A Christmas Story

If this film is not the best Christmas film ever made, it's definitely the funniest.  I've seen this film every year during the Christmas season for as long as I can remember, and it's easy to see how it has become such a perennial favorite in so many households across America: the 1983 classic A Christmas Story.

For those who don't know anything about the film (and that's gotta be a real minority), it centers on nine year old Ralphie, who, more than anything, wants a BB gun for Christmas despite what just about everybody says (“You'll shoot your eye out!”).

Directed by the late Bob Clark (well known for directing films like Black Christmas, Murder By Decree & especially Porky's), A Christmas Story was a huge hit upon arriving in theaters, garnering a loyal following overnight and becoming one of the most memorable films ever made.  Not only is the film itself memorable, but so are the individual moments in it.  If you're a fan, I'd bet you can recite at least ten hilarious moments (I can probably recite twenty myself); it's not even beyond imagination if one can remember and recite the entire film verbatim (I don't know if I can do it myself).

Definitely one of the major reasons this film is truly memorable is because of the cast, including Melinda Dillon as Ralphie's mom, who wages daily battles in trying to take care of her family (as well as a short war with “a major award”), the late great Darren McGavin as The Old Man, “one of the most feared furnace fighters in northern Indiana”, and especially Peter Billingsley as Ralphie, the nine year old underdog who seeks “the Holy Grail of Christmas gifts”.

Another major reason was the narration provided by the late humorist (and fellow Hoosier) Jean Shepherd, whose work was the basis for the film, and whose narration is not only hilarious, but also nostalgic and at times touching.  The story itself is the most appealing part of the film, because there are many things in the story anybody can relate to, whether it's Ralphie trying to get a Red Ryder BB gun or having parents like The Old Man or dealing with bullies like Scut Farkas among other things.

A warm, nostalgic, hilarious film featuring a time from yesteryear and characters we all can relate to, A Christmas Story is one of the greatest and best loved Christmas films of all time (it's the greatest, as far as I'm concerned).  I give this classic a full four stars.