The beloved Christmas movie A Christmas Story has served as a source of holiday nostalgia for many decades. However, the new movie A Christmas Story Christmas brings new life to the original story.
The original 1983 movie follows Ralphie Parker and his family during Christmas in 1940. He’s determined to open a Red Ryder BB-Gun on Christmas morning despite several warnings from his mother, teachers, and even Santa Claus himself that he will shoot his eye out. The movie has embedded itself into holiday culture with its signature slapstick comedy and has won the hearts of even the biggest Scrooges.
The long awaited sequel takes place in 1973 as Ralphie (Peter Billingsly), a struggling writer, tries to get his book published before the end of the year. He looks forward to spending the holidays with his family at his house, but after receiving a troubling phone call from his mother, he must return home to Indiana to create a magical Christmas without his father.
Ralphie stays true to his character with his childlike imagination and infamous daydreams appearing in this movie, just like the original. It’s interesting to see such an iconic character all grown up with a family of his own. His son Mark (River Dorshe) takes after his father in the movie and can be seen recreating his dad’s famous moments from the first movie.
However, this isn’t the first time A Christmas Story sequel has come out. In early September of 2012, A Christmas Story 2 was released, but with none of the original cast in the movie and poor writing, the movie was far from a success. This time, though, the movie was able to recapture the magic of the original without overusing callbacks and bad jokes.
The theme of love and loss during the holidays is something that almost everyone can connect to. It’s hard not to think about loved ones this time of year, no matter where they may be. This movie does a good job of portraying how difficult the holidays can be without loved ones.
The two films are able to convey how different Christmas is when you are a kid versus an adult. For both the holidays can be quite stressful. As a kid you are hoping that you get the gift you want and don’t end up with coal in your stocking. As a parent the pressure is on to create the perfect Christmas for your kids. Although it can be stressful, spending time with family and loved ones eases the pressure.
Both movies are available on HBO Max with a subscription and the sequel can be rented on Amazon Prime. It’s hard to tell whether or not this movie will live up to the expectations set by the original, but nonetheless this heartwarming story will put you right in the Christmas spirit.