Day 13: You'll Shoot Your Eye Out

Is there a Christmas movie in America that needs less of an introduction than A Christmas Story?  I mean, its been considered a classic for years, it was ranked as the #1 Christmas movie of all time by AOL, and they even play it for 24 whole hours on TBS at Christmas Eve because of its popularity.  There are some who don't like the film (Miss J for one) of course, like any film, but the majority of the country thinks that it is comic gold.  I myself didn't like this film for a long time, I actually had to get older before I could enjoy it.  Now I watch it every Christmas and never fail to get a few good giggles from it.  No, its not gut-bustingly funny...but it does seem to capture the childhood experience of Christmas in a way that few other films have.  Most of that is due to the very witty writing of author Jean Shepard and his eloquent way of making the trivialities of childhood seem as serious as adult life...because frankly, when you're a kid, it is.  I think that's why I didn't like the movie until I was much older, because there's an element of nostalgia in listening to Shepard's words which makes you think about the way you remember childhood...not how it actually was.

For those who don't know, A Christmas Story is based on several short works by Shepard which come from his book "In God we Trust, All Others Pay Cash" and it tells the story of Ralphie, who spends the entire Christmas season avoiding bullies, attempting to get good grades in school, and most importantly...trying to get his parents to get him a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas despite the obstacle of everyone reminding him that he'll shoot his eye out.  Everyone can relate to the memories of Christmas and making sure that you got that one important gift from either the parents, or from Santa Claus...which is probably another reason why the story is so popular.  The narrative is also chock full of random comic bits (the Leg Lamp anyone?) that just serve to enrich the tapestry of the story.  Bob Clark, the director, certainly had come a long way from his first Christmas movie...Black Christmas...and it shows that the man can not only do good horror but that he can also do good comedy.  So pull up a chair and pop in the film...or wait for the marathon...and enjoy this little gem for the first or the millionth time (unless you're Miss J...then you should watch The Grinch because..."it's joyful AND triumphant!").

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 22: The Story of an Uncommonly Gentle Man

Now I know that there are some of you out there who won't agree with my inclusion of this film as a Christmas movie in my 25 days because it does not seem synonimous with the holiday.  Many of you will even go so far to say that it isn't even about Christmas...and no, it isn't, but it does feature the holiday in both its prologue, third act, and coda and frankly that's good enough for me.  Also, it deals with a very important dramatic question for any Christmas loving child...."where does snow come from"?  And thus, we are launched into the narrative of Edward Scissorhands , one of the most touching and personal films that Tim Burton has ever made. For those of you who don't know the story, it is a modern day fairy tale (that a grandmother tells to her granddaughter in the film no less) that takes place in today's peasant kingdom...suburbia, and how those that live there react to an outsider who is brought into their midst.  Shy Avon lady Peg Boggs (...
Read more

Waters Watch - Day 3: The Only Cereal I Know About is Rice Krispies

I remember the first John Waters movie I saw, which based on its rating and violent content I should never have been allowed to see at my the age of 10.  However, my mother was always more concerned with what she thought I could handle rather than ratings.  For example, my sister and I were allowed to see Pretty Woman very young in our lives...which a lot of parents would have objected to due to the sexual content...but Miss J and I had no idea what the sexual innuendo meant at the time so it was ok.  We never repeated it, that's for sure.  Anyway, mom thought this movie looked funny and she also liked Kathleen Turner...so she figured what the hell.  Of course, it turned out to be something we all enjoyed as a family despite the fact that it was a horror comedy with bad language and gore.  But like I said, Mom knew we could handle it.  That movie was Serial Mom and to date it remains one of my all time favorites from John Waters.  I often wonder...
Read more

Nice Doing Business With You

Image
There are some movies, as I said back when I first started this blog, that we aren't supposed to like because of several factors.  Perhaps it is because the star is someone that is generally known to have little to no talent, or maybe it is the fact that the film is a remake or a sequel to something much more well liked, or maybe the story is just too strange or odd to really connect with mass amounts of people.  Either way, general consensus dictates that the film is of poor quality and so it gets shuffled off to the side to rot.  It might surprise you to know that many of my favorite films fall into that outcast group of films we're supposed to not enjoy.  I think this is the case for two reasons...one, I've always been a little left-of-center regarding my taste, but also when I see these films my expectations remain low and allow the films a much better chance of impressing me.  We come, then, to the film of the day that I have enjoyed since I was in college ...
Read more