I have a bit of a different relationship with the classic Christmas film A Christmas Story. I didn’t grow up watching it, to the chagrin of everyone I met in may late twenties and early thirties. My friends would all chime in when they learned of this fact. “But Brandon, it’s such a you movie! How have you not seen it yet?” But sometimes those pop-culture gems can slip right past you. It was just never a household staple the way some other Christmas classics became. Rest assured, I did finally make time to sit and watch A Christmas Story-years ago. And I indeed recognize it for what it is: a perfect Christmas movie. Two nights ago, I sat down to watch it again to prep for the sequel A Christmas Story Christmas on HBO Max. Where we revisit Ralphie again, except this time, he’s the dad.
I promise no spoilers, but the trailers explained that Ralphie is dealing with the loss of his own father in this Christmas tale. For this reason he takes his family back to his home town where we get to see the house we’re so familiar with from the first film. Right off the bat, the movie is doing a lot of things right. Set in the early 70’s, the time is right for Ralphie to be married and have a couple young kiddos. The outfits, the wallpaper, the cars and furniture are constantly reminding you of the year. And most of the same cast members are back to reprise their role as adults.
Going in, I worried about the imagined dream sequences. As I’m sure you know, Ralphie often daydreamed as a kid. I worried the filmmakers were going to shrug that off, thinking Ralphie too old for such silliness. But, the movie comes through again, letting grown up Ralphie get lost in his thoughts of imagined scenarios of heroism as well as hopeless failings. The film is seen through Ralphie’s eyes again. We still get his iconic voiceover narrative. But this time, he’s worried about giving his kids a “perfect Christmas.” This in the shadow of the passing of their grandfather, and Ralphie’s dad.
The film also gets points even for recreating some of the same camera shots and angles from the original film. They’re recognizable, but never took me out of the film. In fact, the entire movie feels like a loving homage to the original. Ralphie feels like a believable adult version of the kid we all know and love. Still, there’s something about the movie that keeps it from becoming its own classic.
My wife made the point that it needed a bit more quirk. A lot of the charm from the original film came from its weirdness. Has anyone seen a leg lamp quite like that one before? Has anyone since? That leg lamp was instantly iconic. As well as Ralphie’s Old Man’s reaction to it. Ralphie needed a “leg lamp moment” of his own somehow. But we never get it. The movie plays it straight. Even giving us a strong emotional moment near the end that I wont spoil here, but had my wife in tears.
In the end, A Christmas Story Christmas is a fit sequel. There’s enough call backs to the first to hit all those nostalgic notes. And the filmmakers do well to place this film in the 70’s and make everything look so…groovy. Everyone is charming and the emotional pull is real. The movie clocks in at just over an hour and half. But I think it would’ve done well for us to spend a bit more time with 70’s Ralphie, and his family. It also would be fun to see some of his dad’s quirky weirdness come out in Ralphie as a grown up. But-all in all-it was fun to go back and see what Ralphie, and his whole home town, is like all grown up. Instant classic it isn’t, but it will still get you right in the feels.
A Christmas Story Christmas is available to stream only on HBO Max. Check out the trailer here.