The film brilliantly blends five things: It’s cynical and nostalgic at the same time which is incredibly hard to pull off. Jean Shepherd’s deft wordplay (the voice over- which he also does the voice of) is perfectly accompanied by Bob Clark skill with visual gags (horror, broader comedy). The last element worthy of a lot of praise here is the period detail in the world Clark’s created here
All of these elements, along with the skilled actors and comedians, make for an incredibly rewatchable Christmas season classic
A string of vignettes perfectly connected by the character, time and place
Just when it’s getting too cynical there’s a scene of sweetness and vice versa
“tapestry of obscenity still hanging over Lake Michigan”
Constant radio on in the background in the house is truly authentic of the era
No filler or fluff in 94 tight minutes—no bad skits
Darren McGavin (a stretch as the dad of an 8 and 5 year old at age 61) is the standout though the entire cast is great
Playful editing choices—mainly the iris in and out almost give it a serial comic sort of feel
Period details- Florsheim shoe store in town
Interlaced with the narrative is the surrealism scenes of Ralphie’s imagination. This is very well done.
Great use of POV close-up during the Santa scene
Fringe top 10 of the year quality- Highly Recommend
@ Bobby— appreciate the comment- I adore “A Christmas Story”- watch it every year. It’s incredibly well-written. I typically like to see a little more visually from my Must-See films that’s really all I can say against it
I’d put this as a must see. It was also on Roger Ebert’s Great Movie list
@ Bobby— appreciate the comment- I adore “A Christmas Story”- watch it every year. It’s incredibly well-written. I typically like to see a little more visually from my Must-See films that’s really all I can say against it
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