Christmas Story, A (1983) Rank 5 Reviews

eFilmCritic.com (Ryan Arthur)

I think I first saw this story in Fourth grade. I identified with it. I've seen it every year since then; I still identify. Ralphie is in a quandry. More than anything else in the world he wants a Red Rider BB Gun for Christmas. No one understands him. ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at eFilmCritic.com (Ryan Arthur)

filmsgraded.com (Brian Koller)

It is a story of about one month of Ralphie's life. Ralphie is a boy, about nine years old, growing up in a middle class neighborhood during the (late?) 1930s. He dreams of getting a BB gun for Christmas, waits anxiously for his Little Orphan Annie ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at filmsgraded.com (Brian Koller)

The Movie Mom (Nell Minow)

Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) is a nine year old boy in 1930s Gary, Indiana, whose entire life is consumed with his one wish -- for a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. But all of the adults in his life have the same reaction: "You will shoot your eye out!" ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at The Movie Mom (Nell Minow)

filmcritic.com

They sell the infamous "leg lamp" on the Internet now. (They cost $250!) Clark wanted Jack Nicholson to play the role of The Old Man. These insights and others await the patient viewer who sits through the new Christmas Story commentary track on its ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at filmcritic.com

filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)

Pop quiz: A Christmas Story was directed by Bob Clark. What was the film he made immediately prior to it? Answer: Porky's. Who knew? Also: They sell the infamous "leg lamp" on the Internet now. (They cost $250!) Clark wanted Jack ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)

eFilmCritic

It's not just a holiday movie, although that's the best time to watch it. No, I could plop down in 90-degree weather in the middle of July and still watch this movie. ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at eFilmCritic

Chad Polenz

Ralph wants to a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. Of course Ralph's parents and other adults are worried. "You'll shoot your eye out" is what the entire world seems to be telling him, but he doesn't give up. When asked to write a "theme" for class, ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at Chad Polenz

Raging Bull Movie Reviews (Mike Lorefice)

Magic and nostalgia are the first two words that pop into my head when I think of Bob Clark's 1983 classic, A Christmas Story. With the probable exception of Star Wars, it was the movie I watched the most during my childhood. Unlike many of the movies I ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at Raging Bull Movie Reviews (Mike Lorefice)

Decent Films - faith on film (Steven D. Greydanus)

Based on the childhood memoirs of radio humorist Jean Shepherd about growing up in the Midwest in the 1940s, A Christmas Story is as heartwarming and nostalgic as its title suggests. Like many Christmas-themed movies, it offers no insight into the true ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at Decent Films - faith on film (Steven D. Greydanus)

At-A-Glance Film Reviews

In an age where the division between films for adults and films for kids are increasingly divergent, A Christmas Story is like manna from heaven. The quirky dialogue and direction is a joy to behold. The screenwriters obviously have a strong memory of ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at At-A-Glance Film Reviews

ToxicUniverse.com (John Nesbit)

Although the plot plays second fiddle to the individual vignettes, there's a thread that develops Ralphie's obsessive passion for the Red Ryder air rifle and his naive scheming to obtain his goal, despite the adults who line up against him with ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at ToxicUniverse.com (John Nesbit)

Shot Away Reviews (Jager McConnell)

This has got to be one of my favorite Christmas movies of all time - even giving good ol It's a Wonderful Life a run for it's money. If you've never seen this film, run out and watch it today. ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at Shot Away Reviews (Jager McConnell)

Bob Bloom

A CHRISTMAS STORY (Warner Home Entertainment) Here's a wonderful early holiday gift, the 1983 comedy based on the writings of Jean Shepherd that has become a Yuletime viewing favorite. This 20th anniversary two-disc set features the film in ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at Bob Bloom

TV Guide's Movie Guide (--)

The laughs are nonstop if rarely subtle, and the whole thing deserves to become a Christmastime classic. ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at TV Guide's Movie Guide (--)

CleverDonkey.com (MynaGirl)

It's Christmas Day, and we're watching TNT's Christmas Story marathon (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0085334), and I am again (as I am every year) amazed at the wonderfully crafted, perfectly told, exquisitely cast, and fabulously created story that is ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at CleverDonkey.com (MynaGirl)

Movie-Vault.com (Joseph Kastner)

With those six simple words not only were dreams of an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle altered forever, so were the normal holiday movie traditions of Americans across the country. As popular as this feature is ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at Movie-Vault.com (Joseph Kastner)

The Onion A.V. Club (Noel Murray)

A Christmas Story's initial theatrical run came in 1983, when bookings were rarely open-ended, which meant the film disappeared from theaters just as word of mouth was building. When it hit VHS, home video was still a rental business, so fans spread the ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at The Onion A.V. Club (Noel Murray)

Needcoffee.com - DVD Review

It's the 1940s and it's time for a slice of good old fashioned twisted Americana. Ralphie (Billingsley) knows, I mean knows what he wants--nay, needs--for Christmas. It's a Red Ryder Carbine Action, Two-Hundred Shot, Range Model Air Rifle. Trouble is, ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at Needcoffee.com - DVD Review

