What Is The Big Deal About "A Christmas Story" (1983)?!?

I feel peaceful when I see the house...especially when it's snowing. friggin heavenly!

 

Thanks for sharing, I didn't think to ask when I was there. I just thought it looked different. Then when we got home and looked at the pictures is when I figured it out. I know they are doing their best to "upkeep" the area so I would have been surprised if the house was torn down. Normally they try to restore the homes on the street.

 

This movie goes to eleven.

 

I'm packing up for a move, and I had to write "fragile" on a box, and the first thing that popped into my head was "fra-GIL-é".

 

This is currently the only Christmas movie that I would willingly watch out of anything other than a sense of obligation.

There are others that I have liked on their own terms for at least one viewing. There are many more that I watched solely to enhance the experience for someone I loved (and if I was lucky, some of that would rub off on me, even if the movie was a boring glurge-fest).

 

I agree with the OP in that I never got the appeal for this unfunny movie.

-Richard

 

This is a classic movie. I saw it in the theater when it came out. Funny thing, the junior high school that I was attending during that time had the same old furniture/decor like in this movie. The school I went to was old and must have been built around the same time. The narration is what really makes this this movie great. About every stereotype/cliche from that time was used in this movie.

 

I really love Jean Shepard's voice!

 

I think it's more geared towards those who can remember the time of the good old days...from the 40's -60's...

 

yes after watching the movie FRAGILE no longer is fragile! HAHHAHA!

 

Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Not Fra-GEE-lay!

 

There are several Christmas movies I sit down and watch each year, but this is not one of them. It looks cheap, it feels forced, it's sort of annoying for the sake of being funny. I'm a big Darren McGavin fan and still can't get excited about it

 

Same here, my elementary school was built in 1909. Same style building and everything. And today? It's a parking lot. I discovered this while roaming my old streets on Google Earth.

 

That's one of the reasons I like The Carousel of Progress Disney ride- because he narrates it.

 

The same with my elementary school. It was 3 floors and had been a high school for many years. The building used coal to heat it for many years. The last I heard it was sitting empty and rooms were being rented to groups who wanted weekly meetings. It had to have been built before the 1920s.

 

I remember the last time we were there we were trying to figure out who that familiar voice was.

 

I found your post refreshing. I realize this is all about taste, not objective criteria, but I don't care of this film at all. It is all about the sentiment of Christmas and a time period. Nothing wrong with that, but it's of little interest to me. I admit I don't care for Jean Shepherd, whom I remember reading his own pieces on NPR. To each his own, but I suspect we're not alone, and even if we are, we're entitled to our opinions as well as those who regard this as a classic.

 

he keeps your interest...

 

I grew up in the 1960's, and our first house had a coal furnace. A "clinker" is a chunk of fused ash and minerals that builds up in the funace when you burn bituminous coal.

 

Its my favorite movie. I actually AM the "old man".

Our familys thanksgiving night movie tradition: we watch this movie every time, to welcome in the christmas season. We've practically got it memorized, having seen it so many times, but we dont care. Half the dialogue has made its way into many family conversations -

"dont bother me, i'm thinking"

"but you LOVE (insert food article here), Ralphie"

"go upstairs, get dressed... we are going OUT to eat" (and of course we dont have an upstairs")

"its a major award! I won it!"

"Cant get up! I Cant get up! RALPHIE!"

"I want you to write..... A THEME".

it goes on and on of course.

 

are these real movies? I couldnt find a single one on Netflix. Not sure if you're just jesting with us...

 

The films listed are absolutely real. Go to www.imdb.com and look them up. They're there.

The problem is most of them, aside from My Summer Story (a/k/a It Runs In The Family) are PBS TV productions and not theatrical films. They aren't available for viewing due to rights issues. Places like the Paley Center for Media has them to view, but you won't see these on DVD or streaming any time soon.

 

Classic! We use that all the time. I think my dog does too, he just can't vocalize it...