When I saw A Christmas Story repeatedly described as the 'best Christmas film ever', I knew I'd be invariably disappointed. This sweet and sentimental story is a family-focused tale about a young boy growing up in the 1940s and desperate for a toy gun for Christmas. Yep, the usual American preoccupation with commercialism, and not a patch on the likes of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE.
It is, however, the sort of film that kids would love, given that it charts children getting up to repeated mischief in much the same way as Richmal Crompton's JUST WILLIAM books. I can imagine that it's the type of film that people would watch themselves as a kid in the 1980s and grow up loving it with a fuzzy feeling of nostalgic warmth, which is fair enough.
The twist about A Christmas Story is that it's actually a Canadian film, directed by the one and only Bob Clark, whose Black Christmas is one of the ultimate Christmas horror films ever made. As for this film, it's watchable and fitfully amusing, featuring the usual pratfalls and scenes of kids getting their tongues stuck to frozen poles. The main character is a bit annoying although not as much as I'd feared and old-timer Darren McGavin helps to anchor things as his dad. Indeed, I found it entertaining enough, just not the classic I'd read about.
It is, however, the sort of film that kids would love, given that it charts children getting up to repeated mischief in much the same way as Richmal Crompton's JUST WILLIAM books. I can imagine that it's the type of film that people would watch themselves as a kid in the 1980s and grow up loving it with a fuzzy feeling of nostalgic warmth, which is fair enough.
The twist about A Christmas Story is that it's actually a Canadian film, directed by the one and only Bob Clark, whose Black Christmas is one of the ultimate Christmas horror films ever made. As for this film, it's watchable and fitfully amusing, featuring the usual pratfalls and scenes of kids getting their tongues stuck to frozen poles. The main character is a bit annoying although not as much as I'd feared and old-timer Darren McGavin helps to anchor things as his dad. Indeed, I found it entertaining enough, just not the classic I'd read about.