Review: A Christmas Story Christmas

Ralphie returns to give his kids a magical Christmas like the one he had as a child. Long-awaited follow-up to holiday classic A Christmas Story starring Peter Billingsley.

Peter Billingsley, Erin Hayes, Julie Hagerty, River Drosche, Julianna Layne

‘A Christmas Story Christmas’ is an earnest and heartfelt sequel, packed full of Christmas cheer and sincere passion for its predecessor.

I went into this film expecting yet another cheap, cliché follow up to a classic film, used as a draw to get people to sign up for HBO Max, and I was pleasantly surprised! Was it cliché at times? Without a doubt, but somehow this film maintained the same charm that the original had, which made it endlessly enjoyable to watch.

Seeing all of these actors return to these roles that they played as children nearly forty years ago was such a fun thing to see. Peter Billingsley slips back into the role of Ralphie with ease, his character now an aspiring author, with a wife and two kids. The film revolves around Ralphie trying to make Christmas special for his family, after his father passes away, who was usually responsible for making the holiday so special.

With the emotional core of the film being focused on the loss of Ralphie’s father, it makes for an endearing story that ends in a way that will leave you feeling nothing but warm and fuzzy inside.

This is also a genuinely funny film, none of the jokes felt forced in, but as if the writers were taking their time in order to write out funny scenes that were of use to the plot, while at the same time homaging the original film, and keeping that same vibe. I laughed out loud quite a few times watching this.

One important thing to keep in mind, is that this film is intended for more mature families. If you have little kids, maybe skip this one for a family movie night, since this film does also focus on what it’s like for parents in order to keep the Christmas “magic” alive and well for their kids. We wouldn’t want to take that away from them.

‘A Christmas Story Christmas’ is a great sequel to the original. Albeit sometimes predictable, this nostalgic follow up left me grinning from ear to ear.