Remember A Christmas Story? Well, they made a “sequel” in 1994 and Sony now brings it to DVD. It’s inspired by Jean Shepherd’s books and directed by Bob Clark.
When we last heard from Ralphie Parker, he was trying to get Ole’ St. Nick to get him a Red Ryder BB gun. “You’ll shoot your eye out” was the universal retort to Ralphie’s pleas for the fabled BB gun. Well, the seasons have changed and so have the actors. Ralph “Ralphie” Parker (Kieran Culkin) is ready for his summer vacation. Mr. Parker (Charles Grodin) aka The Old Man has intensified his war with his hillbilly neighbors, the Bumpuses.
This time the Bumpus clan is building an outdoor dwelling that is not up to code, that would be a outhouse. Mrs. Parker (Mary Steenburgen) is attending free dish night at the Orpheum Theater. The problem is that the only dish available is the Ronald Colman gravy boat, but Mr. Doppler (Glen Shaddix), the theatre’s owner, promises that the Bela Lugosi finger bowl, etc. will soon be on their way. Ralphie wants to challenge bully Lug Ditka (Whit Hertford) to a top duel.
However, he and his pals Flick (Geoffrey Wigdor) and Schwartz (David Zahorsky) must scour the town looking for the perfect killer top. Ralph is also having a rite of passage as the Old Man allows him to go on his early morning fishing trips. Ralph’s brother Randy (Christian Culkin) doesn’t really have too much to do.
In 1983 a Christmas classic was born. Though at the time it was not the classic that it became. Multiple repeats on television was what made A Christmas Story the holiday classic that it is today. It’s a Wonderful Life probably runs a close second. In 1994 director Bob Clark and author Jean Shepherd decided to go to the well again and make a sequel to A Christmas Story.
Ralphie challenges Lug to a top duel
It was originally called It Runs in the Family, but the title was changed to My Summer Story to, no doubt, have a familiarity with it’s more famous predecessor. Sadly, the cast of A Christmas Story was most likely deemed too much older to play their original parts. The only returning cast member would be Tedde Moore as Ralph’s teacher Miss Shields besides director Clark and Shepherd (who wrote the screenplay and provides narration duties as he did in A Christmas Story). Darren McGavin was replaced with Charles Grodin and Peter Billingley was replaced by Kieran Culkin.
You’d think that with the parties that were actually involved (Clark and Shepherd) that the movie would also be a summer classic. Let me put it another way, A Summer Story is a funny picture but it does not rise to the classic level that A Christmas Story does. I think that Kieran Culkin is acceptable as Ralph, but Charles Grodin falls well below Darren McGavin. The situations that the Parker family gets into are really very funny as they were in Shepherd’s original works.
My Summer Story is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Sadly the only special features are previews for other Sony products (which I never really count as special features).
What a catch!
My Summer Story is a funny movie, but Charles Grodin is no Darren McGavin. I’d still recommend it as a rental if you want to watch a funny movie in the vein of Shepherd’s wonderful stories.
My Summer Story is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the movie database for more information.
USA
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