regentrude Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 I am not talking about the biblical nativity story. I am talking about the movie with the kid and the BB gun that seems to be wildly popular and is being performed locally as a play. I watched the movie once and did not get at all why this would be so iconic. I found it pointless and would not watch it a second time. Is there a larger cultural framework I am missing as an immigrant? Enlighten me what people find special about it. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 Uhm, I think it's hysterically funny. I guess most other people do as well. 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnE-girl Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 I don't get it either. And the most recent members of my family to immigrate here were my great-grandparents. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJosMom Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 I've never made it through the whole thing. I thought it was ridiculous. My husband likes it, though. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 Uhm, I think it's hysterically funny. I guess most other people do as well. We watch it every Christmas Eve, with Chinese take out. :) I don't think there's anything about it to miss as an immigrant; it probably just doesn't appeal to the OP's sense of humor. I think a play version sounds lame, though. Part of what makes it awesome is the acting. 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hepatica Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 We watch it every year! Love it. Good short article here that captures a bit of the appeal. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 I can't stand it. I don't know what the appeal is. I do love Miracle on 34th St. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 I don't get it either. I've attempted to watch it a couple times but never managed to watch the whole thing. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 We watch it every year! Love it. Good short article here that captures a bit of the appeal. Read the article, still have no idea what the appeal is. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 We watch it every Christmas Eve, with Chinese take out. :) I don't think there's anything about it to miss as an immigrant; it probably just doesn't appeal to the OP's sense of humor. I think a play version sounds lame, though. Part of what makes it awesome is the acting. I agree. And most of what he says in his head is so funny; not sure how that translates to a live show. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbecueMom Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 I saw the musical two years ago. I thought it was better on stage than as a film, which is saying a lot because I generally dislike musical theater. I don't relate to any of the characters or the plot at all. I'm not a fan. Christmas Vacation, on the other hand, is right up my alley. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 (edited) Uhm, I think it's hysterically funny. I guess most other people do as well. ETA: I missed that that you are an immigrant. I don't think that would affect one's enjoyment of the movie. It's just not your cuppa :) Edited October 21, 2016 by whitestavern 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 (edited) Having listened to the audiobook as well many times :) I would say, yeah, maybe it could be an immigrant thing. Most of my girlfriends (or their parents) are from other countries and I've found that there's lots of Americana type stuff that isn't nostalgic for them. They find lots of it lame or puzzling. ETA I love the movie! Edited October 21, 2016 by helena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 (edited) It depends on your personal sense of humor. Read the 2nd to last paragraph in the article someone posted above (here it is). Study it. That's what makes it funny. It's not sugary sweet yet it's not cynical either. It's a bit whimsical, but not obvious about it. It's that mix of adult perspective with a kid's point of view. It has perfect voice-overs and the comedic timing is impeccable. I love the movie. But I do know a few people who don't and they don't really share my sense of humor. They're pleasant people and they love to laugh and I very much enjoy their company...but we don't share the same sense of humor. They smile politely at things I think are hilarious and vice versa. I use that movie as a measure to tell whether I'm compatible with someone's sense of humor. I would never marry a man who doesn't like it, but I would be friends with people who don't. Probably not best friends, though. It's ok if you don't like it. It might be cultural or it might be that it doesn't match your personal sense of humor. Edited October 21, 2016 by Garga 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 The story is hilarious. I guess it's appealing to me because the family is just "average". The kid wants a toy for xmas that the parents say is a bad idea, but get it for him anyway. BTDT myself. The mom burns the xmas dinner and they go to a Chinese restaurant. Those who go out on major holidays often DO go to Chinese restaurants because they are open. Then the bunny costume and wanting to have the kid wear it because that will please the aunt. It's hilarious because you know it's one of those crazy relatives who gets the kid something stupid to wear and the parents make him wear it to be nice. Except this is a whole other level of stupid thing to wear. And then the leg lamp. This goofy arse lamp that the dad is excited about. But it's ridiculous. And the whole thing about the boy getting his tongue stuck to the frozen pole. What kid hasn't tried that?! DH's iconic traditional show for New Year's Eve is Dinner for One. So we watch that every year. And it's a rather silly and simplistic story, but it does make me laugh every time. