This is not a very long post, but think of it as my official holiday film recommendation.
If you’ve ever been part of an American family which celebrates Christmas annually, then there is no way you can’t identify with every moment of A Christmas Story. The frustrations of winter, the basic family dynamics, and above all the idea that if a child doesn’t get that one thing they’ve wanted all year then Christmas will be absolutely ruined for all time. In the case of Ralphie Parker, he needs, not wants, needs an official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle.
However, he’s the only one who thinks it’s a good idea. The answer he gets at every turn: “you’ll shoot your eye out.” That is but just one story in this episodic Christmas masterpiece which chronicles the mundane activities of a family as Christmas day quickly approaches. It is all captured with a dark wit and great narration by Jean Shepherd, the man who not only co-wrote the screenplay but also the book on which the film is based. It’s mature enough to be appreciated by adults and kids alike, as anyone can relate to each and every scene.
Besides the main BB-gun plot, the most famous part of the film remains the leg-shaped lamp, the “major award” won by Ralphie’s father in a contest. The father is endlessly proud of his achievement, but the wife is embarrassed by this smutty addition to the living room furnishings. When the lamp is finally broken, the scene of Darren McGavin’s father character shocked in to speechlessness is one of the film’s joys. Oh, and the bunny pajamas. Those glorious, glorious bunny pajamas.
There’s a reason A Christmas Story airs for 14 hours straight on TBS each year. You can drop in for ten minutes and leave with a smile, or just sit back and watch the whole film unfold. I have seen it countless times and there has not been a single viewing which left me unsatisfied. This is the very definition of a “slice of life” comedy, warts and all. It captures the joys and fears of the Christmas season as well as any film I’ve seen.
I very much wanted to write a Christmas post, though time did not allow for the more comprehensive Christmas movie list thingamajig I was interested in. Instead I chose to write on a single movie, and while many were suggested/came to mind (Elf, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, the always reliable It’s a Wonderful Life) but instead I chose the film which has inspired many of my online profile pictures for the last few weeks. A Christmas Story captures everything great (and ugly) about American life around the holidays in a single, hilarious package. After all the shopping and mayhem leading up to Christmas, the day itself reminds us exactly why it exists.
While I love A Christmas Story and agree that it is one of the best holiday moves out there the argument to back up this conclusion is weak.
ReplyDeleteThe main conclusion is, “A Christmas Story captures everything great (and ugly) about American life around the holidays in a single, hilarious package.”
The first supporting point (“If you’ve ever been part of an American family which celebrates Christmas annually, then there is no way you can’t identify with every moment of A Christmas Story.”) is trying to make a point that simply cannot be true.
The American family is so diverse and people celebrate Christmas in a number of different ways that to suggest that every American family who celebrates Christmas can identify with every moment in the movie is simply not true.
The next line supports my point saying, “The frustrations of winter, the basic family dynamics, and above all the idea that if a child doesn’t get that one thing they’ve wanted all year then Christmas will be absolutely ruined for all time.”
While some or all of these things may be true for some people, they are certainly all not true for all people.
The article then goes onto summarize the story and while this is important it does not do anything to support the argument.
The second graph ends with, “It’s mature enough to be appreciated by adults and kids alike, as anyone can relate to each and every scene.”
Here again is a statement that just can’t be true. There is no way every person can relate to every scene.
The conclusion that is being argued is not a bad one (though I could take issue with the word everything), but it is not backed up in the argument. The argument is generalized and would be better if it included specific examples of thing in the movie that would appeal to different groups.
P.S. Merry Christmas Matt!
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