Almost exactly 40 years later, the holiday classic “A Christmas Story” (1983, directed by Bob Clarke) has received a sequel, “A Christmas Story Christmas” (2022, directed by Clay Kaytis), and it’s actually pretty good.
It’s 1973 and a now adult Ralphie (still played by the original Peter Billingsly) and his family are going back to his childhood stomping ground to be there for his mom (now played by Julie Haggerty) after his old man has just passed away.
To make sure that every Christmas isn’t just remembered as the time of year his father died, Ralphie is determined to make this year’s Christmas the best it can be.
When one hears of a sequel to a “Christmas Story” 40 years later they may immediately think of a cash grab with nothing but references to the original, however “A Christmas Story Christmas” is a very pleasant surprise.
In a sense the movie is that, but it has enough heart and funny moments to make it work.
The first big thing the movie does really well is getting the original cast from the ‘83 film. With the only exception being the late Darren McGavin as the father and Melinda Dillon (who has retired from acting) as the mom.
The parts of the film focusing on Ralphie dealing with his father’s death and having to take over his job planning for Christmas is well done and down-to-earth. It shows the weight on Ralphie’s shoulders as he tries to make the best of a bad situation. It does a good job really making the audience feel for both Ralphie and his mom’s loss.
But the movie isn’t all doom and gloom, as there are actually some funny jokes and ideas.
A good example is Ralphie’s childhood friends Flick and Schwartz (reprised by Scott Schwartz and R.D. Robb, respectively), with Schwartz practically living in Flick’s bar and having a huge bar tab. These scenes do a good job of using the chemistry from the old cast that play well off each other.
Thankfully, not all the humor is tied to the original, as there’s plenty of humor that stands on its own, like the family hating carolers because they never know when to shut the door or most of Ralphie’s family being horribly injured throughout the running time (which sounds harsh, but the way they get injured is comical in nature.)
Something else that’s nice is giving a touching send off to Darren McGavin’s who played the Old Man in the original.
While the flick is better than it has a right to be, it still has problems.
While most of the references to the original are fine, and aren’t too distracting, there are some that go a bit too far. Like playing audio and footage from the first film (which happens on multiple occasions), instead of allowing the references to stand on their own, which can be a little annoying.
But what’s really egregious is the fantasy sequences. It was endearing in the original because Ralphie was a kid and most children around that age have very active imaginations.
He’s supposed to be over 40 in this film, but he still has the very out-there and over-the-top imaginations and it just makes him look self-centered or like he never grew up. But he’s married and has two children that imply otherwise.
The movie also seems to have a hard time staying on topic. At first, the film focuses on Ralphie trying to fill his old man’s place but then gets distracted with misadventures around the holiday season.
“A Christmas Story Christmas”, while not something anyone has to race to see, can be a fun watch with the family during the holiday season, with a similar feeling to the original.