines. McGavin shared his movie acting time with both stage and TV performances, and was highly regarded in all. In fact I saw him as the star of this show and a good one he was. Canadian Peter Billingsley plays Little Ralphie, the nominal hero here. The old man (McGavin) is the typically misogynistic dad, and mom (Dillon) is the metronome that keeps the family in stride.
There are many camera shots that bring the memories back. Cold wintry days, a pseudo efficient car, untethered canines, adventurous kids, schoolyard bullies, an amazingly patient teacher, lots of Christmas wrap and of course a great turkey dinner. Even if you didn't experience these events yourself, their humour will still infuse you with delight.
This is a good family film. There is minimal moralizing and it's primarily about the experience of surviving childhood. One spoiler warning though. Bigotry occasionally surfaces. If, however, you are a parent and have trained your kids to utter the phrase "Oh Fudge" at critical moments, you've done a fine job.
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