Reviewed by Isabel Pitts ||
Everyone knows A Christmas Story (1983) for its famous line “FRA-GI-LE it must be Italian!” and the leg lamp. It’s a timeless classic, sharing the childhood of Ralph Parker, a kid who is getting ready for Christmas. The story was written by Jean Shepherd, who actually wrote A Christmas Story based on stories he wrote of his father in the papers. Since the pandemic, there has been an influx of nostalgia chasing remakes that often miss the mark on what made the original special, so when a new Christmas Story film was announced, I was already pretty irritated. To my joy, however, A Christmas Story Christmas (2022)perfectly nods back to the original while also being its own lovable movie.
We follow Ralph as an adult, who is married with kids. The story opens up with the nostalgic air of the 70s, much like how A Christmas Story was in its 50s American setting. Ralph’s main goal in the film is to get a publisher to take on his novel that he has passionately devoted his life to as an aspiring author. In the meeting room with one of many publishers Ralph has met with, he is already daydreaming about winning awards for his amazing penmanship. This scene was made perfectly, with the same campiness of the original movie and it was somehow heartwarming to see the same delusional Ralph. After being turned down, Ralph is left with one more publisher to wait for an answer in regard to his novel. To add insult to injury, there is another major event to lay out the plot for the movie. As his wife, Sandy, and two kids prepare for Ralph’s parents to come into town, he gets a phone call from his mother. As he holds the phone, the audience can feel their heart sink with him as his speech slows down in a way that can only mean one thing: someone has died. His old man has passed away, and he has to go back to his childhood home to celebrate Christmas without his father. One thing that makes this film special is that it has the original movie’s actors, so Mr. Parker’s actor Darren McGavin, who died in 2006, could not be in the film. Unlike other “where are they now?” type films I have seen, A Christmas Story Christmas finds a way to respect the true themes of its original source material.
When Ralph and family arrive at his childhood home, the setting of the original movie, he promises his mother that he will make a Christmas just as good as his old man. He immediately regrets the statement before it even leaves his mouth. As he goes around his childhood town, many familiar faces and situations present themselves. He meets his old friend Flick, who now owns a bar, and Schwartz, who has a tab fatter than his wallet. As always, the two bicker, but they all chat like the good friends they are. The two help him figure out a plan for making the “perfect Christmas.” On another side of things, Ralph’s kids are getting targeted by the offspring of his childhood bully Scut Farcus. As a loving father, he feels a pressure to protect his kids against the bullies. Then there is the Higbee’s department store scene, music, Christmas parade, and the toy window. Going back to the theme of the decade, the toys change from toys of the 50s, and most importantly, the Red Ryder BB gun, are replaced with playtime favorites of the 70s such as potato head. Inside the store, the kids get in the long line to see Santa Claus and his goofily dressed elves. While this scene is a great callback, it shows the growth of the world by having Santa not be terrifying. Ralph’s daughter tells him what she wants, and he says he will do what he can, and then he sends her down the snow slide. While this is going on, Ralph, his wife Sandy, and his mother are all on a mission to get their kids exactly what they want for Christmas while staying within their budget. On top of all of this, he has to write his father’s obituary in the paper. Like any good writer, he does not write the obituary and instead, makes an entire new draft of his novel to show publishers. In the end, as always, Ralph has a perfect Christmas in a way that is almost entirely different from what he had planned.
Ralph and his family go on several more hijinks that are respectful nods to the original movie while also having their own flare that I will leave to the reader to discover. The movie is well-written, funny, and heartwarming. As someone who has recently had to go through the holidays without a loved one, this movie patched a hole in my heart. The movie is about how things that seemed easy when you were a child suddenly become hard in adulthood. It is about how things are not as hard as they seem when you have a helping hand, and that needing help is okay. It is about overcoming all of life’s challenges no matter how difficult. There are many facets of this film that are new and refreshing, and there are also more classic elements in it that make it feel like home. This is the perfect film to watch with the family (or with friends) for a good laugh, and maybe even a few happy tears.
