User reviews

Just watched this and to be honest I was hoping for the best but really expecting the worst.. Thats why, I watched it early.. Well thank god... It was a very worthy sequel to the Christmas classic.

Never over doing it and keeping the character's real.

It also benifits from getting many of the original cast back and keeping them very likable. Now, without giving to much away, the story now set in the early 70s and follows Ralphie now in his 40s coming to terms with his fathers (The Old Man) passing and also dealing with percieved personal faliures. But his mother has asked him to make a special christmas and thats what he's going to do. (All this is in the trailer).

The film has all the style of the original and the new character's such as Ralphies wife and kids are very well drawn and acted.

I will be watching this again as part of double features with the original closer to Christmas.

All in all a very fine sequel that manages to bring the story full circle..

Ralph's imagination cutaways were a bit overused, but this movie is everything a Christmas movie or story should be. Funny, poignant, impactful, silly, and nostalgic.

Tying to the original as it does but propelling us to the 'future" (in this case, the America of my childhood) without being heavy handed or unrealistic makes us feel all of the nostalgia and happiness for the characters of the original, and develop a deep connection to who those characters have become since.

Most importantly, it reminds us of how we've been touched by family and friends we Love who are no longer with us.

Thank you.

... This one was solid. Even better it isn't one of those garbage Christmas rom coms that get churned out this time of year. It got an extra star from me just for that!!!!

The story was touching. Independent from the first movie. But it stayed true to the first movie when important and had good callbacks. Peter Billingsly reprises Ralphie perfectly. The mannerisms and face expressions took me right back.

The story is relatable and touching. A little heavier in subject matter than the first. But plenty of lighter moments too. I liked the Christmas carolers scene because I feel the same way about them. Haha. Overall a pleasent watch. It's not going to replace the original as your favorite. But you're going to be able to sit thru the entire movie without questioning why they bothered making a sequel. And it's going to get you into the season!

There are plenty of clips from the homespun 1983 holiday classic of which this is the 33-years-later sequel. Peter Billingsley returns as Ralphie Parker, no longer a BB-gun-obsessed cherub but now a struggling novelist and married father of two in Chicago. The story pivots around his father's unexpected passing and his return back to his Indiana hometown where his mom and most of his childhood friends still live. The sitcom-level shenanigans are little changed from the original as our familiarity with the characters. What's different this time is how Ralphie's cherished upbringing serves as the catalyst for unleashing his writing talent. Julie Hagerty replaces Melinda Dillon as Ralphie's mom and injects her welcome trademark ditziness. The rest of the cast serves the story well. Fans of the original will likely not be disappointed except maybe the extended time lapse.

It starts out slow as it tries to give a recap of how we got to this time and place. But about midway through, it breaks into a memorable movie with some laugh out loud moments and some very touching scenes. Obviously Peter Billingsley had a lot of input but Vince Vaughn also leaves his mark on the story. Might not be the classic that the original one is, but it is certainly a well executed sequel destined to someday run back-to-back with the original in an all day marathon.

Ralphie may not be screaming Bumpus! Every five minutes like Darren McGavin did but then he was never destined to have the same personality as his on screen dad. He's the character we all assumed he would grow up to be.

I'll be honest! I was really very skeptical of this. How often does a sequel made almost 40 years later exceed expectation?? The original is so iconic. We absolutely love watching it every year. With this one, other than missing Melinda Dillon, it was wonderful that the entire cast came back, even Farkus! The tribute to "The Old Man" literally brought tears to my eyes! So much of the old magic along with some new magic! Really well done Ralphie!! I Hope that TBS & USA add this to their 24 hours of Christmas! Maybe they can alternate the two. Will definitely be added to our Christmas traditions!

That's key with a sequel to an iconic film. Just don't ruin the legacy of the original. Pay respects to the first with nostalgia while still introducing something new. I haven't seen the sequel from about ten years ago and don't plan to as it would only taint the original.

'A Christmas Story' is in my top three for Christmas movies, and possibly my number two favourite. It went a long way with having most of the original cast returning. I have to say my favourite was Officer Farkus, and those yellow eyes. My main criticism would actually be the mother. I know it's a different actress, but her character's personality seemed so different from the first one.

This happened to be our family's Christmas Eve movie this year and was just glad I did not end up disappointed.

I can't even begin to tell you how much this is needed. To be honest, I was really really sceptical when I heard that they were making a sequel. In my opinion, a Christmas story is the best Holiday movie ever made. So to fiddle with that can be very touchy. Thankfully they did the original movie justice and expanded on the original story. They didn't change any of the original events which made me really happy. It's amazing how through the years Ralphie has gotten older, but somehow looks exactly the same. It's a feel good movie which touches on a lot of nostalgia and tugs at your heartstrings. I cried through most of it... and that last scene. OMG, brings it all together. Just perfect.

