A Christmas Story Christmas — Movie Review
by KJ Proulx
I’ll admit up front that I never grew up watching A Christmas Story from 1983. I didn’t have the pleasure of watching it until about ten years ago and I’ve now seen it a few times. I think it’s a fantastic Christmas film. Not being on the bandwagon for that film for many years probably made me less worried than hardcore fans about this being a disaster, so I went into this film optimistically. I’m glad I did because I think this sequel is just as delightful as the original. Obviously, it’s not as great, but I think it says something that this one made me cry and the first didn’t. While not the Christmas classic that A Christmas Story is, here’s why I believe this one absolutely deserves a watch.
Since the first film took place in the 40s but was narrated by Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) in real-time back in the 80s, A Christmas Story Christmas pretty much leads off from there. Taking place in what seems like the 80s, Ralphie is trying to make a great Christmas happen for his family, but he soon learns about the passing of his father. This leads them to spend Christmas with his mother back in his hometown. Yes, this film is filled with nostalgia and references to the first film, but I thought it was all handled incredibly well. I rarely rolled my eyes and really just felt like smiling. This film warmed my heart and I thought Peter Billingsley actually delivered a very solid performance. I would gladly watch the first film and this sequel back to back again.
Yes, the downfall of this film is that the whole point of it is really to fill the hearts of those who loved the original. For me though, even though I admit that’s a big problem, the problem doesn’t feel present when you watch it. Other than that, I hardly have any complaints here. It strives to bring Christmas spirit and be emotional, funny, and heartwarming, and it accomplishes all of that as far as I’m concerned. It was the kind of movie I was looking for at the time maybe, but it all just really worked for me.
In the end, A Christmas Story Christmas just simply hit all the right notes for me, especially as a Christmas film. It doesn’t lean into the greediness of the holiday, but rather dials that back for a nice message. I also enjoyed everyone that was a new addition as Ralphie’s wife and kids. It’s hard for me to really come up with any gripes here because it felt like it was all in the same style as the first, which I loved already. This may just be a cop-out review without bringing up any true negatives, but I just had a great time watching it. It’s not the greatest Christmas movie ever nor will it win any awards, but I can see myself resisting this one around Christmas time in the future.
Rating: 4/5
Check out the trailer below:
