A Christmas Story (1983)
Average Rating: 8.4/10
Reviews Counted: 46
Fresh: 41 | Rotten: 5
Both warmly nostalgic and darkly humorous, A Christmas Story deserves its status as a holiday perennial.
Average Rating: 6.9/10
Critic Reviews: 5
Fresh: 4 | Rotten: 1
Both warmly nostalgic and darkly humorous, A Christmas Story deserves its status as a holiday perennial.
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Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 263,318
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Movie Info
Nine years after the Yuletide slasher flick Black Christmas, Porky's director Bob Clark once again took on the holiday genre, switching from gasps to laughs with A Christmas Story. Adapted from a memoir by humorist Jean Shepherd (who narrates), the film centers on Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley), a young boy living in 1940s Indiana, desperately yearning for a Red Rider BB gun for Christmas. Despite protests from his mother (Melinda Dillon) that he'll shoot his eye out, Ralphie persists,
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Cast
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Melinda Dillon
Mother -
Darren McGavin
The Old Man -
Peter Billingsley
Ralphie -
Ian Petrella
Randy -
Scott Schwartz
Flick -
R.D. Robb
Schwartz -
Tedde Moore
Miss Shields -
Zack Ward
Scut Farkus -
Yano Anaya
Grover Dill -
Les Carlson
Tree Man -
Colin Fox
Ming the Merciless -
Paul Hubbard
Flash Gordon -
Jim Hunter
Freight Man -
Jeff Gillen
Santa Claus -
Dwayne McLean
Black Bart -
Tommy Lee Wallace
Boy in School -
Jean Shepherd
Adult Ralphie -
Fred Lee Own
Waiter #2 -
Chad Dowdell
Sleeping Child (uncredi... -
Patty Johnson
Head Elf
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A Christmas Story Trailer & Photos
All Critics (46) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (46) | Rotten (5) | DVD (21)
Shepherd provides the voice-over of the grown hero narrating, and his prominence on the sound track forces Clark to focus on visual humor, resulting in some wild Our Gang-style slapstick.
If you're a fan of Christmas movies or films that use nostalgia as a driver, A Christmas Story cannot be missed. Then again, if you're in either category, you have probably already seen it.
Delightfully entertaining, with a wryly amusing narration to keep the adults in the audience smirking.
Top CriticThere are a number of small, unexpectedly funny moments in A Christmas Story, but you have to possess the stamina of a pearl diver to find them.
There is a real knowledge of human nature beneath the comedy.
Wonderful antidote to saccharine holiday tales.
This great heartwarming comedy from the director of Porky's was a flop during its theatrical run, but, like It's a Wonderful Life, has become a staple on cable during the holiday season.
...if there is any problem with A Christmas Story, it's that it may exhaust you from laughing so hard. (Blu-ray Ultimate Collector's Edition)
Funny, touching and unabashedly nostalgic. A true classic.
A great Hollywood classic!
Upon its release over 20 years ago, everyone realized THIS is a modern classic holiday film.
From the minute Ralphie and his friends press their noses against a department store window to admire the tin toys and BB-guns, viewers are transported to a different period.
The vignettes are priceless.
With much affectionate humor, A Christmas Story recalls vividly what it was like to be a kid at Christmas in a more innocent era.
Never fails to take me back to a place of welcomed innocence yet it doesn't make me wish I were back there.
It cannot be denied--as many points as they get for truly trying to make this a special edition--the film itself eclipses any bonus material. It's just priceless.
Audience Reviews for A Christmas Story
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
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- The Old Man: In the heat of battle my father wove a tapestry of obscenity that, as far as we know, is still hanging in space over Lake Michigan.
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- Ralphie: Randy lay there like a slug. It was his only defense.
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- Mother: Randy... how do the little piggy's eat?
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- Randy: I can't put my arms down!
- Mother: You can put your arms down when you get to school.
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- The Old Man: You used up all the glue on purpose!
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- The Old Man: Fragile... Must be Italian.
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Latest News on A Christmas Story
February 28, 2012:
Robert Redford and Diane Keaton Are Having The Most Wonderful TimeThey're in talks for a holiday comedy about "the chaos of a family around Christmas."
December 15, 2010:
The Cast of A Christmas Story: Where Are They Now?As we prepare for another season of hauling out our "A Christmas Story" DVDs, Moviefone looks up the...
December 1, 2010:
Peter Billingsley Producing A Christmas Story: The Musical!Don't shoot your eye out, kids: Peter Billingsley, who played Ralphie in the original film, is...
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Foreign Titles
- Christmas Story (AU)
Good Lord, I love this movie. It seems like a funny, charming, and quirky little film, and it is, but it's also rather dark, twisted, and mean spirited. Somehow it all manages to work out though, and it somehow finds a balance.
The absurdity of the situations,and Jean Shepherd's excellent writing and narration are some definite highlights. His way of describing stuff and telling a good story is unmatched. The child actors are good, which is surprising since most are usually annoying and ridiculous. The adults are also pretty good, especially Darren McGavin, who just hams it up without overdoing it.
This is a strange Christmas film, but it's hard not to like. I think we've all had that one gift we always wanted, and hoped like Hell we'd get it. Along the way, this film also has some good lessons about life, childhood, growing up, and the ridiculousness both of life in general, and the holiday season.
I never get tired of watching this, and hope I never do.