Follow TV Tropes

Following

History YMMV / AChristmasStory

Go To

OR

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* QuestionableCasting: Among ''A Christmas Story 2'''s other myriad flaws, Creator/DanielStern is just as far off the mark in portraying the Old Man as Creator/CharlesGrodin was in ''Film/ItRunsInTheFamily'', but where Grodin's performance was too low-key compared to Creator/DarrenMcGavin's, Stern is much to over-the-top and wacky in his hamminess, to the point of coming off as a caricature.

to:

* QuestionableCasting: Among ''A Christmas Story 2'''s other myriad flaws, Creator/DanielStern is just as far off the mark in portraying the Old Man as Creator/CharlesGrodin was in ''Film/ItRunsInTheFamily'', but where Grodin's performance was too low-key compared to Creator/DarrenMcGavin's, Stern is much to too over-the-top and wacky in his hamminess, to the point of coming off as a caricature.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* QuestionableCasting: Among ''A Christmas Story 2'''s other myriad flaws, Creator/DanielStern is just as far off the mark in portraying the Old Man as Creator/CharlesGrodin was in ''Film/ItRunsInTheFamily'', but where Grodin's performance was too low-key compared to Creator/DarrenMcGavin's, Stern is much to over-the-top and wacky in his hamminess, to the point of coming off as a caricature.

Added DiffLines:

** When Ralphie blames Schwartz for a swear word he said, we listen to Schwartz's mother scream at the top of her lungs and begin beating her son over the phone, while he yells "What'd I do?!?" Ralphie's mother visibly recoils in shock, but hangs up so as not to have to listen to any more ugliness. Today, she'd be legally required under Indiana state law to report the abuse to Child Protection Services and be in serious trouble for not doing so.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Neighbors aren't mandated reporters in most states.


** When Ralphie blames Schwartz for a swear word he said, we listen to Schwartz's mother scream at the top of her lungs and begin beating her son over the phone, while he yells "What'd I do?!?" Ralphie's mother visibly recoils in shock, but hangs up so as not to have to listen to any more ugliness. Today, she'd be legally required to report the abuse to Child Protection Services and be in serious trouble for not doing so.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* AdaptationDisplacement: Creator/JeanShepherd left behind a vast body of other work about his childhood, but only diehard fans are even aware of it, or of his long career as a radio personality. It's also almost completely ignored (most notably in the DVD commentary) that ''Film/AChristmasStory'' is the third screen adaptation from the Ralphie Parker stories, following the made-for-TV movies ''The Phantom of the Open Hearth'' (1976) and ''The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters'' (1982), both of which had elements filtered into this film. Shepherd would bring Ralphie to the screen three more times, in the TV movies ''The Star-Crossed Romance of Josephine Cosnowski'' (1985) and ''Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss'' (1988) and the theatrical ''Film/ItRunsInTheFamily'' (1994), although his death mercifully prevented any involvement in the almost completely hated ''A Christmas Story 2''.

to:

* AdaptationDisplacement: Creator/JeanShepherd left behind a vast body of other work about his childhood, but only diehard fans are even aware of it, or of his long career as a radio personality. It's also almost completely ignored (most notably in the DVD commentary) that ''Film/AChristmasStory'' is the third screen adaptation from the Ralphie Parker stories, following the made-for-TV movies ''The Phantom of the Open Hearth'' ''Film/ThePhantomOfTheOpenHearth'' (1976) and ''The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters'' ''Film/TheGreatAmericanFourthOfJulyAndOtherDisasters'' (1982), both of which had elements filtered into this film. Shepherd would bring Ralphie to the screen three more times, in the TV movies ''The Star-Crossed Romance of Josephine Cosnowski'' ''Film/TheStarCrossedRomanceOfJosephineCosnowski'' (1985) and ''Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss'' ''Film/OllieHopnoodlesHavenOfBliss'' (1988) and the theatrical ''Film/ItRunsInTheFamily'' (1994), although his death mercifully prevented any involvement in the almost completely hated ''A Christmas Story 2''.''Film/AChristmasStory2''.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* HypeBacklash: Understandably, those who didn't grow up with it or discover it on their own terms can often be severely underwhelmed by this low-key, SliceOfLife period comedy that's sometimes hyped up by its fanbase as one of the greatest Christmas movies (or greatest movies, period) ever made. This has only gotten worse since the mainstream caught on and started churning out kitschy [[TheMerch tie-in merch]], to say nothing of the poorly received sequel and TV remake, respectively, robbing the first film of its quaint appeal for even many of its original fans.

