A Christmas Story Christmas

There are plenty of clips from the homespun 1983 holiday classic of which this is the 33-years-later sequel. Peter Billingsley returns as Ralphie Parker, no longer a BB-gun-obsessed cherub but now a struggling novelist and married father of two in Chicago. The story pivots around his father's unexpected passing and his return back to his Indiana hometown where his mom and most of his childhood friends still live. The sitcom-level shenanigans are little changed from the original as our familiarity with the characters. What's different this time is how Ralphie's cherished upbringing serves as the catalyst for unleashing his writing talent. Julie Hagerty replaces Melinda Dillon as Ralphie's mom and injects her welcome trademark ditziness. The rest of the cast serves the story well. Fans of the original will likely not be disappointed except maybe the extended time lapse.

It starts out slow as it tries to give a recap of how we got to this time and place. But about midway through, it breaks into a memorable movie with some laugh out loud moments and some very touching scenes. Obviously Peter Billingsley had a lot of input but Vince Vaughn also leaves his mark on the story. Might not be the classic that the original one is, but it is certainly a well executed sequel destined to someday run back-to-back with the original in an all day marathon.

Ralphie may not be screaming Bumpus! Every five minutes like Darren McGavin did but then he was never destined to have the same personality as his on screen dad. He's the character we all assumed he would grow up to be.

... This one was solid. Even better it isn't one of those garbage Christmas rom coms that get churned out this time of year. It got an extra star from me just for that!!!!

The story was touching. Independent from the first movie. But it stayed true to the first movie when important and had good callbacks. Peter Billingsly reprises Ralphie perfectly. The mannerisms and face expressions took me right back.

The story is relatable and touching. A little heavier in subject matter than the first. But plenty of lighter moments too. I liked the Christmas carolers scene because I feel the same way about them. Haha. Overall a pleasent watch. It's not going to replace the original as your favorite. But you're going to be able to sit thru the entire movie without questioning why they bothered making a sequel. And it's going to get you into the season!

That's key with a sequel to an iconic film. Just don't ruin the legacy of the original. Pay respects to the first with nostalgia while still introducing something new. I haven't seen the sequel from about ten years ago and don't plan to as it would only taint the original.

'A Christmas Story' is in my top three for Christmas movies, and possibly my number two favourite. It went a long way with having most of the original cast returning. I have to say my favourite was Officer Farkus, and those yellow eyes. My main criticism would actually be the mother. I know it's a different actress, but her character's personality seemed so different from the first one.

This happened to be our family's Christmas Eve movie this year and was just glad I did not end up disappointed.

I'll be honest! I was really very skeptical of this. How often does a sequel made almost 40 years later exceed expectation?? The original is so iconic. We absolutely love watching it every year. With this one, other than missing Melinda Dillon, it was wonderful that the entire cast came back, even Farkus! The tribute to "The Old Man" literally brought tears to my eyes! So much of the old magic along with some new magic! Really well done Ralphie!! I Hope that TBS & USA add this to their 24 hours of Christmas! Maybe they can alternate the two. Will definitely be added to our Christmas traditions!