A Christmas Story

Nine years after the Yuletide slasher flick Black Christmas, Porky's director Bob Clark once again took on the holiday genre, switching from gasps to laughs with A Christmas Story. Adapted from a memoir by humorist Jean Shepherd (who narrates), the film centers on Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley), ...more

Marketed somewhat confusingly as a family film by the director of Porky's, Bob Clark's A Christmas Story took a while to catch on. But video and cable have conspired to boost its reputation into that of a latter-day holiday classic, and deservedly so. Its secret may be its ability to appeal to both children and adults. Clark wonderfully captures both Jean Shepherd's period detail (that's not just any BB-gun, it's a Red Ryder BB Gun) and, even more importantly, his ability to tell the story from ...more