Richard Roeper started his review by saying, “If
Hollywood delivered a decades-later sequel titled “It’s Still a Wonderful Life”
that picked up the story of Zuzu Bailey as a middle-aged florist undergoing her
own existential crisis, or “Another Miracle on 34th Street,” with Susan Walker
all grown up and having forgotten she once believed in Kris Kringle, you
wouldn’t expect either to be great, right?” You might even wonder why the
makers would even try to make a sequel.
Roeper said, “That’s how I felt when I heard about “A
Christmas Story Christmas,” the long discussed and finally realized sequel to
the 1983 cultural touchstone.” Was it smart to see the life of the adult
Ralphie Parker decades later? Isn’t there something magical about Ralphie and
the Old Man and Flick and Schwartz and everyone that are now a part of
nostalgia?
Roeper noted, “Remember or not, we actually did get a
sequel to “It’s a Wonderful Life” in the forgettable and regrettable 1990
Family Channel movie “Clarence,” with Robert Carradine (!) as the angel
Clarence Odbody, and there WAS a sequel of sorts to “A Christmas Story” in “A
Christmas Story 2” (2012), a straight-to-DVD release set six years after the
events of “A Christmas Story.” with a young fellow named Braeden Lemasters as a
teenage Ralphie and Daniel Stern as the Old Man. Still, it’s as if “A Christmas
Story 2” never existed for 99.9% of the population.”
Now comes a real sequel: “A Christmas Story Christmas,”
directed by Clay Kaytis and based on the characters and writings of Jean
Shepherd. You won’t be surprised to hear it’s nowhere near being equal to the
original, but it succeeds as a sweet, family-friendly sequel, with the welcome
return of Peter Billingsley as Ralph and so many of the other actors back in
their memorable roles. Roeper compared, “It’s a bit like attending a 40-year
reunion and telling old stories while trying to re-create a few of those crazy
adventures from days gone by.”
The exact year of “A Christmas Story” was never told
(it’s either 1940 or 1941), but the kitchen calendar tells us the sequel is set
in December 1973, with Billingsley’s Ralphie Parker being the narrator, telling
audiences they’re at “our humble abode on the South Side of (Chicago), just like
I remember in all of its yellow, orange and avocado green glory.” Ralphie is
married to the lovely and kind Sandy (Erinn Hayes), and they have two adorable
children, Mark (River Drosche) and Julie (Julianna Layne), who are very excited
for Christmas, which will really go in full throttle when Ralphie’s parents
arrive in Chicago in a few days. Meanwhile, Ralphie is desperately trying to
sell his first novel, a 2,000-page sci-fi story Neptune’s Oblivion,
which has been rejected by more than a dozen publishers. (If only Ralphie would
consider writing about experiences closer to home)
Then Ralphie’s mom calls and lets her know the Old Man
has passed.
Ralphie, Sandy and the kids drive to Ralphie’s hometown
of Hohman, Indiana, where they’ll spend the holidays with Ralphie’s mom, played
by Julie Hagerty, in “our old house on Cleveland Street (that) looked like it
had been frozen in time.”
Indeed, it does. However, since the Old Man has passed,
doesn’t that mean Christmas will be put on hold for a memorial service? The script
deals with that by having Ralphie’s mom say, “all that can wait. Your father
was so excited about Christmas. If he saw us moping around, he’d throw a fit.”
This gives the family the ability to go on a series of adventures that consists
of snowball fights, fights with some local bullies, the journey for the perfect
toys, a couple of slapstick injuries, and inevitably, a visit to Higbee’s
Department Store, with its amazing window displays, and a Santa Claus who still
sits way up high and a helper elf who pushes kids down a dangerous slide.
Roeper noted, “Director Kaytis indulges in a few fun
stylistic flourishes, e.g., a snowball fight is filmed like a shootout in a
Spaghetti Western, but for the most part, “A Christmas Story Christmas” is
rendered in a low-key, straightforward style, as Ralphie struggles with the
loss of his father, his flailing writing career and a number of setbacks to his
plans for a perfect Christmas.” Along the way, he reunites with important
people from his childhood, including Flick (Scott Schwartz), who has inherited
Flick’s Tavern from his father, Schwartz (R.D. Robb), who famously triple-dog
dared Flick to stick his tongue on that frozen pole and these days is running
up a huge tab at Flick’s Tavern and living with his mom, and the infamous Scott
“Scut” Farkus (Zack Ward), and you just have to see the movie to see what
happened to Farkus. (Ralphie’s younger brother Randy, best remembered for being
reduced immobile by too many layers of winter clothing, also makes an
appearance, with Ian Petrella reprising the role.)
“A Christmas Story Christmas” has occasional quick clip
from the first film, and the closing credits remind everyone of just how many
scenes in the sequel mirror events from the original. If watching “A Christmas
Story” is a part of your annual holiday tradition, you might want to make time
to see the sequel. It’ll make for another treat to Christmas nostalgia.
For another surprising sequel to “A Christmas Story,”
I have to say this one is very well done. It doesn’t try to copy the first one
in any way or redo the same story, it tells another story that really gives you
the right emotions. You feel so good, you will laugh, and I wouldn’t be
surprised if certain moments that will make you cry. Check this out if you have
an HBO Max because you will love it. Forget about “A Christmas Story 2,” that
didn’t exist. See the first movie, then play this on HBO Max, this is a true
sequel.
Thank you for joining in on this review tonight. Stay
tuned tomorrow for the conclusion of “Benicio Del Toro Month.”
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