It is no big surprise that this Christmas comedy film, based on the short stories and semi-fictional anecdotes of author Jean Shepherd, enjoyed only moderate success when it was first released back in 1983. As with most things in life, success is a matter of timing. Luckily, this gem of a film managed to stick around, and, over the years, became the holiday classic it deserves to be, alongside It’s a Wonderful Life and Home Alone.< br/> What makes A Christmas Story so favorable is the sort of sweetness that combines slight naughtiness with nostalgia and childhood dreams and challenges we all faced at one time or another; be it Ralphie’s obsession with getting a BB gun for Christmas, his dad’s battling the old furnace as if it’s the dark lord reincarnated, or the abusive Santa scene at the mall.
A Christmas Story, directed by a capable Bob Clark, and staring an unforgettable Peter Billingsley as Ralphie, Darren McGavin as his dad (The Old Man...), Melinda Dillon as his mom, and Ian Petrella as Ralphie's younger brother, (the cast as a whole is terrific) has something for everyone, regardless of religious or cultural orientation. It also has a solid piece of warning advice for BB gun lovers: You'll shoot your eye out.