A Christmas Story Christmas is a 2022 American Christmascomedy film directed by Clay Kaytis from a script by Nick Schenk, who is also one of the executive producers. Produced by Peter Billingsley and Vince Vaughn along with Legendary's Cale Boyter and Jay Ashenfelter, Marc Toberoff and Irwin Zwilling, it is a sequel to the 1983 film A Christmas Story. Billingsley reprises his role as Ralphie Parker alongside Ian Petrella, Scott Schwartz, R. D. Robb, Zack Ward, and Yano Anaya returning as Randy Parker, Flick, Schwartz, Scut Farkus, and Grover Dill, respectively. Additionally Erinn Hayes, River Drosche, and Julianna Layne play Ralphie's wife and kids, with Julie Hagerty acting in the role of Mrs. Parker. Principal photography began in late February 2022 in Hungary and Bulgaria.
A Christmas Story Christmas was released in the United States on November 17, 2022, on HBO Max.[1]The film has received a generally positive response from critics.
Plot
In December 1973, 33 years after the events of A Christmas Story, Ralphie Parker has moved away from Hohman, Indiana, and lives in Chicago with his loving wife Sandy and two children, Mark and Julie. Ralphie has been taking the year off of work to write his first novel, but its excessive length leads multiple publishers to reject it. As the family prepares for Ralphie’s parents to come visit for Christmas, Mrs. Parker calls to tell Ralphie that his father, a.k.a “the Old Man,” has died. The grief-stricken family makes its way to Hohman in Ralphie's beat-up 1966 Plymouth to be with Mrs. Parker, who has received a large number of casseroles as condolence offerings. She gives Ralphie two tasks: write his father's obituary, and take up his mantle of making Christmas special for the family.
Ralphie's children befriend one of the Bumpus kids next door and are bullied by two children on a snowmobile. He reunites with Flick, who now owns a tavern, and Schwartz, who still lives with his mother and has run up a large tab at Flick's. He also takes his family out tree shopping and, failing to replicate his father's negotiation skills, ends up with a tree too tall for the house's living room. While decorating, Julie becomes nervous that there isn't an angel to top it with. Improvising, Ralphie tells her that Santa Claus looks for stars in Hohman, not angels. All the while, he finds his first typewriter in the attic and begins work on the Old Man's obituary, struggling to find the right words and instead using his makeshift workspace to write the sequel to his still-unpublished novel. While leaving the house to go ice skating, Sandy slips and sprains her ankle, causing her to need crutches.
As Christmas Eve approaches, the family goes to Higbee's, where, miraculously, Ralphie manages to buy everything Mark and Julie asked for. A tipsy Sandy and Mrs. Parker, as well as the store's entire restaurant, are thrilled. On the way back, the Plymouth breaks down again, and the family passes the time needed for it to cool down by having a snowball fight. Ralphie accidentally hits Julie in the eye with a snowball, which requires a trip to the emergency room and a temporary eyepatch. But all of the gifts are stolen from the car's popped trunk when the family is inside the hospital, and Sandy has little money left to replace them.
Back at Flick's, Flick gives Mark an on-the-spot first job bartending. His patience with Schwartz worn thin, Flick offers to forgive Schwartz’s tab if he completes yet another dangerous physical stunt, the "Ramp." Schwartz succeeds after being triple-dog dared to do it, and his tab is forgiven. Soon all of the bar patrons begin sledding, leading to Mark breaking his arm. Ralphie is then rejected by his final prospective publisher, whom he had been pestering the whole week to accept. Disheartened, he throws the second manuscript away and gives up on writing.
After some comfort from Sandy and remembering the Christmases of yesteryear, Ralphie suddenly gains a burst of inspiration and writes a piece that far exceeds the length of a normal obituary, tearing up at the memories of the Old Man. However, he leaves it on the desk, rather than sending it to the newspaper, to prepare for Christmas Day. Mark and Julie manage to get back at their bullies by building a snowman over a large log so their snowmobile crashes. That night, though, Julie becomes upset after the tree's star falls and breaks. Ralphie, frustrated, goes out against his wife and mother's urgings to find a new one. Since all of the stores are closed, his only option is to "borrow" the star (with a beer company logo on it) from the tree in Flick's tavern, breaking and entering the premises to do so. On his way out, he is caught and apprehended by Scut Farkus, now a Hohman police sergeant. Ralphie is terrified at what Scut will do to him, but after some initial teasing, he actually brings him home, saying that he owes Ralphie because their fight set him on a better path in life, and confesses that the reason why he was acting like a jerk to him, Randy, Flick, Schwartz, and the other children back then, was because he was just following in his old man's footsteps, since his old man was always so tough on him. He also reveals that his own children are the neighborhood snowmobile riders, and have become far more worse then he ever was. As Mrs. Parker and Ralphie reminisce about the Old Man, the Christmas tree once again blows a fuse, but the former orders the latter to bed, saying that she needs to learn these things herself now.
