A Christmas Story Christmas

Last updated

A Christmas Story Christmas
A Christmas Story Christmas poster.png
Promotional release poster
Directed by Clay Kaytis
Screenplay by
Story by
Based on In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash
by Jean Shepherd
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMatthew Clark
Edited by David Walsh Heinz
Music byJeff Morrow
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
  • November 17, 2022 (2022-11-17)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

A Christmas Story Christmas is a 2022 American Christmas comedy film directed by Clay Kaytis with a script he co-wrote with Nick Schenk, from an original story co-written by Schenk and Peter Billingsley. It is a legacy sequel to A Christmas Story (1983) and is the eighth installment in the Parker Family Saga franchise, while ignoring the events of My Summer Story (1994) and A Christmas Story 2 (2012).[ citation needed ] The film was produced by Billingsley and Vince Vaughn along with Cale Boyter, Jay Ashenfelter, Marc Toberoff and Irwin Zwilling. Billingsley reprises his role as Ralphie Parker alongside Ian Petrella, Scott Schwartz, R. D. Robb, Zack Ward, and Yano Anaya returning as Randy, Flick, Schwartz, Scut Farkus, and Grover Dill respectively. Erinn Hayes, River Drosche, and Julianna Layne play Ralphie's wife and kids, with Julie Hagerty (replacing Melinda Dillon from the original film) as Mrs. Parker. In the film, after the Old Man dies, Ralphie takes his family to his childhood home, reuniting with his mother and old friends, while being tasked to deliver a memorable Christmas.

Contents

A Christmas Story Christmas was released in the United States on November 17, 2022, on HBO Max. [1]

Plot

In December 1973, 33 years after the events of A Christmas Story , 42-year-old Ralph "Ralphie" Parker lives in Chicago with his wife, Sandy, and two children, Mark and Julie. Ralph has been taking the year off from his job to write his first novel, but its excessive length leads multiple publishers to reject it. Mrs. Parker calls to tell Ralph that his father, "the Old Man", has died, and the grief-stricken family makes its way to Hohman, Indiana to be with her. She gives Ralph two tasks: write his father's obituary, and take up his mantle of making Christmas special for the family.

Ralph's children befriend one of the Bumpus kids next door, and have their snowman smashed by two bullies on a snowmobile. Ralph reunites with Flick, who now owns his father's old tavern, and Schwartz, who still lives with his mother and has run up a large tab at Flick's. While leaving the house to go ice skating, Sandy slips and sprains her ankle.

As Christmas Eve approaches, the family goes to Higbee's, where Ralph miraculously buys everything Mark and Julie asked for while the children speak to the store's Santa. On the way back, Ralph's car overheats, and Ralph accidentally hits Julie in the eye during an impromptu snowball fight. After Julie receives a temporary eyepatch at the hospital, the family discovers their car was robbed in the hospital parking lot; the presents are gone, and there is little money left to replace them.

Back at Flick's, Flick offers to forgive Schwartz's tab if he sleds off a giant ramp; Schwartz manages to complete the stunt, but Mark breaks his arm sledding down the nearby hill afterwards. After Ralph is rejected by his final prospective publisher, he laments his difficulties, but is encouraged by his mother and Sandy. Remembering his favorite Christmas with his father inspires Ralph to write a long article instead of a standard obituary; however, he leaves it on the desk, needing to prepare for Christmas Day. Mark and Julie manage to get back at their bullies by building a snowman over a tree stump so that the snowmobile crashes.

On Christmas Eve night, the star falls off the Parker's tree and breaks, upsetting Julie. Frustrated, Ralph ignores objections from his wife and his mother and goes out to find a new star. All the local businesses are already closed, so Ralph breaks into Flick's tavern to "borrow" the star from the tree. On his way out, he is apprehended by Scut Farkus, now a Hohman police officer. Ralph is terrified of what Scut might do to him, but Scut brings him home, saying he owes Ralph because their childhood fight set him on a better path in life.

Mrs. Parker goes into the basement to change a fuse and finds several thoughtfully-picked, pre-wrapped gifts, which the Old Man had bought shortly before his death. On Christmas morning, the family is delighted to open them, and all their other presents as well. Ralph is confused by compliments he receives about his piece in the newspaper, and Sandy reveals she found the obituary manuscript and took it to the local paper because of its high quality. The phone rings, and Ralph is offered a new job as a syndicated columnist, fulfilling his dream of becoming a full-time writer. Much of the town comes to the Parker house for Christmas dinner; after dinner concludes, the core family asks Ralph to read them his story about the Old Man. Ralph takes a seat in his father's armchair and begins reading, and his narration slowly transitions into Jean Shepherd's opening narration from the first film.

