Based on the humorous writings of author Jean Shepherd, this beloved holiday movie follows the wintry exploits of youngster Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley), who spends most of his time dodging a bully (Zack Ward) and dreaming of his ideal Christmas gift, a "Red Ryder air rifle." Frequently at odds with his cranky dad (Darren McGavin) but comforted by his doting mother (Melinda Dillon), Ralphie struggles to make it to Christmas Day with his glasses and his hopes intact.
“A Christmas Story is a heart-warming pastiche of snowflakes, Christmas lights and one little boy's quest for the present of his dreams, a Genuine Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle with a Shock-Proof High-Adventure Combination Trail Compass and Sundial Set Right in the Stock.
“Peter Billingsley plays the all-American protagonist, Ralphie Parker, a delightful little Everykid created by American humorist Jean Shepherd in his best-selling novel In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash.
“It's a nostalgic comedy featuring a family of eccentrics who lovingly celebrate the holidays and life itself in Midwestern America in the 1940s. They're like an early-TV comedy family, except more whimsical and real. Melinda Dillon plays the Mom of Moms who's always dishing out seconds and hasn't had a hot meal herself in 15 years. Darren McGavin plays The Old Man, perpetually battling the furnace and the Oldsmobile and the neighboring Bumpus' hound dogs. Ian Petrella plays baby brother Randy.
“Much of the film is narrated by Shepherd in his own incomparable prose. It works wonderfully, with everyone emoting madly, having perhaps the most fun any actors have had since vaudeville.” - The Washington Post