On Christmas morning, Ralphie is confused by compliments he receives about his piece in the newspaper. Sandy, it turns out, had found the obituary manuscript and took it to the local paper, and its high quality led to it taking the front page as a full column and quickly being syndicated. Ralphie is offered a new job as a syndicated columnist, fulfilling his dream of leaving the rat race and becoming a full-time writer. Opening presents, it is discovered that the Old Man had bought and personally wrapped very thoughtful gifts for the family shortly before his death. Much of the town soon comes to the Parker house for Christmas dinner, along with Ralphie's younger brother Randy, fresh from a "business trip" in India. After dinner concludes, the core family asks Ralphie to read his story about the Old Man. Seeing his father's vacant red chair, but realizing that he is still very much there that day in spirit, Ralphie takes a seat and begins to read, fully embracing his new role as the Old Man's successor. It is revealed that the story is in fact that of Christmas 1940 as Ralphie's narration of it fades and transitions into Jean Shepherd's from the original film.
Scott Schwartz as Flick, one of Ralph's childhood friends
R. D. Robb as Schwartz, one of Ralph's childhood friends
Zack Ward as Officer Scut Farkus, Ralph's former childhood bully
River Drosche as Mark Parker, Ralph's son
Julianna Layne as Julie Parker, Ralph's daughter
Cailean and Alistair Galloway as the Snowmobile Riders, Scut's twin sons
Yano Anaya as Grover Dill, Ralph's childhood bully (in Ralph's imagination)
Production
In January 2022, Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures announced that a legacy sequel to A Christmas Story was in development with a script from Nick Schenk who also serves as executive producer.[2]Clay Kaytis was hired to direct.[3] The film is dedicated to Darren McGavin (who played "The Old Man" in the original film), who died on February 25, 2006.[4] The staff acquired option rights to much of original author Jean Shepherd's bibliography for use in the film, working several quotes from Shepherd's books into the finished script.[5]Peter Billingsley had conceived the film as both a sequel to and an origin story for the original film.[6]
Shortly after its official announcement of the film, Billingsley was cast to reprise his role as Ralphie Parker as an adult, in addition as a producer alongside Vince Vaughn.[3]Julie Hagerty had been cast as Mrs. Parker, replacing Melinda Dillon, who had played the role and died shortly after the film's release, gave Billingsley her support for the project.[5][7] In February, Ian Petrella, Scott Schwartz, R. D. Robb, Zack Ward, and Yano Anaya were cast to reprise their roles as Randy Parker, Flick, Schwartz, Scut Farkus, and Grover Dill, respectively.[8] Billingsley noted that all of them had remained friends since making the original film and were all eager to reprise their roles.[5] In the same month, Erinn Hayes, River Drosche, and Julianna Layne were cast as Ralphie's wife, Sandy Parker and his kids, Mark and Julie Parker, respectively.[9]Tedde Moore was asked to reprise her role as Miss Shields from the original film, but declined.[citation needed]
Principal photography began in late February 2022 in Hungary and Bulgaria.[10] Billingsley and the crew commissioned exact replicas of the house which was depicted in the original film and the neighborhood enhancing the authenticity of the film.[11] The first teaser trailer was released in October of the same year, confirming that the film was in post-production.[12]
Release
The first teaser trailer was released in October 2022, confirming the official release date,[12] with the full trailer following on November 1.[13]A Christmas Story Christmas was released in the United States via streaming on November 17, 2022, on HBO Max by Warner Bros. Pictures.[1][14][15]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 79% of 48 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.3/10.The website's consensus reads: "It isn't as much fun as an official Red Ryder carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time, but A Christmas Story Christmas remains a sequel worth celebrating."[16] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 55 out of 100 based on reviews from 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[17]
Related Research Articles
A Christmas Story is a 1983 Christmas comedy film directed by Bob Clark and based on Jean Shepherd's semi-fictional anecdotes in his 1966 book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, with some elements from his 1971 book Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories and Other Disasters. It stars Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin, and Peter Billingsley, and follows a young boy and his family's misadventures during Christmas time in the 1940s. It is the third installment in the Parker Family Saga.
Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss is a 1988 American made-for-television comedy film written by Jean Shepherd and directed by Dick Bartlett, based on the 1968 short story by Shepherd. A satire of childhood recollections of annual family vacations, it follows the Parker family as they travel to a Michigan lakeside camp, the eponymous Haven. It was a co-production of The Disney Channel and PBS, and aired in that order, and was released on video.
My Summer Story is a 1994 American comedy film directed by Bob Clark that serves as a sequel to his 1983 film A Christmas Story. Like the previous film, it is based on semi-autobiographical stories by Jean Shepherd, primarily from his book In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash.
Melinda Ruth Dillon was an American actress. She received a 1963 Tony Award nomination for her Broadway debut in the original production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her roles as Jillian Guiler in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and Teresa Perrone in Absence of Malice (1981). She is well known for her role as Mother Parker in the holiday classic A Christmas Story (1983). Her other film roles include Bound for Glory (1976), Slap Shot (1977), F.I.S.T. (1978), The Muppet Movie (1979), Harry and the Hendersons (1987), Captain America (1990), The Prince of Tides (1991), To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar, How to Make an American Quilt, Magnolia (1999), for which she was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award, and Reign Over Me (2007).
