“A Christmas Story Christmas” Review

Surrounded by his crazy but loving family, Ralph Parker (Peter Billingsley) tries to put together a memorable holiday in “A Christmas Story Christmas,” a sequel to the original 1983 classic, now available for streaming on HBOMax.

When I heard that a sequel to “A Christmas Story” was being made, I was unbelievably skeptical. I adore the 1983 holiday classic to no end. I have been to the Parker family house in Cleveland, now a museum, where portions of the film were shot and I always look forward to popping in my Blu-Ray of the film every Christmas and sometimes in June when the summer moon is bright and the wind comes in from the east. I’m kind of a weird guy. 

I have such a high esteem for the original and rank it highly with other holiday staples like “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” (the animated Chuck Jones special), “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and, of course, “Die Hard.” But that love has come at a price. I have seen “A Christmas Story” exploited many times with no passion or desire to pay tribute to a beloved classic. Just to make a lot of money off of a brand. There’s a Broadway musical, a made-for-television live show based on said musical and a 2012 direct-to-video sequel which I pray to Jesus and all that is holy in this world is no longer canon. 

I say this to let you know how much skepticism I had when watching the new sequel, “A Christmas Story Christmas,” on HBOMax. Fortunately, I can let you know that the worst thing about this movie is the title. Seriously, “A Christmas Story Christmas?” Isn’t that like naming the 2018 “Halloween film “Halloween All Hallows Eve?” Nevertheless, with involvement from original cast members and a good balance of humor and love, “A Christmas Story Christmas” is a pretty good sequel that really didn’t need to exist. 

Set in 1973, a grown up Ralph Parker (Peter Billingsley) lives in Chicago trying to get work as a writer and making a magical Christmas for his wife Sandy (Erinn Hayes) and their children Mark and Julie (River Drosche and Julianna Layne). However, he gets a terrible call from his mother (Julie Hagerty) informing him of his father’s death. With his career essentially a failure, Ralph decides to take his family back to his hometown of Hammond, Indiana for the holidays where he resolves to take the Old Man’s place as the provider of a wonderful Christmas. 

I think what needs to be addressed is how stupid it would be to compare this film to the original in terms of which one is superior because, no matter how good the sequel is, nothing will compare to the original’s iconography. It’s like comparing “Doctor Sleep” to “The Shining.” We as a society have such an attachment to the first film that can’t be replicated by anything other than quality and time. Not one or the other. 

As Ralph, Peter Billingsley brings a childlike energy to the adult realities that surround Christmas as he tries to make the season as magical as his Old Man did.

What really drew me into the film’s charm was Peter Billingsley, who reprises his childhood role of a deranged serial killer in the making who longed for a gun so he could fulfill his fantasies of killing people. While Ralph never has killed anyone, Billingsley still possesses the likability that he brought to the role so long ago. Only now he’s a grown-up and trying to be a writer, showing that the line between Ralph and Jean Shephard (the author of the stories that inspired “A Christmas Story” which he co-wrote and narrated) has shrunk tremendously. 

While the focus of the film seems to be more adult, it’s really even-handed like the original was. Ralph trying to make a merry Christmas for his family is just as engaging as his children experiencing it. Just when I thought the kids would be annoyingly “cutesy,” as well as the rest of the humor, but there’s a bit of an adult edge to it. 

Part of the original’s charm was how, despite being marketed as a family film, the film has a massive streak of jokes that weren’t geared towards children. There’s a whole scene dedicated to Ralphie saying “fuck,” except they cleverly blot it out. But even at the age of eight, I know what was being said. This sense of humor is brought to the sequel and makes for a film that will appeal to everyone. 

So many jokes made me laugh out loud with some tying into things that happened in the first film. When Ralph and Sandy take their kids to see Santa at Higbees, they leave them to their own devices in the line (as 70s parents did) and all Ralph can give to his kids is one basic principle to live by: Don’t let him kick you in the face. The film also addresses some of the strange behaviors we engage in during the holidays. As carolers come to the Parker house, Ralph and his mother hide behind furniture so that they’ll buzz off while all Sandy can do is look at her husband and his weird family traditions and ask what the hell is wrong with you people?

But while the film basks in a nostalgic tone, it never stoops to painful repetition of iconic scenes from the original. Occasionally, they’ll replicate a scenario from the first film, usually with a clever twist. There’s a real sense of love for the original and that comes from three people who were instrumental in the film’s creative direction. 

Director and co-writer Clay Kaytis, who previously directed “The Christmas Chronicles” starring Kurt Russell as Santa Claus, knows how to helm a holiday film and makes a satisfying atmosphere that never feels gimmicky. As for fellow writer Nick Shenck, whose previous screenplays include “Gran Torino,” “The Judge,” “The Mule” and “Cry Macho,” I never thought of him as a yuletide writer but what do I know? When I saw that he was one of the film’s writers, I was half-expecting Ralph to growl “get off my lawn” to the neighborhood kids and then blow one away with a shotgun, at last fulfilling the fantasies of killing the bandit “Black Bart” and his gang of easily spotted baddies. 

But it’s Peter Billingsley whose stamp is most obvious. As the star and co-writer of the film’s story, it’s clear that he was the reason why there’s so much passion to this project. If there’s anyone who knows just how meaningful “A Christmas Story” is, it’s certainly him. Joining Billingsley are all of the other child actors of the original reprising their roles. Seeing Ralph’s brother Randy (Ian Petrella) and his friends Flick and Schwartz (Scott Schwartz and R.D. Robb) all grown up was touching and hilarious in the ways that they have and haven’t changed. 

The world of “A Christmas Story'' is comedically expanded upon in the sequel by answering questions that I’m sure many of you may have had. What happened to Ralphie’s childhood friends? What are the Bumpasses like? Did Ralphie ever submit to his murderous desires? The answers to the first two questions are too funny to spoil and, as for the third, not yet but there’s still time. 

If there’s anything that could have been improved, it would be the main storyline hidden amongst the series of vignettes that make up the film’s plot. Essentially, Ralph is fulfilling the duties of his father and this could have been focused on more. For example, why isn’t there a funeral for him in the film? Wouldn’t it make sense for the characters to meet there? But maybe the film doesn’t need to have scenes like that. The moments where they do acknowledge his passing are very touching, especially a scene at the end that I won’t spoil. 

With a strong admiration for the original, “A Christmas Story Christmas” is far more worthy of carrying the “Christmas Story” name than some of the other adaptations, sequels or soulless merchandise that does so. Does it need to exist? Probably not. But it also shouldn’t be written off either.