• 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