X
- 1983
- PG
- American Broadcasting Company (ABC)
- 1 h 34 m
- 1983
- PG
- American Broadcasting Company (ABC)
- 1 h 34 m
Summary This delightfully funny holiday gem tells the story of Ralphie Parker a 1940's nine-year-old who pulls out all the stops to obtain the ultimate Christmas present. (Warner Bros.)
Directed By: Bob Clark
Written By: Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown, Bob Clark
- 1983
- PG
- American Broadcasting Company (ABC)
- 1 h 34 m
- 1983
- PG
- American Broadcasting Company (ABC)
- 1 h 34 m
A Christmas Story
77
7.8
Where to Watch
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Summary This delightfully funny holiday gem tells the story of Ralphie Parker a 1940's nine-year-old who pulls out all the stops to obtain the ultimate Christmas present. (Warner Bros.)
Directed By: Bob Clark
Written By: Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown, Bob Clark
Where to Watch
Coming Soon
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 16 Critic Reviews
77
75% Positive
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
25% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 16 Critic Reviews
77
75% Positive
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
25% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
In short, A Christmas Story isn't just about Christmas; it's about childhood and it recaptures a time and place with love and wonder. It seems an instant classic, a film that will give pleasure to people not only this Christmas, but for many Christmases to come. [19 Nov 1983, p.1]
Best of all, it's just a story of a kid's Christmas. There is no big spiritual redemption, no one has to learn a lesson.
By Cindy White FULL REVIEW
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 157 User Ratings
7.8
85% Positive
134 Ratings
134 Ratings
10% Mixed
16 Ratings
16 Ratings
4% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 157 User Ratings
7.8
85% Positive
134 Ratings
134 Ratings
10% Mixed
16 Ratings
16 Ratings
4% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
Aug 30, 2024
A yuletide tradition for my family (and many others, no doubt) that was a staple long before TBS started spamming it nonstop on Christmas Day each year. It's warm, funny, poignant and relatable without stretching itself thin and effortlessly captures the dueling heartaches and wonders that embody the holiday season for many generations of American children. Infinitely quotable, its one-liners have yet to wear thin and the expertly-paced plot delivers both roses and speed races with grand efficiency. One I'll never get tired of. Additional thoughts from 2012: An annual family tradition - I covered this last year, but forgot to mention just how much I love the narration. Snappily written, superbly paced and expertly delivered, it's picture perfect. I've seen this so many times I can recite good chunks of it line-for-line, but it still hasn't worn thin. Can't wait to share it with my kids again next year. Additional thoughts from 2018: We watch it every year, as I'm sure do many other families. For my money, it's the perfect Christmas movie. Witty and real, smart and accessible, you don't need to be a child of the '50s to appreciate and understand this snapshot of a happily dysfunctional midwestern family during the holidays. Some experiences are eternal, no matter when / where you were born. My boys were finally old enough to follow and appreciate the plot this year, to laugh at the right times, and the whole family was in the right mood for it, which isn't always easy with annual holiday stress in the air. I related with the old man more than ever this year, cackling at his cranky sarcasm and world-weary grimace. What a great performance. Can't wait to watch it again at the end of 2019. Updated thoughts from 2020: Feed this to me with a spoon. Gotta think I've seen it every year since the late '80s, when it became a staple for my family on HBO and then gradually developed into a widely recognized TBS tradition. Even though I didn't grow up in '40s / '50s suburban Chicagoland, never had to deal with an invading pack of bird-hungry hounds or lusted after a well-branded air rifle, I can identify with every bit of A Christmas Story's sentiment. There's something universal about this story, from the little annoyances of marching to school in the snow and ice to the wider, sweeping themes of a quirk-accepting family and a turbulent fifth grade pecking order. Nobody's perfect, least of all the primary characters, and in their faults we're able to spot some of our own, to spare a few chuckles at the general absurdity of our mutual condition. Ralphie and his family spend many nights at each other's throats, **** and sparring over small gripes, but there's a tangible sense of understanding and warmth that bonds them like glue. This story is beloved for a reason. Updated thoughts after a 2022 re-watch: I didn’t grow up in the 1940s. Obviously, my kids didn’t either. Hell, my parents weren’t even born until the middle of the following decade. So why does this overly sentimental dash of era-specific holiday cheer hold such a special place in my heart? Why do I still cackle like a fool when I can recite all the punchlines? Why can I relate so easily to its themes and characters? I don’t rightly know, but it’s all true. As a kid, my sister and I would religiously throw new pairs of dress socks over our shoulder, aping Ralphie and his brother. I knew the unique endorphin rush of planting myself in front of a favorite evening program; the raw fear of standing up to a bully that had me out-muscled and intimidated; the untamed lawlessness of the playground. As I’ve grown into middle age, I haven’t lost touch with the realities behind those well-loved signature scenes. Instead, I’ve developed an equally powerful admiration for the adult perspective. Now I appreciate the exhaustive desperation of dinner with a picky eater. The rising urge to spout “do as I say, not as I do” without the slightest hint of irony. The amplified magic of giving the best gift of the season and watching stars twinkle in the eyes of its recipient. It delivers all this amid a ninety-minute string of huge laughs, expertly teased and foreshadowed and paid off. There’s a lot of meat on this bone, but by the time the on-screen holiday has come and gone, we have nothing left to pick. It’s a holiday classic for good reason. Our societal scenery may have changed a little, but the messages and feelings and distinct personalities have basically remained the same. Any other movie, I’d get tired of watching on an annual basis. This one hits my belly like a splash of whisky, all warm and spicy and good. This one feels like home.
