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A Christmas Story

  • 1983
  • PG
  • 1h 33m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
175K
YOUR RATING
Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon, Jeff Gillen, and Darren McGavin in A Christmas Story (1983)
Official Clip: It's a Major Award!
Play trailer0:54
11 Videos
99+ Photos
Holiday ComedyHoliday FamilyComedyFamilyHoliday

In the 1940s, a young boy named Ralphie Parker attempts to convince his parents, teacher, and Santa Claus that a Red Ryder Range 200 Shot BB gun really is the perfect Christmas gift.In the 1940s, a young boy named Ralphie Parker attempts to convince his parents, teacher, and Santa Claus that a Red Ryder Range 200 Shot BB gun really is the perfect Christmas gift.In the 1940s, a young boy named Ralphie Parker attempts to convince his parents, teacher, and Santa Claus that a Red Ryder Range 200 Shot BB gun really is the perfect Christmas gift.

  • Director
    • Bob Clark
  • Writers
    • Jean Shepherd
    • Leigh Brown
    • Bob Clark
  • Stars
    • Peter Billingsley
    • Melinda Dillon
    • Darren McGavin
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.9/10
    175K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Bob Clark
    • Writers
      • Jean Shepherd
      • Leigh Brown
      • Bob Clark
    • Stars
      • Peter Billingsley
      • Melinda Dillon
      • Darren McGavin
    • 634User reviews
    • 104Critic reviews
    • 77Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 11 nominations total

    Videos11

    A Christmas Story
    Trailer 0:54
    A Christmas Story
    A Christmas Story
    Trailer 1:22
    A Christmas Story
    A Christmas Story
    Trailer 1:22
    A Christmas Story
    Top-Rated Holiday Movies to Watch
    Clip 2:01
    Top-Rated Holiday Movies to Watch
    'A Christmas Story' | Spotlight
    Clip 1:23
    'A Christmas Story' | Spotlight
    The Worst Gifts in Our Favorite Holiday Films
    Clip 2:37
    The Worst Gifts in Our Favorite Holiday Films
    Holiday Movies and TV Specials That Get You in the Spirit
    Clip 2:06
    Holiday Movies and TV Specials That Get You in the Spirit

    Photos241

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    Top cast45

    Edit
    Peter Billingsley
    Peter Billingsley
    • Ralphie Parker
    Melinda Dillon
    Melinda Dillon
    • Mother Parker
    Darren McGavin
    Darren McGavin
    • The Old Man Parker
    Scott Schwartz
    Scott Schwartz
    • Flick
    Jean Shepherd
    • Ralphie as an Adult
    • (voice)
    Ian Petrella
    Ian Petrella
    • Randy Parker
    Tedde Moore
    • Miss Shields
    RD Robb
    RD Robb
    • Schwartz
    • (as R.D. Robb)
    Zack Ward
    Zack Ward
    • Scut Farkus
    Yano Anaya
    • Grover Dill
    Jeff Gillen
    • Santa Claus
    Colin Fox
    Colin Fox
    • Ming the Merciless
    • (scenes deleted)
    Paul Hubbard
    Paul Hubbard
    • Flash Gordon
    • (scenes deleted)
    Leslie Carlson
    Leslie Carlson
    • Christmas Tree Man
    • (as Les Carlson)
    Jim Hunter
    • Freight Man
    Patty Johnson
    • Head Elf
    Drew Hocevar
    • Male Elf
    David Svoboda
    • Kid with Goggles
    • Director
      • Bob Clark
    • Writers
      • Jean Shepherd
      • Leigh Brown
      • Bob Clark
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews634

    7.9175.1K
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    Featured reviews

    9Sober-Friend

    Christmas is Not Complete Without Watching This

    The 1983 "Terms of Endearment" won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Now it was deserved. The film still remains popular today. What's hard to believe now is that "A Christmas Story" (released the same year) was ignored everywhere. If anything it should of been nominated for best adapted screenplay!

    Now when the film was released it was "Critically Acclaimed" but, MGM failed to capitalized on that. The film was poorly handled & failed to capture a large theatrical audience!

    Well thanks to the Home Video Market & television this film has now become part of Americana. It also helped that Ted Turner made "24 Hours Of A Christmas Story" an annual event.

    It is now 2017, and "A Christmas Story" it is now one of the most popular films of all time. Even "Return of the Jedi" ( The Highest Grossing Film of 1983) "Isn't gaining as many new fans". .

    "Return of the Jedi" has always rode the coattails of the earlier "Star Wars" films. "A Christmas Story" has gained fans for just being a great film!

    Now my review Set in the 1940's the film makes you identify with Ralphie and you your routing for him in every single way!

    Ralphie is in elementary school. His has a little brother and all he wants for Christmas is a BB-Gun. He wants this more than anything. Before Christmas gets there he has many obstacles to overcome. One of them is getting home! He & his friends are always being bullied before they can make it home.

    The film is flawless. It is a joy to watch and only improves every time you watch it. It is also true that for some reason the older it gets the better it becomes!

    You need to see this. Also there is a fan made documentary called "A Christmas Story Documentary: Road Trip for Ralphie". That is a great fan made documentary.
    8ccthemovieman-1

    Easy To Understand Its Popularity

    This has always been a favorite with a lot of people, and I can see why. It's a nice comedy about a little boy's wish for Christmas and is set back in the 40s. It's narrated by the boy who is now much older and is fondly looking back at the period, which included a lot of funny moments for he and his friends and family.

    Jean Shepherd narrates and Peter Billingsley plays the little kid, "Ralphie Parker." He's fun to look at, with his nerd-like looks. It's also a good-natured film and, except for a few swear words, is safe for the whole family.