Beautiful movie, and well done.

"Got to get it right" said Peter Billingsley in an interview of this movie. However, it was far from right and nothing more than Ralphie and the new gang doing similar, if not the same, scenes from "A Christmas Story". I was constantly wanting a new great adventure, however it was simply static nostalgia from the original. The original is why I watch these scenes! I did manage to pay attention, however this just reveals similar scenes from other classic Christmas movies like Home Alone, Christmas Vacation, and Funny Farm (fringe Christmas movie) to name a few. There is some great originality in the movie and it does elevate the movie, however it comes to life in the last third of the film with intertwined rehashed scenes. The best part of the movie are the sets and props as they did seem to capture the 70s ambiance. Overall and even without comparisons to the original this movie is full of stale flavored hash with bits of sweetness.

I was kind of bored most of the movie. The reason is because it made the mistake almost every bad sequel makes. They just tried to recreate every scene from the first movie. Well we already saw all those scenes and it was done better in the first movie. And I did not like the mom. She was nothing like the first actress who was mischievous and independent for her time. This lady came across as batty and timid.

Also, it bothered me that it's based on the 70s and they say they only have $21.18 to buy gifts with. In today's world that sounds like they have nothing to spend. And the gifts bought with that $21.18 look like it was bought with today's $21.18. But in 1973, $21.18 is worth almost $150 today. They could have bought the kids some nice gifts. They are relying on the fact that people today don't know that $21.18 in 1973 was a decent amount of money.

The other thing that really bothered me was that his dad has just passed and no one in the family is grieving at all, not the way you would when it first happens. Randy doesn't even come home for the passing? If you missed the scene where Ralphie gets the phone call and that is why they are going home to Indiana then you might think, based on the rest of the movie, that his old man died 10 months ago and this is just the first Christmas without him. There were touching moments of missing him at Christmas but not the way it should be if the person just passed away.

Those first few days when your dad or any really close loved one passes away, you grieve a lot. The pain is raw and every move you make shows it. Your face and eyes show it. There should have been a scene where the mom breaks down and there should have been a funeral scene of some kind, even if brief. As someone who has lost their dad, and someone who has lost a very beloved aunt 5 days before Christmas, I can guarantee you that is not how you act the days after someone you love dies, especially that close to Christmas.

The movie would have been really great if they would have emphasized the grief they were feeling that led to the ending. The scenes with memories of his old man's voice from the first movie were good. They should have just left it there and not tried to also recreate everything from the first movie. They focused on that more than the fact the old man just passed away. So it left the movie without any heart.

They did get one thing right. The casseroles. That is definitely an Indiana thing! I found the casseroles very funny. Also the carolers scenes were funny because it was original and not tryin to recreate the first movie. Really all the things they did original were good. I just did not like all the scenes trying to recreate the scenes fro the first movie because it made them cheesy. I wouldn't say it was the worst sequel I have ever seen. Just think they should have taken more time to focus on his love for his old man and less on the first movie.

Same tone, same vibe, same story but in a different way. I loved it. It had wonderful nods to the original, the spirit of the original, the aesthetic of the original. But a film that stands completely on its own. I absolutely loved it.

After watching it three times and then back to the original, I realized just how brilliant the ending is. It all comes full circle. BRILLIANT. I had to adjust my rating from a nine to a ten. This is how you make a compatible sequel.

As a big big fan of the original since I first saw it as a kid in the 1980s, this sequel definitely put a smile on my face and gave me that warm fuzzy feeling. I would be mad if this didn't play on the nostalgia. It's done in the right way, not heavy handed and pointless. Loved hearing the original score and seeing that original cast back. Melinda Dillon was sorely missed as the mom (I understand she has been retired for quite some time). Julie Hagerty is an adequate replacement.

A must see for any fan of the original and be sure to drink your Ovaltine.

The above summary is a quote from World War II. It was meant to encourage folks at home NOT to do unnecessary travel, due to the shortage on oil and tires. Well, the same quote can be used to describe "A Christmas Story Christmas". Was it really necessary? Not really. Now this is NOT to say that this new film is bad...it's not. I just don't think it was needed, nor adds anything to the original 1983 film, "A Christmas Story".

This new film counts on one thing...nostalgia. Again and again, references are made to the old film and the film tries to create a nice early 70s Christmas vibe. But here is the problem: the most exciting character from the first film, Darren McGavin, is dead, as well as the nearly complete absence of comedy...comedy that made the original film so beloved. Instead, all it has left is nostalgia...a longing for McGavin and a longing for bygone days...but nothing really more.