to:

* HypeBacklash: Understandably, those who didn't grow up with it or discover it on their own terms can often be severely underwhelmed by this low-key, SliceOfLife period comedy that's sometimes hyped up by its fanbase as one of the greatest Christmas movies (or greatest movies, period) ever made. This has only gotten worse since the mainstream caught on and started churning out kitschy [[TheMerch tie-in merch]], to say nothing of the poorly received sequel and TV remake, respectively, robbing the first film of its quaint appeal for even many of its original fans.respectively.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


** One interpretation of the Chinese restaurant scene suggests the carolers were slipping into JapaneseRanguage on purpose, either to get a rise out of their boss or to cheer up the Parkers after their Christmas dinner was ruined (when he suggests they pick another song, they switch to the also L-heavy "Jingle Bells"). This is supported by the fact that their boss pronounces his L’s normally. Another point in favor of that theory is that they are at a ''Chinese'' restaurant, and both of the two native languages spoken by a large majority of Chinese-born immigrants, Mandarin and Cantonese, each in their standard accent have a "la" initial sound similar to the English one, and there is no reason to think they all would accidentally mistake it for a "ra" initial. The reverse, mistaking an "r" for an "l" would be more likely since the "r's" are realized quite differently in many regions from English. Of course, they could be speaking a Chinese minority dialect which realizes the "l" sound differently, or from a region where the sounds are realized differently.

to:

** One interpretation of the Chinese restaurant scene suggests the carolers were slipping into JapaneseRanguage on purpose, purpose as a bit, either to get a rise out of their boss or to cheer up the Parkers after their Christmas dinner was ruined (when he suggests they pick another song, they switch to the also L-heavy "Jingle Bells"). This is supported by the fact that their boss pronounces his L’s normally. Another point in favor of that theory is that they are at a ''Chinese'' restaurant, and both of the two native languages spoken by a large majority of Chinese-born immigrants, Mandarin and Cantonese, each in their standard accent have a "la" initial sound similar to the English one, and there is no reason to think they all would accidentally mistake it for a "ra" initial. The reverse, mistaking an "r" for an "l" would be more likely since the "r's" are realized quite differently in many regions from English. Of course, they could be speaking a Chinese minority dialect which realizes the "l" sound differently, or from a region where the sounds are realized differently.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* SpecialEffectFailure: The soap that Ralphie's mouth is washed out with is quite clearly a glossy plastic prop that looks nothing like real soap[[note]] It should be noted that Lifebuoy does have their bars look just as plastic [[https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/6EUAAOSwgZ1XssqR/s-l640.jpg in their marketing]] - the ''real'' bars look nothing like it, though.[[/note]].
* {{Tearjerker}}: As awesome as it is to see Ralphie finally fight back against Scut Farkus, it is also quite sad seeing the buildup and the aftermath. Ralphie has been bullied by Scut since the start of the movie, possibly longer, and he already had a bad day when Scut showed up. Then Scut finally pushes him over the edge by mocking him, leading to poor Ralphie snapping and attacking him. Not to mention that he wasn’t easing up on his beatings and swearing under his breath. There’s also Randy’s reaction, which seems to be that of genuine concern for his brother. He had never seen Ralphie so angry before and immediately ran to his mother because he was worried about his brother. And when his mother showed up and pulled him off Scut, he was in tears.

to:

* SpecialEffectFailure: The soap that Ralphie's mouth is washed out with is quite clearly a glossy plastic prop that looks nothing like real soap[[note]] It soap[[note]]It should be noted that Lifebuoy does have their bars look just as plastic [[https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/6EUAAOSwgZ1XssqR/s-l640.jpg in their marketing]] - -- the ''real'' bars look nothing like it, though.[[/note]].
* {{Tearjerker}}: TearJerker: As awesome as it is to see Ralphie finally fight back against Scut Farkus, it is also quite sad seeing the buildup and the aftermath. Ralphie has been bullied by Scut since the start of the movie, possibly longer, and he already had a bad day when Scut showed up. Then Scut finally pushes him over the edge by mocking him, leading to poor Ralphie snapping and attacking him. Not to mention that he wasn’t easing up on his beatings and swearing under his breath. There’s also Randy’s reaction, which seems to be that of genuine concern for his brother. He had never seen Ralphie so angry before and immediately ran to his mother because he was worried about his brother. And when his mother showed up and pulled him off Scut, he was in tears.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* CommonKnowledge: The idea that the movie and the stories it's based on were meant to be viewed as biographical. By Jean Shepherd's own admission, whatever personal inspiration he drew on for the plot, all the stories of Ralphie and the Parker family are fictional.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:


* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: One could argue that the film was ahead of its time, being a harsh but nostalgic satire of mid-20th century American values and Christmas traditions made by the baby boomers who lived through it. Through a combination of ValuesDissonance and future Christmas movies managing to condemn the more negative aspects of the season while uplifting the positive ones, the film's attempt to depict both with equal nostalgia feels less deconstructive and more alarmingly cynical.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


*** Did the Old Man ||buy Ralpha the BB gun he wanted|| out of kindness, or was it a form of payback for his wife "accidentally" breaking the lamp?
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* CrossestheLineTwice: Schwartz getting beat by his angry mom would be very alarming, if it weren’t for her sounding like a deranged turkey while doing it.

to:

* CrossestheLineTwice: CrossesTheLineTwice: Schwartz getting beat by his angry mom would be very alarming, if it weren’t for her sounding like a deranged turkey while doing it.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* CrossestheLineTwice: Schwartz getting beat by his angry mom would be very alarming, if it weren’t for her sounding like a deranged turkey while doing it.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

*** Did the Old Man ||buy Ralpha the BB gun he wanted|| out of kindness, or was it a form of payback for his wife "accidentally" breaking the lamp?
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Not ymmv


* PlotHole: During the three bathroom scenes after Ralphie gets hurt, the lights switch between lighter and darker.

Added: 492

Removed: 492

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
sorted examples by alphabetical order (articles like "the" are ignored)


* TheWoobie:
** Poor Flick and Schwartz go through a lot of abuse during the film, with Flick getting his tongue stuck on the flagpole, Schwartz getting an undeserved beating from his mother, and both of them getting beat up by Scut Farkus.
** Ralphie’s parents go through a lot in this movie. You just want to give the mom a hug and a hot meal and give the Old Man a new furnace.
** Ralphie himself goes through hell to get his Christmas gift only for it to cause the boy to break his glasses.


Added DiffLines:

* TheWoobie:
** Poor Flick and Schwartz go through a lot of abuse during the film, with Flick getting his tongue stuck on the flagpole, Schwartz getting an undeserved beating from his mother, and both of them getting beat up by Scut Farkus.
** Ralphie’s parents go through a lot in this movie. You just want to give the mom a hug and a hot meal and give the Old Man a new furnace.
** Ralphie himself goes through hell to get his Christmas gift only for it to cause the boy to break his glasses.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* SlowPacedBeginning: The film's first few minutes are forgettable and pretty slow, with long gaps in the narration and very long shots of toys and kids pressing their noses against windows.

to:

* SlowPacedBeginning: The film's first few minutes are forgettable and pretty slow, opening credits sequence aims more for period atmosphere building than plot or character introduction, with the result that it's kinda dull, with long gaps in the narration and very long shots of toys and kids pressing their noses against windows.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* SequelDisplacement: Technically. Not many know of the two earlier, Made For TV movies that adapted Shepard's other works about the Parker family. Seven years earlier ''Phantom of the Open Hearth'' was released. The year before A Christmas Story came out, The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters aired on Creator/{{PBS}}.

to:

* SequelDisplacement: Technically. Not many know of the two earlier, Made For TV Made-for-TV movies that adapted Shepard's other works about the Parker family. Seven years earlier ''Phantom of the Open Hearth'' was released. The year before A ''A Christmas Story Story'' came out, The ''The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters Disasters'' aired on Creator/{{PBS}}.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* SequelDisplacement: Technically. Not many know of the two earlier, Made For TV movies that adapted Shepard's other works about the Parker family. Seven years earlier ''Phantom of the Open Hearth'' was released. The year before A Christmas Story came out, The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters aired on Creator/PBS.

to:

* SequelDisplacement: Technically. Not many know of the two earlier, Made For TV movies that adapted Shepard's other works about the Parker family. Seven years earlier ''Phantom of the Open Hearth'' was released. The year before A Christmas Story came out, The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters aired on Creator/PBS.Creator/{{PBS}}.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* PlotHole: During the 3 bathroom scenes after Ralphie gets hurt, the lights switch between lighter and darker.

to:

* PlotHole: During the 3 three bathroom scenes after Ralphie gets hurt, the lights switch between lighter and darker.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* PlotHole: During the 3 bathroom scenes after Ralphie gets hurt, the lights switch between lighter and darker.

Top