A Christmas Story

American Broadcasting Company (ABC) | Release Date: November 18, 1983

8.6	USER SCORE Universal acclaim based on 201 Ratings

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User Reviews

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seancriswellDec 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 whenA 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.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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Compi24Nov 28, 2012

Nostalgic, enduring, farcical, and near-perfect, "A Christmas Story" is a story so relatable and affecting that the film has become a tradition in and of itself.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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MovieGuysApr 8, 2014

A Christmas story is that holiday movie staple that never comes out of your shelf except around December 25th, yet when it is watched, it is thoroughly enjoyed and looked upon with hilarity and even possibly nostalgia.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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kyle20ellisMar 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 andWhat 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… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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EpicLadySpongeFeb 5, 2016

A Christmas Story develops such a story to one of the best Christmas movies everyone can ever see. How many times do you think about it and how many times do you watch it? If you watch it a lot, you're going to love it.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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Computey18Jan 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.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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robertoiglesiasNov 15, 2017

A Christmas Story is a fun and exciting comedy film that is really amazing. The only thing it's not 100% great at is making the plot explain the whole film. But besides that, it is still great and deserves at least a 90 for the user score.

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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EnzoP.Jul 18, 2009

A Christmas Story is fun throughout the entire film. The best christmas movie I have ever seen. To bad its only ninety-eight minutes I didn't want it to end. But I thought that it had to much narrative speaking the actors barely said A Christmas Story is fun throughout the entire film. The best christmas movie I have ever seen. To bad its only ninety-eight minutes I didn't want it to end. But I thought that it had to much narrative speaking the actors barely said anything, it was as if it was a documentary. The whole thing is someone speaking no acting. To add to that this movie was one of those films when you know what the ending is going to be. So that makes no thrill to the ending. Now lets talk about what the movie is about. Ralph is a down on his luck 9 year old boy that only has one wish. To get the Red Ryder 200-Shot Carbine Action Air Rifle. But everybody says that 'You'll shoot your eye out.' Even his teacher and (fake) Santa Claus. So after all I wrote my advice to you is SEE IT.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful

ChristinaD.Dec 18, 2008

I like " It's A Wonderful Life"better though.

0 of 1 users found this helpful

SonyaW.Dec 19, 2008

This is my favorite all time Christmas holiday movie of all times.

0 of 2 users found this helpful

JamesE.Dec 24, 2007

This is by all accounts a classic holiday movie. Funny from beginning to end at any time of the year!

0 of 1 users found this helpful

JackE.Dec 13, 2008

This movie ia classic such a claasic that the original house was bought and put back in the original setting up to the Foot light. I always injoy it every time I watch it.

0 of 2 users found this helpful

Tss5078Feb 23, 2013

How many times do you watch it on Christmas? This movie certainly is a classic. I'm a sucker for flashback films told by a narrator and this is perhaps a primary example of these films. For those of you living under a rock and unfamiliar withHow many times do you watch it on Christmas? This movie certainly is a classic. I'm a sucker for flashback films told by a narrator and this is perhaps a primary example of these films. For those of you living under a rock and unfamiliar with this film, it's about a little boy named Ralphie and what he wants for Christmas. The cast is fantastic and it's hilarious without being raunchy. This is how comedies used to be and some would argue should be. No doubt this film is great, but what most people don't know is that there is actually a sequel, with the same narrator, made 11 years later. My Summer Story follows Ralphie and his family the following summer and while the cast is different, the story is equally as good. I'd suggest you check out both films and be careful not to shoot your eye out kid!… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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WriteFilmLive21Dec 23, 2012

"A Christmas Story" is perhaps one of the more widely-beloved and classic holiday films, and it certainly deserves the attention. Following the (mis)adventures of 12-year-old Ralphie on his eternal quest to get a Red Ryder air rifle for"A Christmas Story" is perhaps one of the more widely-beloved and classic holiday films, and it certainly deserves the attention. Following the (mis)adventures of 12-year-old Ralphie on his eternal quest to get a Red Ryder air rifle for Christmas, this is a heartwarming and pleasant movie with good acting, fun narration and great comedy. And, like many iconic holiday films, it has plenty of oddball identity, including a decidedly less-than-jolly mall Santa Claus. Not necessarily one of my must-have seasonal viewings, but you certainly can't go more than a couple of years without visiting it again.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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VampireRawrJan 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 dadA 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".… Expand

0 of 4 users found this helpful04

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lasttimeisawMay 30, 2013

Surprised to see this film listed among Top 250 films of IMDb years ago (a glory will not return considering it has been outranked by other newcomers), but still it is an unthinkable feat since family-slewed holiday season comedies has rarelySurprised to see this film listed among Top 250 films of IMDb years ago (a glory will not return considering it has been outranked by other newcomers), but still it is an unthinkable feat since family-slewed holiday season comedies has rarely been able to manage on that prestigious list, less to mention it is from a Tinseltown hack, the late director Bob Clark.

Now I finally have watched it with BluRay calibre, what can I say? It is a damn good family boon, a bona-fide Christmas film outshines all its contemporary duds.

Set in 1940s, an ordinary American family, Ralphie is a schoolboy lives with his parents and a younger brother Randy, all he wants for the approaching Christmas is a BB gun which every adult considers it is dangerous since it will shoot your eyes out! (An utter antithesis of what I wanted when I was that age, of course, not for Christmas, for Spring Festival instead). So the film minutely recollects what has happened during this unforgettable Yuletide by a congenial voiceover from Ralphie in his adulthood, the mischiefs at the school and at home, all from Ralphie’s viewpoint, which perfectly aligns with the whimsical nature of a kid’s chimera.

Melinda Dillon and Darren McGavin makes such a dynamic onscreen duo as the cool mother and the naff father (McGavin is too old to be their old man, a grandfather should be more appropriate though). What happens in the family (a piggy-imitation incentive on the dining table, the leg-shape lamp accident, the icicle misconduct, and the f-word punishment etc.) radiates great affinity towards its viewers since it is not overtly soliciting for instant laughters, rather it stays with its audiences and brings ripple effects to everyone’s own memory of their most memorable holidays in childhood. Peter Billingsley, a bespectacled precocious over-thinker, does offset the abundance of epidemic smart-alecks among recent child-performances. Tedde Moore, as Ralphie’s schoolteacher, whose deadpan sanctimoniousness satires the traumatizing condescendence on the nose, personally I have met quite a few in my school days. Other skits such as Peter and the wolf parody, the impatient Santa Claus with his fiendish elves in the mall, and the tongue-stuck-on-the-ice prank, all goes well without hyperbole. Bob Clark may not be a great filmmaker, and A CHRISTMAS STORY doesn’t possess any unique talking point among cinephiles, but with a retrospective nostalgia, it certainly occupies a snug spot among many people’s guilty-pleasure bracket.… Expand