A Christmas Story (Peter Billingsley, Darren McGavin)
This year, I've been asked a few times what my all-time favourite Christmas movie is. The answer never really requires any thought on my part. While I enjoy It's A Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol and, heck, Pee-Wee's Christmas Special, it's always the tale of little Ralphie Parker that really puts me in the spirt of the season.
1983's sleeper, simply entitled A Christmas Story, has gone on to become a kind of cult classic this time of year. Maybe it's because, unlike other specials where the kids either: A) always somehow end up magically visiting Santa at the North Pole, B) learn the True Meaning of Christmas through clich?d acts of kindness, or C) bring their estranged parents back together just in time for Christmas, A Christmas Story concerns itself with something quite unique -- the world according to Raphie. And as viewers, we're allowed to follow along for 90 minutes.
All Ralphie wants for Christmas is a Daisy Red Ryder 200-shot Carbine Action BB gun. Now, what exactly do I mean when I write "all Ralphie wants"? Let me put it this way: it's that toy (be it a rifle or a Tonka truck or a doll, etc.) that we wanted when we were little that consumed all our thoughts, the item that kept us awake at night, just dreaming we would soon be holding it in our hands. The toy is an obsession, a gift we want desparately to the point where we can blatantly drop hints several times a day, including leaving the gift catalogue for your folks to find, opened to the exact page where the toy is listed; we desire it so deeply we can recite all of its features at the drop of a hat. But what do we do when all the adults around us think it's an unfit toy? Will even Santa Claus himself bring it on Christmas Eve?
Peter Billingsley is just right for the part of Ralphie. He conveys so many childhood memories -- including the weaker moments -- with an openness that links our childhood to Ralphie's right away. As Mrs. Parker, Melinda Dillon provides a sweet wisdom and several scenes of real Mom-ness that are unforgettable. Ian Petrella is Randy, Ralphie's kid brother who, based on the way he eats his mashed potatoes, may grow up with serious issues later in life. It's Darren McGavin though, as the gently stern (or is it sternly gentle) father, that gives the story its powerful heart. The way he acts toward his wife, two sons, and even the townspeople, is a great achievement, because he conveys a stubborn demeanour which is merely an exterior show of something deeper going inside.
The movie is a montage of moments where you'll find yourself exclaiming, "I remember that!" Some of them include: a "triple-dog-dare" to stick one's tongue to a frozen telephone pole, which Ralphie's friend Flick (Scott Schwartz) accepts then soon regrets; the dreaded daily chase by the school bullies (Zack Ward and Grover Dill); the terrifying moment when a curse word is accidentally muttered in front of the folks for the first time; getting bundled up by Mom in 7 layers of clothing before being allowed to go outside; the tacky present sent every year by some senile distant relative; and a special family dinner that goes terribly wrong (the best alternative is to eat out at a local restaurant). Then there's the Old Man's glorious prize -- a lamp in the shape of a woman's leg that provides a temporary War of the Roses-style friction between McGavin and Dillon. The incident sets up a reconciliation later in the film by the fireplace that is very touching.
Even if you didn't grow up in the '40s, there's something for everyone to smile about. Director Bob Clark may have set the film in smalltown America, but an interesting bit of trivia is that it was filmed mostly in Toronto, which makes it a kind of Canadian classic all its own. The memories. The wishes. The love. These are the things that A Christmas Story captures every year without fail. When Ralphie finally cradles his coveted BB gun in his arms before falling to sleep on Christmas night, we just know he'll have very pleasant dreams.
