A Christmas Story Christmas

A Christmas Story Christmas
Official release poster
Directed by	Clay Kaytis
Screenplay by	Nick Schenk Clay Kaytis
Story by	Nick Schenk Peter Billingsley
Based on	In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash by Jean Shepherd
Produced by	Irwin Zwilling Marc Toberoff Cale Boyter Jay Ashenfelter Peter Billingsley Vince Vaughn
Starring	Peter Billingsley Erinn Hayes Scott Schwartz R. D. Robb Zack Ward Julie Hagerty
Cinematography	Matthew Clark
Edited by	David Walsh Heinz
Music by	Jeff Morrow
Production companies	Legendary Pictures Wild West Picture Show Productions Toberoff Productions Turner Entertainment (rights holder)
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures HBO Max
Release date	November 17, 2022 (2022-11-17)
Running time	98 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

A Christmas Story Christmas is a 2022 American Christmas comedy film directed by Clay Kaytis from a script by Nick Schenk, who is also one of the executive producers. Produced by Peter Billingsley and Vince Vaughn along with Legendary's Cale Boyter and Jay Ashenfelter, Marc Toberoff and Irwin Zwilling, it is a sequel to the 1983 film A Christmas Story. Billingsley reprises his role as Ralphie Parker alongside Ian Petrella, Scott Schwartz, R. D. Robb, Zack Ward, and Yano Anaya returning as Randy Parker, Flick, Schwartz, Scut Farkus, and Grover Dill, respectively. Additionally Erinn Hayes, River Drosche, and Julianna Layne play Ralphie's wife and kids, with Julie Hagerty acting in the role of Mrs. Parker. Principal photography began in late February 2022 in Hungary and Bulgaria.

A Christmas Story Christmas was released in the United States on November 17, 2022, on HBO Max.The film has received a generally positive response from critics.

Plot

In December 1973, 33 years after the events of A Christmas Story, Ralphie Parker has moved away from Hohman, Indiana, and lives in Chicago with his loving wife Sandy and two children, Mark and Julie. Ralphie has been taking the year off of work to write his first novel, but its excessive length leads multiple publishers to reject it. As the family prepares for Ralphie’s parents to come visit for Christmas, Mrs. Parker calls to tell Ralphie that his father, a.k.a “the Old Man,” has died. The grief-stricken family makes its way to Hohman in Ralphie's beat-up 1966 Plymouth to be with Mrs. Parker, who has received a large number of casseroles as condolence offerings. She gives Ralphie two tasks: write his father's obituary, and take up his mantle of making Christmas special for the family.

Ralphie's children befriend one of the Bumpus kids next door and are bullied by two children on a snowmobile. He reunites with Flick, who now owns a tavern, and Schwartz, who still lives with his mother and has run up a large tab at Flick's. He also takes his family out tree shopping and, failing to replicate his father's negotiation skills, ends up with a tree too tall for the house's living room. While decorating, Julie becomes nervous that there isn't an angel to top it with. Improvising, Ralphie tells her that Santa Claus looks for stars in Hohman, not angels. All the while, he finds his first typewriter in the attic and begins work on the Old Man's obituary, struggling to find the right words and instead using his makeshift workspace to write the sequel to his still-unpublished novel. While leaving the house to go ice skating, Sandy slips and sprains her ankle, causing her to need crutches.

As Christmas Eve approaches, the family goes to Higbee's, where, miraculously, Ralphie manages to buy everything Mark and Julie asked for. A tipsy Sandy and Mrs. Parker, as well as the store's entire restaurant, are thrilled. On the way back, the Plymouth breaks down again, and the family passes the time needed for it to cool down by having a snowball fight. Ralphie accidentally hits Julie in the eye with a snowball, which requires a trip to the emergency room and a temporary eyepatch. But all of the gifts are stolen from the car's popped trunk when the family is inside the hospital, and Sandy has little money left to replace them.

Back at Flick's, Flick gives Mark an on-the-spot first job bartending. His patience with Schwartz worn thin, Flick offers to forgive Schwartz’s tab if he completes yet another dangerous physical stunt, the "Ramp." Schwartz succeeds after being triple-dog dared to do it, and his tab is forgiven. Soon all of the bar patrons begin sledding, leading to Mark breaking his arm. Ralphie is then rejected by his final prospective publisher, whom he had been pestering the whole week to accept. Disheartened, he throws the second manuscript away and gives up on writing.