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamiof5 Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 I believe I have watched probably 5-10 mins of this movie? Maybe, not even sure. Not my thing so I turned it off. I have watched some silly and not so great Christmas movies, and I finish them. Can't watch this one. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 We watched the movie several times. I thought it was funny the first time, but then started to see the meanness and ugliness of it. But I thought my kids liked it, so we kept watching it. Turns out they didn't like it at all, but they thought their dad and I did. I don't remember what my husband thinks of it. Anyway, we are not watching it any more. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 I am not talking about the biblical nativity story. I am talking about the movie with the kid and the BB gun that seems to be wildly popular and is being performed locally as a play. I watched the movie once and did not get at all why this would be so iconic. I found it pointless and would not watch it a second time. Is there a larger cultural framework I am missing as an immigrant? Enlighten me what people find special about it. I've never been able to get through the movie. . . .(at least twice.) didn't make any sense to me either. - and I'm NOT an immigrant, and was basically raised atheist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted October 21, 2016 Author Share Posted October 21, 2016 We watch it every year! Love it. Good short article here that captures a bit of the appeal. Thanks. I read the article, but it does not explain anything about the appeal to me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loowit Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 My DH really dislikes it. He has a hard time with the dad character in it I think. I think it is funny, but I don't watch it when he or the kids are at home. I think it is just not for everyone. For me it reminds me a bit of stories my grandpa would tell about my dad and his brothers growing up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted October 21, 2016 Author Share Posted October 21, 2016 (edited) Even though it's set in the 40s, it reminds me of my own childhood. ... There is so much of the movie that really just feels timeless to me. OK, so maybe that explain why I cannot relate to anything in the movie at all. Nothing about it has any relationship to my own childhood. Which is why i suspected it may be a cultural thing - Christmas is completely different back home. Edited October 21, 2016 by regentrude 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted October 21, 2016 Author Share Posted October 21, 2016 And the whole thing about the boy getting his tongue stuck to the frozen pole. What kid hasn't tried that?! No kid I know. And we have cold winters. And metal lamp posts. And spent plenty of time outside. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 oh goodness, we would have at least one or two kids try that at my elementary school every year lol. Most of the time the teachers just poured a little hot water on it. I grew up in NH; there were a couple every year! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybee Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 (edited) Maybe some of it is cultural. I thought it was hilarious when I first saw it. But I was overseas and didn't realize how it had been altered. So I built it up big time to my kids, and had someone bring it to us. I was embarrassed by parts of it because I didn't remember the language and some of the crude references due to the censoring. I liked the censored version a lot better. The appeal had to do with the points Sparkly brought out. ETA: After the disappointing viewing, I'm not interested in watching it again. Edited October 21, 2016 by Jaybee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 And then the leg lamp. This goofy arse lamp that the dad is excited about. You know I'm sorry, but given how much of the leg that lamp is ... calling it a goofy arse lamp is ... too close to the truth! :D :D btw I really did enjoy this movie and found it hilarious. It's sort of the stereotypical average 50s family in the US. Don't forget randy's snowsuit. Although the first time we watched this (we didn't do movies when I was a kid) my mom and I both expected him to have to pee instead of complaining about not being able to get his arms down. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 I love movies like Christmas Vacation and Planes, Trains and Automobiles. But I don't find The Christmas Story funny. I think it's because the dad in particular is not a nice guy. And the mom...nope, not funny. I really wonder if my own family background plays into it. My dad wasn't a real involved dad and my childhood relationship with my parents wasn't a barrel of fun. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 No kid I know. And we have cold winters. And metal lamp posts. And spent plenty of time outside. Same here and I've seen kids try it. Never saw one get their tongue stuck on one. But I am talking when I was a kid and not my own kids. Kids these days don't spend nearly as much time playing around outside. At least not based on my experiences. As a kid I lived outside all year long and there were tons and tons of other kids out there with me. Now? Nope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 I'm not familiar with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 I love that movie. It hysterical to my kids and I but DH doesn't get it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 (edited) That said, I do not watch it every year. There are a few movies I've seen so many times that I don't want to see them regularly anymore. Wizard of Oz, Mary Poppins, Sound of Music, Frosty the Snowman, Peanuts, etc...come to mind. I no longer watch these every single year. Growing up that was a big deal, but we didn't have 500 channels and a million options (or the Internet). Edited October 21, 2016 by SparklyUnicorn 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 I am not quite sure why people think the dad isn't nice. I think the dad is a little rough, maybe not super nurturing or whatever. But I think that scenes like when they are at the parade and then they pick the kids up after seeing Santa, and especially at the end when he gives the kid the BB gun, you can tell he does love the kids, does care about their happiness, just not in an affectionate sort of way. Right. To me he's a gruff dad who doesn't really wanna display emotion (common in that era) but does actually care about the kids. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 I am not quite sure why people think the dad isn't nice. I think the dad is a little rough, maybe not super nurturing or whatever. But I think that scenes like when they are at the parade and then they pick the kids up after seeing Santa, and especially at the end when he gives the kid the BB gun, you can tell he does love the kids, does care about their happiness, just not in an affectionate sort of way. He didn't strike me as mean. I think he was typical of the somewhat aloof and distant (towards his kids) type of dad that was common during the time. Growing up my dad seemed mean and distant to me. Now that I see him towards his grand kids he is very very different. Also, at this point he is more my friend than my parent. So I see him less like that. No clue why exactly he was that way growing up, but maybe he felt he had to be or he was modeling how his own dad was towards him. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 Oh and interestingly I often thought it was my dad that was the bigger hard arse, but when the shi* hit the fan he wasn't. My mother was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 We love it so much. I can't explain why. I just find it hysterical. Favorite quote, "[My father] worked in profanity the way other artists might work in oils or clay. It was his true medium; a master." 21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 It depends on your personal sense of humor. Read the 2nd to last paragraph in the article someone posted above (here it is). Study it. That's what makes it funny. It's not sugary sweet yet it's not cynical either. It's a bit whimsical, but not obvious about it. It's that mix of adult perspective with a kid's point of view. It has perfect voice-overs and the comedic timing is impeccable. I love the movie. But I do know a few people who don't and they don't really share my sense of humor. They're pleasant people and they love to laugh and I very much enjoy their company...but we don't share the same sense of humor. They smile politely at things I think are hilarious and vice versa. I use that movie as a measure to tell whether I'm compatible with someone's sense of humor. I would never marry a man who doesn't like it, but I would be friends with people who don't. Probably not best friends, though. It's ok if you don't like it. It might be cultural or it might be that it doesn't match your personal sense of humor. I think part of it might be that it is pushed on us as kids (maybe this is a generational thing? I'm a Millennial) and the humor is not really a child's humor. Maybe if I rewatched as an adult it would be funnier? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhanaBee Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 I'm old enough to remember when this came and went in the theaters. I think the screening was in July [i did not understand why we were going to see a Christmas movie in the summer]. My Dad worked in the industry so we went to the after screening party and the response from the crowd was mixed. Some absolutely loved it, and some thought it was just stupid and wouldn't go anywhere. I remember that my Dad thought it was very clever - but he strongly identified with Raphie, having also been a boy during those years and remembering Christmases when he just wanted One Thing, yet his mother thought it was too dangerous [i think it was a boomerang one year]. Dad's father had passed away so they lived with his Grandparents and Dad says that his Grandfather always came through with the "boy presents" that his Mom just didn't understand. I think this is one of those movies that, if you identify with some part of it, you really like. But it's really aimed at a select audience. We watch it about every other year, and quote right along with the film. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 I think part of it might be that it is pushed on us as kids (maybe this is a generational thing? I'm a Millennial) and the humor is not really a child's humor. Maybe if I rewatched as an adult it would be funnier? Yeah, I think I definitely liked it better because I didn't see it until I was 30, so I could remember being a kid and yet appreciate the adult humor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 (edited) It pokes fun at middle class American life. There is a little of everything in it. You see the world from a child's point of view, from the woman's angle and you can see the man's POV. All these different "frames" are interpreted and analyzed largely through the eyes of the boys. Like someone else posted, it serves a little as a mirror of childhood experiences. Perhaps, since it depicts life in the USA, it is more difficult to "get" for people who have no connection to those times. Edited October 21, 2016 by Liz CA 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 We love it so much. I can't explain why. I just find it hysterical. Favorite quote, "[My father] worked in profanity the way other artists might work in oils or clay. It was his true medium; a master." "Over the years I got to be quite a connoisseur of soap. My personal preference was for Lux, but I found Palmolive had a nice, piquant after-dinner flavor - heady, but with just a touch of mellow smoothness." 