It took me many decades to actually watch the first A Christmas Story movie. I had never seen it come on reruns on TV and it just wasn’t a common thing played at my house during childhood. But I watched it about maybe 10 years ago and I liked it. I was interested in seeing this new sequel on HBO Max. I had no idea that there were many different sequels and prequels to A Christmas Story (all based on a book series) but this is the only one to bring back most of the original cast.

I was born 5 years after A Christmas Story was made. And Ralphie Parker is all grown up.. . and middle-aged. It definitely can make you feel old.

The story revolves around the recent death of his father which happens right before Christmas. So he takes his family to go see his mother and spend Christmas in Indiana.

But as Ralphie goes back to his hometown, he’ll see a lot of familiar faces. Good and bad.

And a lot of problems come up his way. But with his father gone, there’s a lot of pressure for him to save Christmas, and you know it’s not going to be as easy as buying a BB gun for his boy.

I will say the best thing about the movie is the nostalgia. I think the first one was set in the 1940s and this one is set in the 1970s. But sometimes it feels just like the first movie. Like I said before, Ralphie and his friends are all played by the same actors from 1983. The big exception is that the woman who played his mother retired awhile back, and she was unfortunately recasted.

I will say that it’s not the perfect sequel. It’s very unlikely that the general public will treat this as the same Christmas classic as the original was. But it’s a decent movie that moves a little slow at times. It may not be Christmas gold but it’s definitely Christmas bronze.