Julie Beth Hagerty is an American actress. She starred as Elaine Dickinson in the films Airplane! (1980) and Airplane II: The Sequel (1982). Her other film roles include A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (1982), Lost in America (1985), What About Bob? (1991), She’s the Man (2006), A Master Builder (2014), Instant Family (2018), Noelle, Marriage Story, and A Christmas Story Christmas (2022).
Peter Billingsley, also known as Peter Michaelsen and Peter Billingsley-Michaelsen, is an American actor and filmmaker. He is best known for portraying Ralphie Parker in A Christmas Story and A Christmas Story Christmas. He also played Jack Simmons in The Dirt Bike Kid, Billy in Death Valley, and Messy Marvin in a series of commercials for Hershey's Syrup in the 1980s. While an infant, he began acting in television commercials.
Ian Petrella is an American actor and puppeteer.
Zacharias Ward is a Canadian actor. He is known for his role as Scut Farkus in the 1983 film A Christmas Story and its 2022 sequel A Christmas Story Christmas.
Scott Schwartz is an American actor best known for his roles in the films The Toy (1982), A Christmas Story (1983) and A Christmas Story Christmas (2022), and Kidco (1984).
A Christmas Story House is an attraction and museum in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. The 19th-century Victorian, which was used in the exterior and some interior scenes of Ralphie Parker's house in the 1983 film A Christmas Story, was purchased by a private developer in 2004 and has been restored and renovated to appear as it did in the film both inside and outside. The museum is part of a complex of four buildings devoted to the film and is open to the public year round.
Erinn Hayes is an American actress and comedian. She is known for her role as Dr. Lola Spratt on the sitcom Childrens Hospital (2008–2016), which she later reprised in its spin-off series Medical Police (2020). For her role, Hayes received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series in 2016.
A Christmas Story 2 is a 2012 American Christmas comedy film directed by Brian Levant and starring Daniel Stern and Braeden Lemasters. The film is a direct sequel to the 1983 film A Christmas Story and ignores the events of the 1994 film My Summer Story. The film, set six years after the original, follows fifteen-year-old Ralphie as he wishes for a 1939 Mercury Eight convertible for Christmas, but crashes the car before he even owns it. Now, Ralphie and his friends, Flick and Schwartz, must find a way to raise enough money to fix the car before Christmas.
R. D. Robb is an American actor who appeared as Schwartz in the 1983 film A Christmas Story and its 2022 sequel A Christmas Story Christmas. He was nominated for an Edda Award in 2005. In 2001, he co-wrote and directed the film Don's Plum.
A Christmas Story: The Musical is a stage musical version of the 1983 film A Christmas Story. The musical has music and lyrics written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and the book by Joseph Robinette. The musical takes place in the 1940s in Indiana and focuses on a child named Ralphie, who wants a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas.
Clay Kaytis is an American animator and film director, best known for directing the animated film The Angry Birds Movie (2016), the Christmas comedy film The Christmas Chronicles (2018), and the A Christmas Story sequel A Christmas Story Christmas (2022).
A Christmas Story Live! is an American television special that was originally broadcast by Fox on December 17, 2017. It was a live, televised musical remake of the 1983 film A Christmas Story, and incorporated the 2012 stage musical version A Christmas Story: The Musical. The live musical was executive produced by Marc Platt and Adam Siegel, directed by Scott Ellis and Alex Rudzinski, and starred Matthew Broderick, Andy Walken, Maya Rudolph, Chris Diamantopoulos, and Jane Krakowski.
The Parker Family Saga, is a collection of American family-comedies based upon the stories of author Jean Shepherd. The stories originated on Shepherd's radio programs and in his books before being adapted into a stage play, two theatrical films, four made-for-TV films, one straight-to-home video film, one unaired pilot episode for a planned television series, one musical adaptation, one live television adaptation of that musical and one made-for-streaming film.
The Phantom of the Open Hearth is an American made-for-television family-comedy film, directed by Fred Barzyk and David R. Loxton, with a script written by Jean Shepherd. Produced by Loxton, the film is the first screen adaptation to feature Shepherd's character Ralphie Parker, and is notable for influencing studio interest in A Christmas Story years later. Based on Shepherd's book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash and similar to all the other Parker Family films, the film depicts fictionalized events from his real-life childhood.
The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters is an American made-for-television family-comedy film, directed by Richard Bartlett, with a script written by Jean Shepherd. Produced by Olvia Tappan, the film is the second installment in the Ralph Parker franchise. Based on Shepherd's book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash and similar to all the other Parker Family films, the film depicts fictionalized events from his real-life childhood.
The Star-Crossed Romance of Josephine Cosnowski is an American made-for-television family-comedy film, directed by Fred Barzyk, with a script written by Jean Shepherd. Produced by Olvia Tappan, the film is the fourth installment in the Ralph Parker franchise. Based on Shepherd's book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash and similar to all the other Parker Family films, the film depicts fictionalized events from his real-life childhood.
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