The Flick Filosopher (MaryAnn Johanson)

Okay, let's see: I'm a girl, not a boy. I was a kid in the 70s, not the 40s. And I can't ever remember wanting anything for Christmas with the kind of feverish desperation that Ralphie yearns for a BB gun. So why do I feel as if A Christmas Story is ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at The Flick Filosopher (MaryAnn Johanson)

Raging Bull

Magic and nostalgia are the first two words that pop into my head when I think of Bob Clark's 1983 classic, A Christmas Story. With the probable exception of Star Wars, it was the movie I watched the most during my childhood. Unlike many of the movies I ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at Raging Bull

TV Guide Entertainment Network, Movie Guide

Somehow usually tasteless director Bob Clark, whose specialty was fairly vile exploitation movies (PORKY'S and the even worse PORKY'S II: THE NEXT DAY), managed to make a totally charming and lovable Christmas film. Based on the short stories of ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at TV Guide Entertainment Network, Movie Guide

Reel.com DVD review (James Plath)

The year it premiered, A Christmas Story didn't play in theaters over Christmas. It opened around Thanksgiving and was pulled shortly before the big holiday because it lost money. Since then, the film has paid big dividends as one of the season's most ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at Reel.com DVD review (James Plath)

DVD Verdict (Bill Gibron)

Man, have we ruined Christmas. We is, of course, used in the strict pejorative sense since there is not a single member of the human race on the planet Earth that hasn't vamped their Visa in the over promotion of Jesus' day of birth. It used to be that ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at DVD Verdict (Bill Gibron)

Austin Chronicle (Alison Macor)

If you can't beat the usual pre-holiday hype, at least laugh at it. Watching A Christmas Story can help. For those who haven't seen this classic holiday tale, the film tells the story of Ralphie (Billingsley), a young boy who wants nothing more for ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at Austin Chronicle (Alison Macor)

Movie Criticism for the Retarded

The original tagline to the film that winds up atop our Retarded Christmas Top Ten is "A Tribute to the Original, Traditional, One-Hundred-Percent, Red-Blooded, Two-Fisted, All-American Christmas." And nothing could be further from the truth. A ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at Movie Criticism for the Retarded

The DVD Report (Britt Gillette)

Adapted from humorist Jean Shepherd's hilarious memoir In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, A Christmas Story has climbed the ranks of the annual holiday classic films list to claim its spot among the hallowed elite of the genre. ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at The DVD Report (Britt Gillette)

Movieprop.com: Review and Plot Summary

Growing up almost everyone had at least one Christmas that was especially memorable; complete with the big gift that would be cherished forever. In A Christmas Story a young boy named Ralphie wanted a Red Rider BB gun more than anything. Naturally he ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at Movieprop.com: Review and Plot Summary

Listen To Me

Ah, Christmas. The time of year where everyone gets together, united under the common idea of commercialism, to be merry and sing songs about some Jesus guy they've likely never heard of and of Santa who died for our sins when he fell down a chimney. ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at Listen To Me

ReelViews (James Berardinelli)

Click to read the article ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)

Mutant Reviewers From Hell

I can't believe it. I have been toiling here at the MRFH for YEARS under the impression that I'd already reviewed A Christmas Story. I kind of had, actually. I had written up a post for the now-and-forever-defunct PoolMan's Picks exclaiming my great ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at Mutant Reviewers From Hell

NightsAndWeekends.com (Kristin Dreyer Kramer)

We all have our Christmas favorites. Some watch It's a Wonderful Life religiously every December. Some can't live without watching at least one version of A Christmas Carol. But for me, it's A Christmas Story. ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at NightsAndWeekends.com (Kristin Dreyer Kramer)

Reel.com

The movie is based on Jean Shepherd's autobiographical novel, In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, and it's Shepherd's narrative voice we hear as the adult Ralphie, who recalls Christmas Past with Scrooged-like tongue planted in cheek. All young ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at Reel.com

Cinema Laser (Derek M. Germano)

In the twenty years since the film has been released, it has gone from a very funny movie, to an annual yuletide favorite, and finally, a recognized holiday classic. ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at Cinema Laser (Derek M. Germano)

DVD Verdict

What could be better at Christmas time than the aptly named film A Christmas Story? Directed by Bob Clark (Porky's) and based on the late Jean Shepherd's book In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, A Christmas Story is a yuletide classic starring ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at DVD Verdict

DVDAnswers.com - region 1 review (Paul Cooke)

In 1983, a low budget movie called 'A Christmas Story' came and went with little notice. Two decades later, the film has become a holiday cult classic and is shown on television numerous times between Thanksgiving and Christmas. ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at DVDAnswers.com - region 1 review (Paul Cooke)

Apollo Guide (Dan Jardine)

In A Christmas Story, nine year-old Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley) wants an official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle, with a compass on the stock and this thing which tells time. He's going to make sure everybody ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at Apollo Guide (Dan Jardine)

