A Christmas Story

A Christmas Story (1983)

Runtime: 94 minutes

Directed by: Bob Clark

Starring: Darren McGavin, Melinda Dillon, Peter Billingsley, Ian Petrella, Scott Schwartz

From: MGM

Yes, I am posting this on Christmas night. I partially explain why in my Letterboxd review, but there are reasons why I don't go in-depth about it. Just know that this Christmas has not turned out so hot:

I wasn't planning on posting a review while I am still on vacation (let alone Christmas night) but things happen; I won't get into the details, except that this Christmas day hasn't gone as planned and writing this will help me take my mind off of “the real world” and its issues, especially the ones that have reared their ugly head on this day. No one has to worry about what I am referring to, as it's a private matter. Plus, while on vacation I managed to pick up a lot of followers (like over a dozen) and for them it'd be nice to post something tonight for everyone I now follow, who hopefully enjoy and continue to enjoy what I post.

Anyhow, I realize for many that this is blasphemy to post a not high rating for this motion picture, but to be perfectly honest I only saw it once as a kid and at the time I thought that it was more weird and off-putting than anything else. It happened to be on the TV at the house I am at now (out of state on vacation) and I had little choice in the matter. Turns out, I still feel the same way about it and I'll never quite understand how this became so beloved, to the point that TWO networks show it over and over again for 24 hours straight.

I'll admit that there are some amusing moments that everyone knows... “you'll poke your eye out”, the soap in the mouth, the tongue stuck on the pole, the “Bad Santa” long before Billy Bob Thornton, the weird lamp, the bully who in real life ended up spending a few years in the world of adult movies, and all the rest. However, the story as a whole just isn't that entertaining to me. The whole lamp thing is strange and creepy and so is the Santa stuff. The parents seem quite bipolar, to possibly generalize a legit mental illness. The general idea of a kid wishing for a special present for Christmas and we follow him for the holiday season as he grows up in the 1940's; it's just not a laugh riot or charming to me.

I am fine that most of the world loves this; I'll just never feel the same way. I hope that no one thinks I am The Grinch. There are holiday movies I do enjoy, even if I haven't posted a review for them here... stuff like It's a Wonderful Life or National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. At least I have fond memories of those motion pictures from my youth... and they still rate highly with me today. As for my vacation, its end date is now not entirely certain but soon I should get back to business as usual.