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Jan 1, 2023
This is the Definition of the Perfect Christmas Movie that everyone should see once. Also Bob Clark, (the guy who directed this movie) 9 years earlier made a horror movie about Christmas.
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This richly remembered tale of Christmas past, with writer Jean Shepherd recalling the days when a Red Ryder BB gun really meant something, is already something of a Christmas perennial.
Writer-director Bob Clark had long dreamed of making a movie based on Shepherd’s work and his reverence for the material shows through as detail after nostalgic detail rings true with period flavor.
By Staff (Not Credited) FULL REVIEW
The director, Bob Clark, has earned a reputation for childish leanings in some of his earlier work, and A Christmas Story does have a few stupid and vulgar touches. But these pass quickly, while the movie's overall sense of goodwill lingers.
Director Bob Clark teamed with nostalgic humorist Jean Shepherd for this squeaky clean and often quite funny 1983 yuletide comedy, adapted from Shepherd's novel In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash.
Needless to say, what's refreshing about A Christmas Story is subversive to the sepia-toned and loving references to the forties which director Bob Clark has provided for the film. The fictional Parker family that Shepherd has written about for 20 years is not as gentle or gauzy as they first appear. It's possible to imagine them so preoccupied with their own problems, whether dealing with the neighbor's dogs or winning a mail- order contest, that they could forget Christmas altogether. [25 Nov 1983, p.E5]
By Stephen Godfrey
Dec 25, 2012
A perfect Christmas movie, if not a perfect film. This is one of the movies that you revisit every year, and is a joy to do so. A joy to talk about with friends, and a joy to recite your favorite lines. This is one of those movies where when the next scene pops up you think, oh yeah I have been waiting for this part, just delightful throughout. I love the narration in this film, the poetry of of the narration against the story of this young man adds humor in almost every scene. There are also many great tender moments in this comedy. Ralphie's moment with his mom after beating up the bully, and his father giving him the bb gun at the end are my two favorite. I look forward to watching this movie every year, I hope TBS never ends there 24 hours of A Christmas Story.
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Mar 28, 2022
What a wonderful movie! I didn't realise Bob Clark had a movie in him like this. In fact I had to double check that it was Bob Clark who directed this, because while Black Christmas was good, he also did the atrocious Baby Geniuses movies and the lacklustre Rhinestone. Here in A Christmas Story though, this is not only the best I've seen Clark direct but I think it is his best film too. I love Christmas movies, and while A Christmas Story is not my absolute favourite, I think it fully deserves its title as timeless Christmas treasure. The film looks great with the cinematography skillful and the locations striking. The script is always witty and insightful, I loved the home truths and the lack of smut and saccharin which may have marred the film slightly if included. The story is beautifully structured and an enormous joy all the same. The pace was spot on too, while the entire cast performed impeccably. In fact, everything I have to say about A Christmas Story is good. It could have been a little longer perhaps, but overall this film is a classic and never less than hugely enjoyable. 9.5/10 Bethany Cox
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Feb 8, 2021
Cute movie with some great scenes. Especially it was funny to listen to the explanations of the boy and see how he understands the world.
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Jan 17, 2014
A very creepy holiday movie as a kid growing up even owning the leg lamp from this movie, I can say I hate this movie and it ruins the holidays for me. I will say the father in the movie was great and probably can related to any ones dad but, What I find creepy in this movie is the narrator voice hearing the voice every christmas over and over dramatically explaining his most memorable Christmas is terrible as well as the creepy Santa Claus, his elf, and the little midget bully that until now I realizes he was really a kid. This has a huge Cult following and that makes me wonder in the voice of Kenan Thompson "WHY".
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Production Company
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
- Christmas Tree Films
Release Date Nov 18, 1983
Duration 1 h 34 m
Rating PG
Tagline Sometimes Christmas is about getting what you really want.
Awards
Genie Awards
• 2 Wins & 9 Nominations
Young Artist Awards
• 3 Nominations
National Film Preservation Board, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
