A Christmas Story Christmas - A Movie Review

Life moves fast. Make Christmas memories last.

A Christmas Story Christmas is a sequel to the classic 1983 film. All grown up, Ralphie and his family travel to his childhood home for Christmas. With the sad passing of his father, Ralphie is determined to make this the best Christmas for everybody.

A Christmas Story never gets old. Watching this film has become a tradition every Christmas. It’s a slice of life that every family can relate to. Could a sequel actually be pulled off? Matching the nostalgia of the original, the film lagged towards the end.

Returning to his iconic role, Peter Billingsley does not miss a beat. He still has the energy and spirit. In respect to Jean Shepherd, the narrator/adult Ralphie in the original film, Billingsley adjusted his voice to sound reminiscent.

Just like when he was a kid, Ralphie still has a big imagination. I am so thankful that writers did not change that about him. Although we grow up, we’ll never lose our inner child. Trying to make this the best Christmas for his family, Ralphie is selfish at times.

Filling in for the role of Mrs. Parker, Julie Hagerty was excellent. Mrs. Parker was an important character in the original. Her character deserved more in the sequel. I wanted the sequel to disclose more about her character but it didn’t.

As the members of Ralphie’s family, Erian Hayes, River Droshe, and Julianne Layne were great, but their interactions felt forced. Layne was a standout as Julie. She was sassy and funny. I know that she is going to do on and do more films.

Some familiar faces from the original appear. Scott Schwartz and R.D. Robb return as Ralphie’s best friends, Flick and Schwartz. Oh yes, and expect an appearance by Zach Ward.

Despite how nostalgic it was, A Christmas Story Christmas wasn’t nostalgic in the right ways. Significant items from the first film (the BB gun, the leg lamp, and the bunny pajamas) are only given minor cameos.

The middle half we’re taken away from the story with shenanigans involving Ralphie and his friends. Another segment that I didn’t like was Ralphie and the family ignoring Christmas carolers. The scene is straight out of Christmas with the Kranks. The scene felt so out of the place. In the original, the family loved doing anything Christmas-related.

A Christmas Story Christmas is about Ralphie and his family. Speaking of which, where was Randy (Ian Petrella)? The sequel had the potential to explore the brother dynamic, but instead, Randy refuses to return home early for Christmas. Did he have a difficult relationship with his father that the film didn’t explore?

Aside from some fragments in the story, Clay Kaytis delivered a heartwarming moral that we can all relate to. The film still has the same style as the original. He could have cut down Ralphie’s fantasies.

Holidays are tough without relatives who have passed. One of my favorite parts about the sequel is when you get older, nobody forgets their childhood. Keep building new memories.

There’s a reason why A Christmas Story Christmas was made. I never realized how much I wanted to see Ralphie all grown up. Life is all about change. Change isn’t always good. Sometimes it’s for the better. This film made me think about how Christmas is different for me as an adult compared to when I was a child.

Fans of the original should take a look at A Christmas Story Christmas on HBO Max. I had a big smile while watching it.