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Avg. Critic Score: 77 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
8 OK for kids 8+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    TV Guide |

    The cast is wonderful--especially McGavin, Billingsley and Petrella--the laughs are nonstop if rarely subtle, and the whole thing deserves to become a Christmastime classic. Read full review

  • 100
    The Onion A.V. Club | Noel Murray

    The affection audiences feel for A Christmas Story is related to the holiday spirit, yes, but specifically to Clark and Shepherd's awareness of how the true meaning of Christmas manifests in the real world, where a warm meal on a cold, dark day-and a surprising moment of parental grace-can ease a troubled mind. Read full review

  • 100
    Boston Globe | Jay Carr

    In short, A Christmas Story isn't just about Christmas; it's about childhood and it recaptures a time and place with love and wonder. It seems an instant classic, a film that will give pleasure to people not only this Christmas, but for many Christmases to come. [19 Nov 1983, p.1] Read full review

  • 88
    ReelViews | James Berardinelli

    It's those moments and others and the way they are tied together by Shepherd's tongue-in-cheek narration that cements A Christmas Story as one of those rare must-see holiday movies, even for those who don't celebrate Christmas. Read full review

  • 75
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    It is pitch-perfect, telling the story through the enthusiastic and single-minded vision of its hero Ralphie, and finding in young Peter Billingsley a sly combination of innocence and calculation. Read full review

  • 60
    Chicago Reader | J.R. Jones

    Director Bob Clark teamed with nostalgic humorist Jean Shepherd for this squeaky clean and often quite funny 1983 yuletide comedy, adapted from Shepherd's novel In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash. Read full review

  • 60
    The New York Times | Vincent Canby

    Though Mr. Billingsley, Mr. Gavin, Miss Dillon and the actress who plays Ralphie's school teacher are all very able, they are less funny than actors in a television situation comedy that one has chosen to watch with the sound turned off. Read full review

  • 50
    The Globe and Mail (Toronto) |

    Needless to say, what's refreshing about A Christmas Story is subversive to the sepia-toned and loving references to the forties which director Bob Clark has provided for the film. The fictional Parker family that Shepherd has written about for 20 years is not as gentle or gauzy as they first appear. It's possible to imagine them so preoccupied with their own problems, whether dealing with the neighbor's dogs or winning a mail- order contest, that they could forget Christmas altogether. [25 Nov 1983, p.E5] Read full review

View more reviews for A Christmas Story (1983) on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 8+ Wonderful antidote to cutesy holiday tales; some swearing.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that both kids and adults use and discuss strong language ("ass," "son of a bitch"), and one famous scene involves young Ralphie using the "F" word (though movie viewers hear the word "fudge"). In one scene, the main character is punished for swearing by having his mouth washed out with soap. He's also bullied and beats up his nemesis, then cries afterward. One child sticks his tongue on a flagpole on a dare and needs the fire department to unstick him.
  • Families can talk about bullies: What makes people act like bullies? What makes people befriend bullies? How will the bully's life change after Ralphie fights him?
  • Why is it hard for Ralphie to talk to his parents about what he wants for Christmas?
  • Why is Ralphie so disappointed by the decoder? Do products get advertised during your favorite shows? Does it sometimes catch you by surprise like it did Ralphie?
The good stuff
  • educationalvalue true1 Educational value: Shows kids growing up in the 1930s/'40s listening to the radio for entertainment. Kids can read up more about the "Little Orphan Annie" program.
  • message true2 Positive messages: Underneath some ironic and satirical humor this is a warm story about a 1930s/'40s family. It is a refreshing look at a less-than-perfect holiday experience and the unexpected joy that can be found when things don't go as planned.
  • rolemodels true0 Positive role models: Ralphie engages in some questionable behavior, especially when it comes to lying in order to stay out of trouble. But he is a tame child by today's standards. And while Ralphie's dad seems like the disciplinarian, it's his mom who hands out the soap when he's caught swearing.
What to watch for
  • violence false2 Violence and scariness: It's mostly yelling and arm-twisting when two bullies harass kids daily, though Ralphie's friend does come to class with a black eye after one altercation. Ralphie punches one bully until he gets a bloody nose. A dream sequence shows Ralphie with his prized BB gun shooting and killing four comical bandits. A kid touches an icy metal pole with his tongue on a dare and it freezes to the pole.
  • sex false1 Sexy stuff: Ralphie's dad wins a lamp shaped like a woman's leg. Ralphie calls it the "soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the window" and continues to run his hand up the leg when his mother's not watching.
  • language false3 Language: Some language said by both adults and children, including "ass," "son of a bitch," "hell," "hot damn," and insults like "idiot," "dumb," etc. Lots of discussion about the use of profanity, by Ralphie's father who constantly swears while fixing the heater, but especially when Ralphie lets slip the "F" word in front of his dad, which is heard by the audience as "fudge." He's punished with a mouthful of soap.
  • consumerism false1 Consumerism: Main character is obsessed with getting a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. Mentions of other brands, some still available (Ovaltine) some not (Look magazine). And the infamous leg lamp is now a hot item at Christmastime.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false1 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Ralphie's parents drink wine after opening presents and his dad offers him a sip -- mom turns it down for him.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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