#youll shoot your eye out

This is my last review before Christmas and it’s one of our annual traditions to watch it every year.  We love the movie so much in our house that we even stopped by the actual real life house from the movie while on vacation in Cleveland.  With great characters, memorable lines, and a small town setting it’s as close to a perfect Christmas movie as you’ll find.

A Christmas Story is mostly based on a series of short stories in Jean Shepherd’s book “In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash.”  It centers on a boy named Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley) and his family and his all consuming Christmas wish to receive a “Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time.”

Ralphie and his friends have a series of adventures including licking a pole to see if your tongue will stick (above), dealing with bullies, the disappointment of 1950s cross promotion, and the trouble that comes when you swear in front of your parents for the first time (below).

The film is less of a cohesive story and more of a series of vignettes, which makes sense considering the fact that it was based on a book of short stories.  But Ralphie and his family have a very relatable quality where almost everyone watching can relate to them.  I see a lot of myself in Ralphie with his laser-like focus on one gift that he wants over and above any others. (That is a trait that I share to this day as a grown 33 year old man.)

Ralphie’s mother (Melinda Dillon) and father (Darren McGavin), along with his younger brother Randy (Ian Patrella) all have their own unique contributions to the story.  "The Old Man,“ as Ralphie refers to his father, is a virtuoso of profanity and routinely demonstrates his talent when battling their faulty furnace.  Mrs. Parker is a sweet and kind woman that tries to keep everyone in the family happy and has a silly streak too.  And Randy…poor Randy.  He’s the subject of some of my favorite moments in the movie but they have more to do with him whining while stuff is happening. 

The production is relatively low budget, but it almost feels like watching someone’s home movies with the narration provided by the story’s author Jean Shepherd.  Shepherd was always coy about divulging which of his stories were completely fictional and which were based on real life events.  I am of the opinion that many of these stories were at least based on things from Shepherd’s real life as a boy growing up because everything in the movie seems like it’s something that could really happen.

If you are a fan of the film, I would highly recommend visiting A Christmas Story House in Cleveland if you are ever in the area.  Not only is it great to see the location for yourself and pretend like you’re in the movie, but they have a museum as well with memorabilia and all kinds of behind the scenes information about the film and how it was made.  Plus they have a gift shop with all kinds of cool merchandise including pink bunny pajamas and, of course, leg lamps complete with wooden crates marked "fragile.”

A Christmas Story is a classic, and it’s status as one of the most beloved Christmas movies of all time has been boosted by a musical version and the annual TBS 24 hour marathon where the movie is shown on repeat.  This year is no different.  For the 18th time, TBS will begin airing A Christmas Story non-stop for 24 hours beginning Christmas eve at 8pm.  I know our family will be tuning in to watch and see people warn Ralphie time and again, “You’ll shoot your eye out!”

-Phil

The crossover event we never knew we wanted.