"A Christmas Story" is the Greatest Coming of Age Story
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| A Christmas Story (1983) |
The majority of films centered around the holiday season also effectively work to draw forth feelings of nostalgia. Traditionally this nostalgia is related to the holiday season and the imagery which one typically can expect to see during Christmas time. However, in the case of A Christmas Story the nostalgia is not relating to Christmas, but rather to a much more broad and relatable occurrence which even those who dod not celebrate traditional American Christmases will relate to - growing up. Despite its title and the fact that the events in the films plot all take place around the holiday season, it is the occurrences and instances of familiar childhood events that brings this film its charm. Take for example the terror of accidentally swearing in front of a parent, but amplify it to the point where the parent begins shrieking in absolute terror and disbelief when they hear the word you uttered.
A Christmas Story is more of a series of childhood vignettes that are loosely connected by the holiday spirit than it is a single linear plotline. Interwoven through hilarious incidents involving running home from schoolyard bullies, struggling to get an A on a paper, and meeting a rather frightening Santa Claus, is the single thread of our protagonist longing to receive a BB gun for Christmas - to which he always earns the response "you'll shoot your eye out!"
While this film is admittedly one of the funnier and more genuine films which take place around the holiday season, due in fact tot the fact that its humor is drawn from the dialogue and personalities of the characters rather than from slapstick comedy, it is also a heartfelt glimpse into the troubles which accompany growing up. It depicts a boy who wants to be viewed as an adult by everyone around him, and who is constantly troubled by the fact that he's forever being warned of the dangers of the toy he wants for Christmas, but who simultaneously finds himself forever envious of the younger brother who his mother pampers and babies. It also shows an extremely realistic family dynamic, with a short-tempered and sometimes intimidating father who still genuinely loves and adores his family - even if he has odd ways of showing it, and a mother who cautiously bottles up her emotions but lets them slip out in hilarious and bizarre ways.
Typically narration is a form of storytelling which I despise, but in the case of A Christmas Story it only works to serve in the film's favor, as the narrator's inflection and manner of speech combines with the hilarious dialogue to provide an entirely different feeling to the film as a whole. The audience isn't the only one filled with nostalgia at the events taking place on screen, the narrator is as well, and it seems as though he reflects on even the terrible occurrences of his childhood with a newfound sense of fondness because of the lessons they taught him, and isn't that just what we end up doing with our own childhood memories as we grow older?
In conclusion, A Christmas Story is a fantastic film for the whole family to enjoy this holiday season, and I cannot recommend it enough.
A Christmas Story is more of a series of childhood vignettes that are loosely connected by the holiday spirit than it is a single linear plotline. Interwoven through hilarious incidents involving running home from schoolyard bullies, struggling to get an A on a paper, and meeting a rather frightening Santa Claus, is the single thread of our protagonist longing to receive a BB gun for Christmas - to which he always earns the response "you'll shoot your eye out!"
While this film is admittedly one of the funnier and more genuine films which take place around the holiday season, due in fact tot the fact that its humor is drawn from the dialogue and personalities of the characters rather than from slapstick comedy, it is also a heartfelt glimpse into the troubles which accompany growing up. It depicts a boy who wants to be viewed as an adult by everyone around him, and who is constantly troubled by the fact that he's forever being warned of the dangers of the toy he wants for Christmas, but who simultaneously finds himself forever envious of the younger brother who his mother pampers and babies. It also shows an extremely realistic family dynamic, with a short-tempered and sometimes intimidating father who still genuinely loves and adores his family - even if he has odd ways of showing it, and a mother who cautiously bottles up her emotions but lets them slip out in hilarious and bizarre ways.
Typically narration is a form of storytelling which I despise, but in the case of A Christmas Story it only works to serve in the film's favor, as the narrator's inflection and manner of speech combines with the hilarious dialogue to provide an entirely different feeling to the film as a whole. The audience isn't the only one filled with nostalgia at the events taking place on screen, the narrator is as well, and it seems as though he reflects on even the terrible occurrences of his childhood with a newfound sense of fondness because of the lessons they taught him, and isn't that just what we end up doing with our own childhood memories as we grow older?
In conclusion, A Christmas Story is a fantastic film for the whole family to enjoy this holiday season, and I cannot recommend it enough.
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