For many years, the classic “A Christmas Story” has played for 24 hours on repeat every holiday season, showing us the plight of young Ralph Parker as he tries to get his Red Ryder BB gun. Now we get to see what it is like for him being the adult in the story.

“A Christmas Story Christmas” is the brand new sequel to the beloved 1983 classic known as “A Christmas Story.” The film fast forwards 33 years into the future, where Ralphie (played by original actor Peter Billingsley) is faced with the challenge of following in his father’s footsteps, to provide a good Christmas for his own family. The movie even takes place at the iconic set of the Parker home, located in Hohman, Indiana. 

Ralphie and his family are traveling back to his childhood home after hearing news that his father has passed away. Ralphie is an author, who has tried to get his book published many times only to find rejection, and his mother has given him the difficult duty of writing his father’s obituary for his local paper. Ralphie is put through many challenges and hardships on the way to Christmas day, as he tries to lift his family’s spirits and give his children a Christmas to remember. 

Familiar faces accompany Ralphie on his journey, with Scott Schwartz and R.D.Robb reprising their roles as Flick and Schwartz, respectively. Other classic characters return, like Ralphie’s childhood bully Scut Farkus (Zack Ward), and his little brother Randy (Ian Petrella).

“A Christmas Story Christmas” felt very familiar, and kept almost every tone from the first film. Similar themes were present throughout the movie like Ralphie wanting a radiator replacement for his car, just like when his father wanted a new furnace in the first film. Other events are mimicked in the movie, including the iconic, “triple dog dare” scene where one of Ralphie’s friends dares the other to do something dangerous. Ralphie also encourages his own children to stand up to neighborhood bullies, just like he did back when he was a child. 

The score, set and the cinematography seem very faithful to the fist movie. The score is virtually the same and definitely plays an important role in how nostalgic the film feels. The cinematography is reminiscent of the 1983 style. Billingsley and all of his co-stars do a great job of portraying their characters as adults, while still preserving their original personalities. 

I went in expecting this movie to be a low budget cash grab without much heart but I was pleasantly surprised with how well the film was able to capture the original feel of the classic movie that I watch every Christmas. Of course, the film is incomparable to the original film because it is hard to match a classic that everyone has seen. 

The movie was definitely very emotional, and the passing of the father weighed heavily on the overall story. I think this new film definitely learned from the failed “A Christmas Story 2” and implemented things that fans missed, and removed plot points that fans disliked. I believe the sequel stays true to all of the classic vibes that we’ve come to know and love. Fans of the previous movie should definitely give it a watch, and stay to the end when the whole story comes full circle.