Yikes this was not good. I gave it an hour but just couldn't keep going. It leaned so hard on the exact scenes and characters and even actors of the original that it forgot the thing that actually makes the original work: Christmas through the eyes of a child. Christmas through the eyes of an adult Ralphie is not intriguing or magical. The narration only makes sense when it has the eyes of nostalgia and the unreliable narrator perspective of childhood.

Skip this and just watch 8-Bit Christmas, which is essentially A Christmas Story but set in the '80s. Or better yet, read the original stories the book was based on.

Peter Billingsley reprises his role as Ralph "Ralphie" Parker, the blue-eyed daydreamer who, as a young boy in the Midwest during the 1940s, longed to possess a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. Using Bob Clark's original 1983 holiday classic, "A Christmas Story", this film's producers have crafted a wonderfully updated and almost carbon-copied tale that at first glance felt a little light in creative writing until I realized just how important it was to structure the narrative so similarly to its original. It's a touching homage to what is now a yearly viewed ritual for millions of Christmas movie fanatics and a tribute to the original film's famed father figure, the Old Man, portrayed by the late Darrin McGavin.

It is now 33 years later and Ralph now has a family of his own consisting of his wife Sandy (Erinn Hayes), his son Mark (River Drosche), and daughter Julie (Julianna Layne), and Christmas is just around the corner when he receives notice of a family emergency from his mother (Julie Hagerty). A car ride later has the Parkers back in Ralphie's old haunts including his original childhood household. Yes, the neighborhood looks very much like it did so many years ago which adds to the warmth you get from your memories of the first movie. It also helps greatly when you get to also see quite a few of Ralph's neighborhood acquaintances that we've met and seen so many times before including Flick (Scott Schwartz), Schwartz (R. D. Robb) and even the green-eyed Scut Farkus (Zack Ward), all portrayed by their original actors. There are also enough flashbacks, soundbites, a few daydreams, and even a triple-dog-dare moment that add to the movie's charm with enough seventies updating to give you another chance to laugh once again at some scenes that closely mimic its predecessor.

Ralphie's snow-covered backyard makes an appearance as well as Higbee's Department Store fully decked out for the holidays along with a faithful recreation of Santa's meet-&-greet cotton-covered mountain. Yes, the slide is included. As the film went on it grew more sentimental by the minute and its conclusion I felt was just as delightful and emotional as the first movie. There have been other sequels produced in the past but this storyline ignores them all.

Will it become a yearly must-watch companion piece to compliment its popular original yuletide favorite? I don't see why it wouldn't but then again, only time will tell. Merry Christmas, everyone.

Don't raise your expectations so high that you expect this sequel to rival the original (most sequels fail in this regard). However, it's not bad and worth a watch. At the very least, it was great to see that many of the original cast members were brought back, 40 years later.

I was a huge fan of the 1980s original, grew up watching A Christmas Story (1983). In fact, i watched it so many times as a kid that the VHS tape was literally worn out beyond use, to the point where the sound and picture quality had completely deteriorated. Good thing modern digital media has truly preserved the film, so that I can enjoy the movie to this day, as if I was watching it on a brand-new VHS tape in a quality VCR.

While this 2022 sequel captures nostalgia of the original, the nostalgia seems a little forced to the point where this movie crosses the threshold of being a tad corny, akin to a "B" movie. It's not great, and the forced nostalgia gets a little old halfway through this film. Some of the scenes are moderately entertaining and somewhat unique...this sequel clearly tries to become a comedy as it progresses, but I didn't find anything particularly hilarious. I think the writers/directors/etc. Could've been much more creative with this film, taking full advantage of the film being set in the 1970s. This form feels more like 2022 clashing with a 70s set as the background and fails to properly capture the time period, a stark contrast to the original which captured the 1940s time period so well.

This one is not an A + + + film, it's also not an "F." It is worthy of a C+, has its entertaining, nostalgic moments, and overall is a fun movie to watch. It could've been a lot better.

You'll be hard pressed to find a bigger Christmas Story fan than myself. I love the original so much, and I'll be honest that I was nervous about a new one. Rarely do they find the right mix of nostalgia and new material, especially when there's big a long time since the original. However, perhaps people are starting to figure it out with the great Top Gun: Maverick and now A Christmas Story Christmas.

One of the things that is always worrisome is if they simply try and recreate those nostalgic moments. However, this movie finds ways to avoid those and create it's own new ones. For example, there is no forced scene where the oldest child has to wear the bunny outfit, or Ralphie getting a leg lamp, etc. In fact, the lamp, bunny outfit, Triple Dog Dare You and some other iconic moments are minimized and allowed to be left as memories for the characters the way they are for us.

It's far more emotional than I would have ever expected, acting as a fitting tribute to The Old Man and to Christmases of the past.

