Plot
Ralphie has to convince his parents, teachers, and Santa that a Red Ryder BB gun really is the perfect gift for the 1940's.
Release Year: 1983
Rating: 8.0/10 (62,980 voted)
Critic's Score: 77/100
Director:
Bob Clark
Stars: Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin
Storyline Ralphie, a young boy growing up in the '40's, dreams of owning a Red Rider BB gun. He sets out to convince the world this is the perfect gift. But along the way, he runs into opposition from his parents, his teacher, and even good 'ol Santa Claus himself.
Writers: Jean Shepherd, Jean Shepherd
Cast: Melinda Dillon
-
Mother
Darren McGavin
-
The Old Man
Scott Schwartz
-
Flick
Jean Shepherd
-
Ralphie as an Adult
(voice)
Ian Petrella
-
Randy
Tedde Moore
-
Miss Shields
R.D. Robb
-
Schwartz
Zack Ward
-
Scut Farkus
Yano Anaya
-
Grover Dill
Jeff Gillen
-
Santa Claus
Peter Billingsley
-
Ralphie
Colin Fox
-
Ming the Merciless
(scenes deleted)
Paul Hubbard
-
Flash Gordon
(scenes deleted)
Leslie Carlson
-
Christmas Tree Man
(as Les Carlson)
Jim Hunter
-
Freight Man
Filming Locations: 3159 W. 11th Street, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Box Office Details
Budget: $CAD4,000,000
(estimated)
Opening Weekend: $2,072,473
(USA)
(20 November 1983)
(886 Screens)
Gross: $19,294,144
(USA)
Technical Specs
Runtime:|
USA:
(20th Anniversary)
Did You Know?
Trivia:
The film was released just before Thanksgiving and became a surprise hit. By the time Christmas rolled around, the movie had already been pulled from most theaters because it had been "played out". After complaints were lodged at the theater owners and the studio, the film played on select screens until after the first of the year 1984.
Goofs:
Anachronisms:
The Davey Crockett hat that Scut Farkus wore didn't come out until the 1950s as part of the Fess Parker mania.
Quotes: Ralphie as Adult:
Mothers know nothing about creeping marauders burrowing through the snow toward the kitchen where only you and you alone stand between your tiny, huddled family and insensate evil.
User Review
A timeless Christmas film
Rating: 9/10
"A Christmas Story" is a rare film about children yet for adults. While
kids will definitely enjoy this Christmas-themed saga, adults will find a
deeper level of depth than they may remember from seeing the film at a
younger age.
The movie strikes a sharp contrast between the exaggerated, polysyllabic
narration of Ralphie, filled with nostalgia and lucid memories, and the
soft, high-pitched childlike wonder of Ralphie's spoken word. The
narrator
is clearly not the same character as the one portrayed on film, but a
character wholly outside the story, reliving his childhood emotions and
anecdotes. Yet he is the heart of the film, the true center of gravity.
This is because the movie is not about a scary Santa Clause and a BB
gun -
it's about childhood memories and the feelings they evoke. To that end,
"A
Christmas Story" is flawless.
"A Christmas Story" tells of the epically materialistic journey of
Ralphie
(Peter Billingsley) as he searches for the golden, upheld idol of all
red-blooded American boys: A Red Rider Air Rifle. Ralphie spins an
intricate web of cunning and deceit as he plots to get his hands on it -
including an essay, a trip to Santa Claus and more. The movie also shows
us
a glimpse of his family - his irritable, foul-mouthed father with a good
heart, his whiny brother Randy, and his sweet, all-American mother. It
is
not so much a continuous story as a series of vignettes, but it
ultimately
serves the movie's purpose.
This is a funny film. The narration by Jean Shepherd is filled with love
for this story. He absolutely captures the emotions and logic of
childhood.
In a subtle but amusing moment, Shepherd intones the incomparably
eloquent
pouring forth of thought into writing - only to have Billingsley note in
his
awe-filled, high-pitched voice that "I think everyone should have a Red
Rider BB gun. It's very good for Christmas." (paraphrased). Most of the
humor is similar - the natural exaggeration of a child as expressed by
Shepherd's consistent string of hyperbole.
Also, there's a reason why it's played constantly on cable TV throughout
the
Christmas season - it's a movie everyone can relate to. There are
moments
of such pure truth here that few can deny their power. I'm sure that
there
is a scientific law left unwritten that determines that every kid must at
some point fantasize about his parents feeling absolutely terrible and
forever regretting some unutterable punishment they inflicted on their
child
- in this case, the immortal washing of a mouth out with
soap.
Obviously, "A Christmas Story" is not a film that can be compared to
Casablanca or Citizen Kane. It simply excels at its simple goals, and
comes
together as an extraordinarily entertaining piece of cinema.
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