source: A Christmas Story Christmas

I don't know about you, but for me, It's nearly impossible to wrap my mind around the hard, cold fact, that the original "A Christmas Story" was pretty much ignored when it opened in theaters in 1983. But after years of rotation on cable television during the holiday season it ultimately achieved its current status as a much respected and deeply loved Yuletide classic. In my opinion this new "installment" was long overdue. And thank goodness this film ignores all of the unofficial "sequels," (and unless you are a degenerate fan of Ralph and the Gang then you should plan on ignoring them too). A Christmas Story Christmas picks up in 1973, and stars the now middle-aged Peter Billingsley reprising his role as Ralphie Parker. He's a grown man, with a wife and kids. He's finally abandoned Cleveland for Chicago where he's hoping to have his first success in getting his first book published. But just as importantly, Ralphie is looking forward to spending a Christmas holiday visit with his parents. There is no reason to discuss more of the plot (why spoil it for you?). Moreover other wonderful IMDb reviewers have done this quite thoroughly. I think a little bit of Ralphie exists in most people. The time you spend with your family during the holiday season rarely makes up for the time spent apart during the rolling year. Ralphie cherishes the memories of growing up with a loving family. His own fleeting childhood was so much more simple than his now more complicated adult life. If anything else, A Christmas Story Christmas establishes what's changed with many of the original characters now that they've become adults. That plot line alone makes this a worthy watch! No spoilers here as usual but I can reveal that Melinda Dillon was unavailable to reprise her role as Ralphie's mother as she had completely retired from acting by 2007.

Without bringing enough original jokes. Obviously, this whole project relied on steep nostalgia, but they really should have put more effort into making something that can stand on its own as entertainment. Bob Clark and Jean Shepherd couldnt rely on references for the first movie, because they had no previous film to reference, so they just told a good story. This one made its feast primarily of Member Berries and forgot to add some new ingredients, like a fun story or original characters. I think it got made in 2022 specifically because the Nostalgia Train is till running strong and a bunch of Boomers needed to feel warm and fuzzy while the world around them moves on. Also Peter Billlengsly may be trying to give a warm fuzzy feeling to Generation X at the same time. But that generation doesnt always like being obviously manipulated. Most of the lines, jokes, and even shots are all based on making you remember something about the first Christmas Story, which isnt very entertaining by itself. Mostly it just reminds you that we could be watching that movie instead, which was kind of original at the time, and superior entertainment anyway. Of particular annoyance is all the flashbacks to actual clips of the first film. Thats great if all you want is warm feel-good memories of the old days. But a lot of the dialog feels flat and unfunny, probably because the only ideas they could come up with were references to old material. If you are hoping for something fun and new, take a pass on this. Unlike the first movie, this is NOT required watching for all Red Blooded Americans. Its not a meal. Not even good enough for dessert. More like an after dinner mint. No one would confuse this with the main course. Its watchable, but you won't be watching it year after year like the Good one.

Oh my lord, what in the world, how was this so good? The original Christmas Story is one of the best Christmas movies ever created, naturally I had high expectations for this film but to say it exceeded them is just an understatement, this film was just beautiful, and it's honestly just as good if not better than the original film, which I didn't think was possible. A Christmas Story Christmas manager to perfectly use callbacks to the original film while also weaving in brilliant originality, beautifully bringing in real world issues and dare I say, it almost managed to make me cry on multiple occasions. It's a truly hilarious film, and I wasn't expecting Polly from Malcolm in the Middle to show up, Peter Billingsley puts on a truly beautiful performance and it just managed to fill my heart with joy and is one of the best early Christmas gifts I could ever have. I'm gonna give a Christmas story Christmas an A.

This is the true sequel we were all wishing for! This blew my mind how good this sequel to a Christmas story was today! Its such a faithful sequel to the original film, with all the original cast and locations. Every part of this movie felt like a recreation of the original movie and was brought back to life in 2022 made with such love and care. Every aspect was just such a great continuation. Definitely go watch this! I think this is going to be an equally great holiday classic! Brought back all those great classic Christmas feelings and will be great for the whole family to enjoy on Christmas Day!

I think everyone, (much like I did) will go into this movie with the stubborn mindset that it won't be "as good" as the first one, but in my honest opinion, it came pretty darn close! There were flashbacks and callbacks to the original movie which I definitely appreciated, and most of the cast surprisingly came back to reprise their roles. "The Old Man", while not being in the movie, definitely takes a big part in making the plot special. From the leg lamp to the bunny pajamas, you'll get every bit of nostalgia you're hoping for in what will soon be another classic, wholesome tale of Ralphie Parker.

The original A CHRISTMAS STORY is an all-time classic. A CHRISTMAS STORY CHRISTMAS is the exact opposite. The entire movie relies on flashbacks and nostalgic throwbacks to the original as forms of entertainment. The problem is, had the original not existed, absolutely no part of this movie works. And I get it: this unnecessary sequel would never have been made without the first, but it also pales in comparison to the original. Some of the charm is there. It's a harmless piece of holiday fluff with no cursing and plenty of vaudevillian, John Hughes-type humor. It offers plenty of holiday cheer and a trademark happy ending. But it also has none of the teeth nor memorable one-liners of the original. Decades after watching the original A CHRISTMAS STORY, I can still recite most every line. Minutes after watching A CHRISTMAS STORY CHRISTMAS, I've essentially forgotten all of it.

I'm seeing all of these great reviews on here and I'm genuinely confused. Did we watch the same movie?? I went in with an open mind. A Christmas Story is one of my favorite holiday movies. It is a staple every year at Christmas. I was excited the day this movie was released. Of course, I knew that Julie Hagerty had replaced Melinda Dillon. Not a big deal. I love Julie Hagerty. I was excited to see all of the actors from the original. Then, the movie started. I watched and watched and continued watching. It was dull, uninteresting, uninspired, slow-moving and mind-numbing. I don't turn off many movies midway, but this one, I did. I just couldn't stand another minute. If it had any of the charm of the first movie that people are claiming, they must have saved it all up for the second half that I didn't watch. This was like getting a pink bunny suit for Christmas. 👎🏼

A Christmas Story is probably THE most classic of classic Christmas films. I'm not always for sequels, but A Christmas Story Christmas pulls all the nostalgia off nicely. Much of this only works due to the commitment of quite a few of the original cast you know and love from the original film. Ralphie (Peter Billingsly) looks much the same and carries the sequel very well. Flick, Schwartz and even Farkus return. While some of the situations are different in this 1973 setting, they manage to carry on the humor of the original and you'll definitely have a smile and a chuckle whichever of the generations you fit into.

I can't even begin to tell you how much this is needed. To be honest, I was really really sceptical when I heard that they were making a sequel. In my opinion, a Christmas story is the best Holiday movie ever made. So to fiddle with that can be very touchy. Thankfully they did the original movie justice and expanded on the original story. They didn't change any of the original events which made me really happy. It's amazing how through the years Ralphie has gotten older, but somehow looks exactly the same. It's a feel good movie which touches on a lot of nostalgia and tugs at your heartstrings. I cried through most of it... and that last scene. OMG, brings it all together. Just perfect. Beautiful movie, and well done.