Ralphie still has an active imagination and there is one snowball fight daydream that is particularly funny.

Most of the original cast is brought back with the one exception being Mrs. Parker. If I had one complaint it would be that I thought Julie Hagerty played the mother a bit goofier than I thought she would be, but that's a minor gripe. I absolutely loved how they handled the return Of Scut Farkus.

Overall, it's just a fun movie that can be added to the Christmas rotation. It's hard to say if it will become a classic , but it's important to remember the original wasn't appreciated until years after it came out. I think most fans of the original will enjoy this.

I am a huge fan of the original 1983 film so I must admit, going into this my expectations were pretty high. I absolutely love that almost every significant original character returned.

The story was decent at best. In my eyes it seemed like a straight to Video type of film..The story is cute but incredibly predictable.

Ralphie is a struggling writer with a family of his own. With the unexpected death of the old man Ralphie promises his mom to carry on the Christmas traditions the old man seamlessly created for the family all these years.

I'm glad I watched it but I don't think I'd ever revisit it. It really don't hold up at all to the classic original.

This was one of the most heartless Christmas movies I've ever seen. Very generic story with forced callbacks to the first Christmas Story every 5 minutes. The overall feeling of the movie is depressing also, with the movie focused on Ralphie's dad dead much more than Christmas itself. This movie isn't even about Christmas. It's about a failed writer dealing with the loss of his father. I honestly think this was a different movie script that they shoehorned the Christmas Story title and references into. The movie looks pretty good but the characters and the world they're in are both so boring.

Do not waste your time especially if you're a fan.

I don't know about you, but for me, It's nearly impossible to wrap my mind around the hard, cold fact, that the original "A Christmas Story" was pretty much ignored when it opened in theaters in 1983. But after years of rotation on cable television during the holiday season it ultimately achieved its current status as a much respected and deeply loved Yuletide classic.

In my opinion this new "installment" was long overdue. And thank goodness this film ignores all of the unofficial "sequels," (and unless you are a degenerate fan of Ralph and the Gang then you should plan on ignoring them too).

A Christmas Story Christmas picks up in 1973, and stars the now middle-aged Peter Billingsley reprising his role as Ralphie Parker. He's a grown man, with a wife and kids. He's finally abandoned Cleveland for Chicago where he's hoping to find success in getting his first book published. But just as importantly, Ralphie is looking forward to spending a Christmas holiday visit with his parents. There is no reason to discuss more of the plot (why spoil it for you?). Moreover other wonderful IMDb reviewers have done this quite thoroughly.

I think a little bit of Ralphie exists in most people. The time you spend with your family during the holiday season rarely makes up for the time spent apart during the rolling year. Ralphie cherishes the memories of growing up with a loving family. His own fleeting childhood was so much more simple than his now more complicated adult life. If anything else, A Christmas Story Christmas establishes what's changed with many of the original characters now that they've become adults. That plot line alone makes this a worthy watch!

No spoilers here as usual but I can reveal that Melinda Dillon was unavailable to reprise her role as Ralphie's mother as she had completely retired from acting by 2007.

Comedy.

I thought this movie did a great job of paying homage to the original and making callbacks without just remaking the original again like some sequels do. They nicely worked in the original characters and gave them a moment. If you're familiar with Jean Shepherd's book that inspired A Christmas Story, Ralphie was actually sitting in Flicks bar reminiscing of his youth with Flick. So bringing the bar into this movie was another nice nod.

They clearly wanted this to be a wholesome, heartfelt movie seeing as there was no dirty jokes. Maybe that's why I didn't laugh, it was just too PG. But the laughs were the only thing it was missing for me.

I loved the ending though. The essentially turned Ralphie into Jean Shepherd and made a move I thought strange in the beginning of the movie pay off in the best possible way. The ending raised this movie from a 4 to a 6 for me. If it would have made me laugh throughout, it probably would have been a 9.

The original Christmas classic A Christmas Story (1983) is a nice movie to watch around the holidays or near Christmas. There was also A Christmas Story 2 (2012) but everyone chose to forget it happened.

I liked that the original actors came back to play the same characters they played in the original movie, they are likable as the older versions of the same likable characters from the older movie. They are also funny with funny callbacks to the original.

The callbacks to the original nice seeing and funny seeing, along with meeting other characters from the original that are nice seeing. The stuff the characters do is funny, and they have nice moments together when they are having fun as a family.

There are moments with Ralphie spending time with his kids that are nice to see, and you can get behind Ralphie trying to make a great Christmas for his family. The ending is good and comes together with the original movie in a way I think fans will like.

A Christmas Story Christmas (2022) was as enjoyable as the original A Christmas Story (1983). Fans of A Christmas Story (1983) will like this movie for the callbacks and the original actors reprising their roles as these likable characters.