Cast

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 is executive producer. [2] Clay Kaytis was hired to direct. [3] The film is dedicated to the memory of Darren McGavin (who played Ralphie's Old Man in the original film), who died in 2006 at the age of 83. [4]

Shortly after the official announcement of the film, Peter Billingsley was cast to reprise his role as Ralphie Parker as an adult, in addition to being a producer alongside Vince Vaughn. [3] Julie Hagerty was cast as Mrs. Parker, [5] since Melinda Dillon (who had played the role in A Christmas Story) was in poor health at the time of the film's production and ultimately died less than two months after the film was released. [6]

The following month, 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. [7] Erinn Hayes, River Drosche, and Julianna Layne were cast as Ralphie's wife, Sandy Parker, and his kids, Mark and Julie Parker, respectively. [8]

Principal photography began in late February 2022 in Hungary and Bulgaria. [9] Billingsley and the crew commissioned exact replicas of the house which was depicted in the original film and of the neighborhood. [10]

Release

The first teaser trailer was released in October 2022, confirming the official release date, [11] with the full trailer following on November 1. [12] The film was released in the United States on November 17, streaming on HBO Max by Warner Bros. Pictures. [1] [13] [14]

The film made its linear television debut during the 2023 holiday season with airings on Warner Bros.-owned networks TNT and TBS. [15]

Home media

The film was released on DVD by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on October 31, 2023. [16]

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." [17] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 55 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [18]

See also

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<i>The Star-Crossed Romance of Josephine Cosnowski</i> 1985 American film

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.

References

  1. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 24, 2022). "HBO Max Dates Four Holiday Movies Including Sequel 'A Christmas Story Christmas'". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on August 24, 2022. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  2. ↑ Grobar, Matt (February 17, 2022). "Stampede Ventures Acquires Nick Schenk's Action Spec 'Galahad', Eyes New Franchise". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Kroll, Justin (January 20, 2022). "'A Christmas Story' Sequel In The Works At Legendary and Warner Bros With Peter Billingsley Set To Reprise Ralphie Role". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  4. ↑ Nelson, Valerie J. (February 27, 2006). "Darren McGavin, 83; Prolific Actor in 'Night Stalker', 'Christmas Story'". The Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on August 11, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  5. ↑ EW Staff (January 20, 2022). "Ralphie is back! A Christmas Story Sequel in the works with Peter Billingsley set to return". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  6. ↑ Barnes, Mike (February 3, 2023). "Melinda Dillon, Actress in 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' and 'A Christmas Story', Dies at 83". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  7. ↑ Kroll, Justin (February 15, 2022). "Four Original 'Christmas Story' Castmembers Join Peter Billingsley In HBO Max Sequel From Warner Bros. & Legendary". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on August 27, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  8. ↑ Kroll, Justin (February 18, 2022). "Erinn Hayes, River Drosche, Julianna Layne Join 'Christmas Story' Sequel, Julie Hagerty Confirmed". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  9. ↑ Kit, Borys (January 20, 2022). "A Christmas Story Sequel Set With Original Star Peter Billingsley". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  10. ↑ Juneau, Jen (October 26, 2022). "Peter Billingsley Returns in A Christmas Story Christmas First Look". People . Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  11. ↑ Petski, Denise (October 17, 2022). "'A Christmas Story Christmas' Teaser': 'Oh, Fudge!' Peter Billingsley Is Back As Ralphie In HBO Max Sequel". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on October 17, 2022. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  12. ↑ DeNatale, Dave; Axelrod, Ben (November 1, 2022). "Trailer released for upcoming sequel to 'A Christmas Story'". WKYC . Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  13. ↑ Welk, Brian (January 20, 2022). "'A Christmas Story' Sequel in the Works With Original Star Peter Billingsley". The Wrap . Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  14. ↑ Vary, Adam B. (January 20, 2022). "'A Christmas Story' Sequel With Original Star Peter Billingsley Set at Warner Bros. and Legendary". Variety . Archived from the original on August 26, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  15. ↑ Jacobs, Meredith (October 26, 2023). "TBS & TNT Holiday Schedule 2023: 'A Christmas Story', 'Elf', 'Friends' Episodes & More". TV Insider. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  16. ↑ "A Christmas Story Christmas". Amazon. October 31, 2023.
  17. ↑ "A Christmas Story Christmas". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  18. ↑ "A Christmas Story Christmas". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
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