Ralphie Returns for Another Christmas Story
Directed by: Clay Kaytis
Written by: Nick Schenk, Peter Billingsley, & Clay Kaytis. Based on “In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash” by Jean Shepherd
Starring: Peter Billingsley, Erinn Hayes, Julie Hagerty
Rated PG for language and some rude material/behavior
Release Date: November 17, 2022
Runtime: 1:38
This review may contain spoilers
Christmas movie traditions
Everyone has Christmas movie traditions. Families get together and watch Miracle on 34th Street, It’s a Wonderful Life, and those old Rankin Bass cartoons (that slithering Frosty still gives me the creeps). More current families will watch Elf, Home Alone, and The Santa Clause together. However, if you ask me, A Christmas Story was the most relatable movie for Young Kaiz growing up – all about a kid just wanting the perfect toy.
Jean Shepherd’s saga
A Christmas Story Christmas is the newest entry in the Family Parker Saga. The saga was created by Jean Shepherd, who also narrated as adult Ralphie in A Christmas Story. Surprisingly, there are seven other films originating from Shepherd’s stories. Most branched off into other seasons and family events outside of Christmas. There was A Christmas Story 2 that came out in 2012, but that’s an insultingly bad film that embarrasses the original and tries to rely on slapstick humor that doesn’t share the same comedy as the first.
39 Christmases later…
Peter Billingsley returns as Ralphie Parker, all grown up in 1973 and has his own family now. However, tragedy comes just before Christmas with Ralphie’s father (only referred to as “The Old Man”) passing away. Ralphie’s family (including his mother) always looked up to The Old Man to make Christmas a special event every year. Now, Ralphie decides to (more like coerced into) take the mantle to make this year’s Christmas special for the whole family.
Christmas director
Director Clay Kaytis only started directing in 2016, but he has already done a couple of Christmas/family films, including The Christmas Chronicles and Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne. Kaytis also produced The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two.
Ralphie all grown up
It’s surreal to see Peter Billingsley return and play Ralphie again. Even as an adult, he gets lost in his daydreaming, like in the original film. However, someone should get him some ADD medication because he still gets lost in daydreams, even one immediately after getting rejected from a book deal. He needs to get a handle on that…
I also like how Billingsley talks like Jean Shepherd did in his narration. It fits better with Billingsley narrating and makes a great transition when the film callbacks the opening scene from the first film.
Also, a quick shoutout to Billingsley for producing and having a cameo in the first Iron Man movie and returning in that same role in Spider-Man: Far from Home.
But wait, there’s more!
Also returning from the original film are Scott Schwartz, R.D. Robb, and Ian Petrella as Flick, Schwartz, and Randy Parker, respectively. The sequel even has Zack Ward returning as bully Scut Farkus (what a rotten name), now ironically a cop in Ralphie’s hometown.
New times, new vibes
It’s a strange shift, going from a story about a kid obsessed with getting the perfect Christmas gift (a Red Ryder carbine-action, 200-shot, range model air rifle) to adult Ralphie pushing to make the best Christmas ever for his family, just like The Old Man. It’s a good strange; instead of mirroring Ralphie trying to find the perfect gift for his kids, he’s focused on adult problems and complications that come around Christmas time. Ralphie’s issues in the films are grounded and relatable to parents, unlike Arnold’s crazy antics in Jingle All the Way.
Not as good as the first, but still…
Naturally, A Christmas Story Christmas couldn’t surpass the original. Are you kidding me; that’s a classic! But the sequel is a great follow-up. It is more geared toward an adult audience but is still a family film; I doubt kids would care to see this over the original. I personally appreciate Ralphie’s personal struggles, trying to give his family the same Christmas experience as his Old Man. Trying to capture that same Christmas magic we adults remember and treasure. That is the real “Christmas story.”
A Christmas Story Christmas is streaming on HBO Max.
