Ralph Parker remembers a Christmas long ago when he was eight years old. The movie is set in the 1940s in a small town in Indiana, when life was so much simpler. All Ralph wants for Christmas is a Red Ryder BB gun, and he is bent on getting it despite warnings from everyone that he’s too young to handle one.
A Christmas Story
Director: Bob Clark
Stars: Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin
The Parkers seem to be happy enough. Ralph and Randy are busy with school and playing with their friends. Mama Parker is always cooking and is happy doing it. Papa Parker is predictable – ready to fix everything from a flat to a furnace, buried in his paper, and wanting his dinner every evening when he comes home. There is the typical bully who Ralph beats up in a fit of rage, the secret decoder pen he covets, Randy tagging along, and other vignettes of an era long gone.
In our commercial high tech society, we see kids demanding iPhones, iPads, Xboxes and other expensive gadgets, but Ralph is stuck on his BB gun. He even tells that to the Santa in the mall.
A Christmas Story will be a highly nostalgic trip for anyone born in the 50s, or even the 70s if I do say so. Reminds me a bit of ‘The Wonder Years’. Kids should watch this to learn how times have changed, and adults should definitely watch this for a trip down memory lane. This is a collector’s item, and one DVD you will probably watch year after year after year.
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