Everyone (except Charlie) is a fan of A Christmas Story. The movie plays annually on TBS in a 24 hour marathon starting on the day before Christmas and lasting through Christmas Day. In 2007 AOL named it the #1 Christmas movie of all time. I don't know anyone who doesn't delight in watching the antics of Ralphie and the rest of the Parker family as they celebrate Christmas.
But the film was not always this popular. In 1983 no one would have predicted A Christmas Story would become a beloved classic, taking it's place beside It's A Wonderful Life, White Christmas, Holiday Inn and other beloved American Christmas movies. The film opened on November 18, 1983 to mostly negative reviews. Vincent Canby of the NY Times complained that director Bob Clark did not have the right touch to translate Jean Shepherd's prose. Canby said it would be funnier to watch a TV sitcom with the sound turned off then to watch the adult actors struggle through the material. Roger Ebert gave the film a positive review but suggested that because holiday films were out of favor, the movie might not find an audience. He was right. It had a weak opening of $2 million and then slowly disappeared from theatres.
It was a moderate financial success for MGM, with a budget of 3.5 million and final box office gross of $19 million. The studio did themselves a disservice by marketing the film as a big comedy, highlighting the more crazy aspects, the leg lamp, the bunny suit, rather than showcasing the film as a heartwarming family Christmas movie for all ages.
It wasn't until the film was rediscovered on home video that it began to find a following. Families would play this heart warming tale for Christmas. The film was shown on HBO and then Fox and Turner networks. Word of mouth spread and the film started becoming part of people's holiday traditions.
Today it just wouldn't be Christmas without Ralphie and his "official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model air rifle with a compass in the stock, and this thing which tells time." the film perfectly catches what it's like to be a kid at Christmas and gives us all glimpse of pre-WWII America.
At The Movie House rating **** stars
2 comments:
Great movie, great review...I question whether this movie was pre-ww2 America...I'd place it more late 40's even early 50's
They purposely left the year obscure but there are some tell tale clues that put the film at pre-WWII December 1939 or 1940. The Little Orphan Annie De-coder ring Ralphie receives is the one offered in 1940. Ovaltine distributed these rings from 1935-1940.
The inclusion of the Wizard of Oz Characters in the Christmas parade, including the flying monkees from the movie, put the film after 1939. All the cars are 1930's and early 40's models. Only one soldier is seen in uniform at the very beginning looking in the window. There are no flags or banners in homes indicating a some one serving in WWII
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