#65: A Christmas Story (1983)

Director: Bob Clark
Starring: Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon and Darren McGavin
Plot: “Ralphie has to convince his parents, his teacher, and Santa that a Red Ryder B.B. gun really is the perfect gift for the 1940s.”
Stock: Down
Previous Rating: #16

“Fra-gee-lay. That must be Italian.”

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. The snow, the carols, the presents, and the family all combine to form the most memorable moments. There’s one movie out there that completely encapsulates the entire Christmas feeling, and that movie is appropriately titled, A Christmas Story.

Ralphie, the main character, is a young boy who wants nothing more than a Red Rider BB gun for Christmas. The narrator of the film is grown-up Ralphie, looking back on what he calls, “the greatest Christmas ever.”

But this movie isn’t about a riveting plot line, and it’s not about generating lengthy discussion afterwards. It’s mainly about family. A goofy, messed-up one full of outlandish characters and moments, but a family just the same.

I always relate to this family whenever I watch A Christmas Story. It’s the exact same size as mine (four) and is constructed the same way (two sons). The Old Man reminds me of my father all the time, and there’s even a little bit of my mom in Ralphie’s mother. The relationship that Ralphie has with his younger brother also resembles the one I had with mine.

It’s a movie that not always just makes me laugh, but my entire family as well. You can better believe that we will sit down and watch it at least once during the holidays. I mean it is on for 24 straight hours on TBS every Christmas. It has a bunch of memorable moments (tongue sticking to a pole, “you’ll shoot your eye out kid,” and the leg lamp are just a few) and never seems to age.

It wouldn’t feel like Christmas without it.

UPDATE

Dropping nearly 50 spots requires some explanation. The best I can come up with is that it’s a film deserving of a permanent spot in my top 100. But that as I continually compared it to other films on this list, it just kept dropping.

Who knows, maybe when I start to have my own kids and they fall in love with this movie, it’ll go shooting back towards the top twenty.

Fun Fact: According to Peter Billingsley (young Ralphie) in the DVD Commentary, the nonsensical ramblings that Ralphie exclaims while beating up Scott Farkas were scripted, word for word.

Hint for #64: You find these in airports. And if you’re late for a flight, you’re often running towards them.

Peace Be The Journey