After some comfort from Sandy and remembering the Christmases of yesteryear, Ralphie suddenly gains a burst of inspiration and writes a piece that far exceeds the length of a normal obituary, tearing up at the memories of the Old Man. However, he leaves it on the desk, rather than sending it to the newspaper, to prepare for Christmas Day. Mark and Julie manage to get back at their bullies by building a snowman over a large log so their snowmobile crashes. That night, though, Julie becomes upset after the tree's star falls and breaks. Ralphie, frustrated, goes out against his wife and mother's urgings to find a new one. Since all of the stores are closed, his only option is to "borrow" the star (with a beer company logo on it) from the tree in Flick's tavern, breaking and entering the premises to do so. On his way out, he is caught and apprehended by Scut Farkus, now a police officer. Ralphie is terrified at what Scut will do to him, but after some initial teasing, he actually brings him home, saying he owes Ralphie because their fight set him on a better path in life. He also unknowingly reveals his own children to have been the bullies of Mark and Julie. As Mrs. Parker and Ralphie reminisce about the Old Man, the Christmas tree once again blows a fuse, but the former orders the latter to bed, saying that she needs to learn these things herself now.

On Christmas morning, Ralphie is confused by compliments he receives about his piece in the newspaper. Sandy, it turns out, had found the obituary manuscript and took it to the local paper, and its high quality led to it taking the front page as a full column and quickly being syndicated. Ralphie is offered a new job as a syndicated columnist, fulfilling his dream of leaving the rat race and becoming a full-time writer. Opening presents, it is discovered that the Old Man had bought and personally wrapped very thoughtful gifts for the family shortly before his death. Much of the town soon comes to the Parker house for Christmas dinner, along with Ralphie's younger brother Randy, fresh from a "business trip" in India. After dinner concludes, the core family asks Ralphie to read his story about the Old Man. Seeing his father's vacant red chair, but realizing that he is still very much there that day in spirit, Ralphie takes a seat and begins to read, fully embracing his new role as the Old Man's successor. It is revealed that the story is in fact that of Christmas 1940 as Ralphie's narration of it fades and transitions into Jean Shepherd's from the original film.

Cast

• Peter Billingsley as Ralph "Ralphie" Parker
• Erinn Hayes as Sandy Parker, Ralph's wife
• Julie Hagerty as Mrs. Parker, Ralph's mother
• Ian Petrella as Randy Parker, Ralph's brother
• Scott Schwartz as Flick, one of Ralph's childhood friends
• R. D. Robb as Schwartz, one of Ralph's childhood friends
• Zack Ward as Officer Scut Farkus, Ralph's childhood bully
• River Drosche as Mark Parker, Ralph's son
• Julianna Layne as Julie Parker, Ralph's daughter
• Cailean Galloway as Snowmobile Bully
• Alistair Galloway as Snowmobile Bully
• Yano Anaya as Grover Dill, Ralph's childhood bully (in Ralph's imagination)

Production

In January 2022, Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures announced that a legacy sequel to A Christmas Story was in development with a script from Nick Schenk who also serves as executive producer. Clay Kaytis was hired to direct. The film is dedicated to Darren McGavin (who played "The Old Man" in the original film), who died on February 25, 2006.

Shortly after its official announcement of the film, Peter Billingsley was cast to reprise his role as Ralphie Parker as an adult, in addition as a producer alongside Vince Vaughn. Julie Hagerty had been cast as Mrs. Parker, his mother, replacing Melinda Dillon (who retired from acting in 2007) and originated the role in the original film. In February, Ian Petrella, Scott Schwartz, R. D. Robb, Zack Ward, and Yano Anaya were cast to reprise their roles as Randy Parker, Flick, Schwartz, Scut Farkus, and Grover Dill, respectively. In the same month, Erinn Hayes, River Drosche, and Julianna Layne were cast as Ralphie's wife, Sandy Parker and his kids, Mark and Julie Parker, respectively. Tedde Moore was asked to reprise her role as Miss Shields from the original film, but declined.

Principal photography began in late February 2022 in Hungary and Bulgaria. Billingsley and the crew commissioned exact replicas of the house which was depicted in the original film and the neighborhood enhancing the authenticity of the film. The first teaser trailer was released in October of the same year, confirming that the film was in post-production.

Release

The first teaser trailer was released in October 2022, confirming the official release date, with the full trailer following on November 1. A Christmas Story Christmas was released in the United States via streaming on November 17, 2022, on HBO Max by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 79% of 48 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "It isn't as much fun as an official Red Ryder carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time, but A Christmas Story Christmas remains a sequel worth celebrating." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 55 out of 100 based on reviews from 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

External links

• A Christmas Story Christmas at IMDb