Plot: For the two of you who have never seen this film, the story takes place in the 40s (or maybe 50s, I don't think it was ever clarified), where Nine-year-old Ralphie specifically wants a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle. The problem is, everyone is against the idea because he'll "shoot his eye out." All the while he goes through the normal experiences of being a child during Christmas time.
Once again, I talk about a movie where I have to ask "what can I say about this movie, that hasn't been said a million times?" Well this time, I can say this much; who has a movie review blog that has a dark purple background, a logo that is probably over-stuffed with fictional characters, and is one of the few people that is over this movie? That's right, me. I have been keeping my mouth shut tight about this for the past several years just to avoid people looking at me like I don't have a soul. But times have changed where I have learned about the importance of being entitled to your own opinion, and so I have been wanting to stand my ground and admit my feelings for this film via a review for the past couple of years or so. And now the time has finally come where I say my peace. Now let me be perfectly clear: I completely agree that this is a great film, and I know how special it is and thus, why people love it so much - all of which I'm going to talk about... BUT IT'S FREAKING OVER-HYPED!!!!! In fact, it was around my senior year in high school where my family had that A Christmas Story marathon on TV, while getting ready for a party and praising it in the process. They kept at it so much that I have been completely tired of it ever since. So understand that I am going to be positive about the film just like everyone else, but I want it to be on record that I'm one of those people who have unfortunately experienced the overexposure of it and thus have mentally declared "enough is enough."
Now that I've said the one thing about the film that hasn't been said a millions times before, let's dive into the good stuff. And I think the best way to start is to talk about the main character, Ralphie. Ralphie is the character that I and many other people relate to the most. Because what makes him just a beloved character is how he captures the all around experience of being a kid at Christmas time. Having only one particular thing that he wants for Christmas, the bully, getting in trouble for swearing, the daydreaming - man, all the daydreaming. That last part is where I relate to him the most. Dreaming of having written the most perfect essay that everyone praises, imagining saving the day from evildoers going after the family, the parents getting punished somehow for punishing me, all that's missing is daydreams about being a powerful Jedi Knight or an exceptionally skilled Pokemon trainer, and this guy would be a hundred percent on the dot with me. But that doesn't make him the only person people can relate to. The other kids like Raphie's brother, Randy, likely relate to other people in some way or another, and I'm sure many adults relate with the parents too.
Now what is there to say about the humor that hasn't also been said a million times apart from the plain fact that it's freaking hilarious? Because a lot of it connects with, again, how much the characters are relatable. But it also has it's moments of occasionally being over the top, like how Ralphie goes "nooooooo!" when he goes down the slide. (Which by the way, why the heck was that not around when I was a kid? We kids from the 90s got our obviously, superior material stuff for Christmas, from our toy cars and board games, to anything that has to do with Star Wars or Pokemon. But there never was a slide that we could go down on after we visit Santa? Man, the kids from the 40s are full of lucky brats!) The humor from whenever Ralphie is daydreaming is also really funny. How the bad guys have Xs painted on their faces after Raphie defeated them with his BB gun, and how overly happy the children and especially the teacher were about his essay. But watching part of this scene again, the funniest moment to me is the soap poisoning daydream. Just thinking about how the parents (especially the dad) wail in the most overly dramatic way possible makes me chuckle as I write this review, it's that funny.
Now as much as this film captures the the experience of the Christmas time, I think at least some people agree that one of the most wonderful moments in the film, is during the very end where the parents are sitting next to the tree while the snow is falling. It's deep, it's beautiful, it's something I would want to do with my own wife someday, it just sums up some of the best things about the Christmas season in one shot.
And that's my review for A Christmas Story. I know I only talked about the characters and the humor, and briefly about the Christmas aspects to it, but it's those three elements that are what really makes this such a beloved film. You can relate to the characters in some way or another, there is little to no way that you haven't heard of at least some of the famous jokes, and it does capture the spirit of Christmas time. I do stand by how I am over this film because people overplay it so much, but I'm only going to take 5 percent out of the rating because of that. Because while it's no longer something I personally am eager to watch every year during the holidays, there's no denying that it's a classic film to see during the Christmas season.
Rating: 95%
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