    Darren McGavin and Melinda Dillon also shine as Ralphie's parents. I haven't seen this in a long time, but I always remember the little kid's favorite Christmas present, a red air rifle and his friend getting his tongue frozen stuck to a pole. That last scene has been a classic since this film came out almost 25 years ago.
    8Jennydavis131

    Family holiday fun

    A Christmas story is a classic holiday film that is very funny and entertaining. This is a movie that should be viewed by everyone, and can been seen on television during thanksgiving and Christmas time. In most families, this film is already a tradition to watch every year and that's because it has a wonderful plot, great characters and believable actors.

    A Christmas Story is about an average middle class family living in a small town in the 1940's. The film contains an average family of a regular husband and wife relationship and two young boys. The eldest of the boys is named Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) who is the star of the film. All that Ralphie wants is to have a perfect Christmas containing the perfect gift, a Red Ryder carbon action BB gun. This is all that Ralphie can think about day and night. When Ralphie has to write a Theme about what he wants for Christmas, his teacher replies to him `you'll shoot your eye out' which seems to be the only reply to him throughout the whole film.

    What makes this film so great is the ability to relate to Ralphie with his problems throughout the movie, such as wanting that one gift that everyone thinks that you're too young to have and are unable to get. The acting is very convincing and makes you think that this could even be you in the movie.

    There are some very hilarious parts in this film that also make it very good. This particular scene also contains some very cheesy acting which also makes it funny. Ralphie has a dream about getting his Red Ryder BB gun and saving his family from a bunch of evil villains. In this scene Ralphie is wearing the white sparkly cowboy suit and he shoots down the evil villains and saves the day with his gun in a very unrealistic way.

    There really wasn't much music that can be commented on in this movie, just that it was the orchestral type of music that was out in the time period of the 40's. The costumes where great and convincing. I also liked how real they made the 40's look. You actually think it might have been made in that time period which makes the film very authentic.

    I would recommend this film to anyone who wants some holiday laughs and some great family time together. I would rate this film a 9 out of ten because it's so memorable.
    9CMUltra

    Pure joy!

    How difficult is it to perfectly capture nostalgia? It must be pretty darn difficult or else everyone would make movies like this. It may not be absolute perfection but Jean Shepherd, Bob Clark and the outstanding cast came as close as anyone here.

    Creating a story centered around nostalgia is a tricky thing as the memories that creates it are unique to each of us. The themes, however, are similar and that's where the success lies.

    I didn't want a Red Ryder BB gun when I was that age but my Christmas wish was just as fervent and I schemed just as hard as Ralphie. The bully at my school didn't have yellow eyes but he was pretty much like Scut Farkus. And so on, from the fantastically flawed parents to the pop-heroes, A Christmas Story captures it all.

    Truly wonderful.
    Kimta

    The funniest, most touching family Christmas film of ALL time!

    I lived the life of Ralphie! Even though I'm a girl and was born in the late seventies, my Christmases were much the same as Ralphie's.

    From playing Santa on Christmas morning to sipping my Dad's Christmas cocktail to visiting Santa at the department store, I lived the very same Christmas memories. This movie brings out the true essence of Christmas happiness. Everyone, young and old, can relive the magic of being a child.

    Ralphie's vibrant imagination and inventiveness in his ploys to seduce his parents into buying him the ultimate gift are "pinch-his-chubby-cheeks" adorable. And Randy...need I say anything?? He is the perfect picture of the baby brother!

    This movie is universal in its appeal to audiences of all ages, race, and nationalities. My husband, who grew up in Lebanon and who's first language is Arabic, even knew the famous "oh fudge" line when I first played this movie for him here in the States.

    I get giddy every time I sit down to watch this movie. Curling up with a warm cup of cider in front of the fireplace, wrapping Christmas presents, making Christmas cookies, or writing a letter to Santa Claus...those are all perfect times to watch this classic family film. This has been and always will be my all-time favorite Christmas film.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      For the scene in which Flick's tongue sticks to the flagpole, a hidden suction tube was used to safely create the illusion that his tongue had frozen to the metal.
    • Goofs
      A kid in a classroom scene has a The Dukes of Hazzard (1979) digital watch.
    • Quotes

      Ralphie as an Adult: [narrating] Only one thing in the world could've dragged me away from the soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the window.

    • Crazy credits
      Early home video copies contained the following text immediately after the end credits:

      "THIS TRANSFER IS DEDICATED TO 'POPPY' JOE BLUTH 1984."
    • Alternate versions
      Theatrical and home video versions have the end credits scrolling in red text over a shot of the Parker house. The airings on TBS in the United States have the credits on white over a black background. This also happened on the Cartoon Network airing as well.
    • Connections
      Edited into A Christmas Story Christmas (2022)
    • Soundtracks
      The Hut-Sut Song (A Swedish Serenade)
      Written by Leo Killion, Ted McMichael, and Jack Owens

      Performed by Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra

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    FAQ28

    • How long is A Christmas Story?Powered by Alexa
    • Who played Ralphie's classmate Esther Jane?
    • What made Scut Farkus & Grover Dill become bullies? How do their parents' raise them?
    • What is 'A Christmas Story' about?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 18, 1983 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Canada
    • Official site
      • Warner Bros. DVD site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Una historia de Navidad
    • Filming locations
      • 3159 W. 11th Street, Cleveland, Ohio, USA(exterior of Ralphie's house)
    • Production companies
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
      • Christmas Tree Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $3,300,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $20,778,141
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $2,072,473
      • Nov 20, 1983
    • Gross worldwide
      • $20,792,689
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 33 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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