Movie Views (Ryan Cracknell)

Let's face it. Most kids love Christmas for the presents. As much as we'd like to make them believe that it's all about the giving, they prefer the toy fire truck or the Baby Wets Her Pants over watching Dad open up yet another striped tie or seeing Mom ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at Movie Views (Ryan Cracknell)

Albuquerque Alibi (Devin D. O'Leary)

Initially ignored on its theatrical release, this hilarious film has gone on to become a holiday classic. There's only one "scary Santa" scene, but is it memorable. Based on the writings of homey humorist Jean Shepherd, Story tells the story of young ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at Albuquerque Alibi (Devin D. O'Leary)

Exclaim! DVD (Noel Dix)

While classics It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol are considered essential holiday viewing, it's the legendary A Christmas Story that has been the season's true champion for the past 20 years. ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at Exclaim! DVD (Noel Dix)

DVD Authority.com (Matt Brighton)

It's hard to believe, but it's been twenty years since "A Christmas Story" was originally released in theaters. I remember seeing it for the first time and it's not often that a movie gains such status as to be declared an "Instant Classic". ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at DVD Authority.com (Matt Brighton)

Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

Of course. That's what I kept saying during "A Christmas Story," every time the movie came up with another one of its memories about growing up in the 1940s. Of course, any nine-year-old ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

Audio Revolution

One of the nice things about period films - those set in an era substantially earlier than the year of their making - is that they tend to age well. ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at Audio Revolution

3 Black Chicks ("Bams")

Not if you ask Ralphie's Mom (Melinda Dillon), who firmly believes that he'd shoot his eye out. Ralphie's Dad (Darren McGavin) doesn't have much to say on the subject, though; he's too busy fending off the dreaded Bumpus Hounds, fighting a furnace ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at 3 Black Chicks ("Bams")

Crazy for Cinema (Lisa Skrzyniarz)

Though I don't think this film was very popular when it first came out, it is now a cult classic with good reason. I look forward to the holiday season a little bit more because I know this will be playing several times all over the tube. If you've ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at Crazy for Cinema (Lisa Skrzyniarz)

DVD Verdict (Patrick Naugle)

It's 1940 and Christmas time is just around the corner. In Indiana, little Ralphie (Billingsley) lives with his parents (the wonderful Darren McGavin and Melinda Dillion) and his little brother Randy (Ian Petrella). They are a typical '40s middle class ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at DVD Verdict (Patrick Naugle)

Christian Spotlight on the Movies

Wow, what a trip into the past this one is! A composite of late humorist/author Jean Shepherd's short stories recounting his childhood growing up in the post WW2 era midwest. An utterly charming, and altogether wonderful film. Set in 1940's Cleveland, ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at Christian Spotlight on the Movies

Time Out

Surely everyone remembers how they felt, at primary school, when a literary masterpiece came back marked with a mere C+? This and many other such crimes perpetrated by the adult world on the inhabitants of kid-dom are exposed in this nostalgic mock-epic ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at Time Out

DVD MovieGuide

Adapted from the stories of Jean Shepherd and narrated by the author, Story easily could have turned into a cheesy and tacky piece of nostalgia. However, Clark maintains Shepherd's innate cynicism well through this flick. ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at DVD MovieGuide

Box Office Prophets

Yes, this gentle look at a child's Christmas adventures in the suburbs of 1940s Cleveland has quietly stepped into the ranks of time-honored Christmas classics. The tale of eight-year-old Ralphie Parker's quest to receive a Red Ryder carbine-action ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at Box Office Prophets

DVD Town (John J. Puccio)

Understand, Christmas classics are hard to come by. Nothing tops "It's a Wonderful Life," of course, but several others are high on the list: "A Christmas Carol" (1951) and "Miracle on 34th Street" (1947), surely; and more recently "A Christmas ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at DVD Town (John J. Puccio)

Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

There are many small but perfect moments in "A Christmas Story," and one of the best comes after the Lifebouy is finally removed from Ralphie's mouth and he is sent off to bed. His mother studies the bar, thinks for a moment, and then sticks it in her ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

Boxoffice Magazine

Set in that most all-American time and place -- 1940s Indiana -- "A Christmas Story" follows a simple thread -- the quest of nine-year-old Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) to get the one gift that means anything -- a Red Ryder Carbine-Action 200-Shot BB Air ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at Boxoffice Magazine

DVD Talk (Marc Girdler)

Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) can only think of one thing he wants for Christmas this year, a Red Rider BB gun. But before Christmas arrives, Ralphie goes through the gauntlet of holiday woes. You name it, it happens to Ralphie or someone he knows. The ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at DVD Talk (Marc Girdler)

Steve Rhodes

The story is nominally about Ralphie's quest to get an air rifle for Christmas and not just any air rifle a genuine Red Ryder. The gun quest serves as a glue to hold together a ragtag collection of childhood incidents. Ralph, a preppiedressed kid ...read the complete Christmas Story movie review at Steve Rhodes

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Christmas Story, A (1983) Rank 5 Reviews

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