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 OK, so maybe that explain why I cannot relate to anything in the movie at all. Nothing about it has any relationship to my own childhood. Which is why i suspected it may be a cultural thing - Christmas is completely different back home. Nah. It's NOTHING like my childhood either. It's set in the 40s for goodness sakes. You just don't like it--that's okay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 (edited) We watch it every other year. I have the book it was based on and enjoy it. https://www.amazon.com/God-We-Trust-Others-Cash/dp/0385021747/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477087065&sr=8-1&keywords=in+god+we+trust+all+others+pay+cash My step-dad loves it because it's a story about his generation. Some people like Jean Shepherd's sense of humor.Some people are nostalgic about the material aspect of Christmas-getting that One Thing you dreamed of like the BB gun, getting that thing that was more terrible than you could ever dream of like the bunny suit. Some people enjoy it because it's from the child's point of view and how they saw friends, teachers, parents, bullies, and the different aspects of the holiday itself as kids.Some people like the element of kids running around together doing kid things like listening to their favorite shows, playing in the snow together, getting into trouble together and not being helicopter parented.Some people like the snapshot in time-post WWII midwestern America and it's cultural norms. Edited October 21, 2016 by Homeschool Mom in AZ 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 "Over the years I got to be quite a connoisseur of soap. My personal preference was for Lux, but I found Palmolive had a nice, piquant after-dinner flavor - heady, but with just a touch of mellow smoothness." :lol: My parents didn't do stuff like "wash our mouths out with soap", but my grand parents did. We can laugh about this (and the absurdity). These days probably a parent could be arrested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hepatica Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 Oh, and it's completely secular. No religious meaning here, just pure capitalism. The perfect example of the American cultural Christmas. And, oh the horror and idiocy of the idealized middle american life of the mid century. Just hilarious. Of course my DH grew up in central Wisconsin, which wasn't noticeably different in the 70s than Cleveland in the 40s, so he loves it even more than I. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 OK, so maybe that explain why I cannot relate to anything in the movie at all. Nothing about it has any relationship to my own childhood. Which is why i suspected it may be a cultural thing - Christmas is completely different back home. I have celebrated xmas in Germany a couple of times. What strikes me is it's more solemn than here. There is still eating and a bit of decorating and gathering with family, but it's not quite as jovial (for lack of a better way of putting it). Of course his family could just be very different. (that anyway) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 I'm so glad you started this thread - I thought it was just our family that didn't like the movie! DH's family loves this movie and so does my son's gf. We watched it once with high expectations based on how much everyone loves it and we all hated it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 No kid I know. And we have cold winters. And metal lamp posts. And spent plenty of time outside. My father, born in the early 1940s grew up in rural Maine. Getting younger kids who didn't know any better to stick their tongues to cold metal objects was commonly done. The neighbor kids did it to him when he was little. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 My father, born in the early 1940s grew up in rural Maine. Getting younger kids who didn't know any better to stick their tongues to cold metal objects was commonly done. The neighbor kids did it to him when he was little. Similar to how a lot of farm kids got tricked by an older brother or cousin into peeing on an electric fence as a child. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 Even though I grew up in the 80s, it still reminds me of a lot of the things that were Christmas in our family, only with fewer tears..lol. Everything going wrong. The way Ralphie lives in his own little world that is constantly narrated in his mind. The foul-mouthed dad (although it was my mom in our family). The annoying little brother and the creepy Santa and elves. The horrifying gifts from little old lady relatives. It all strikes some memory or another from my own life. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 The way Ralphie lives in his own little world that is constantly narrated in his mind. Yeah I spent so much time in my own little world as a kid. I really recognized myself in Ralphie. The only other place I read something that summed it up so well was The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, which I also loved. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El... Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 Hiding in the bathroom to have privacy. Fighting back against bullies and finding out you can take them. Brothers randomly hitting each other, but hiding in the cabinet crying when the other is in trouble. Spouses that obviously irritate each other, but really love each other, too. I love that movie. I didn't watch it until I was an adult, when DH insisted. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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