Christmas Films--#3

Every year since 1997, on TBS and now TNT as well, regular programming stops and from Christmas Eve through Christmas Day—for 24 hours—the networks show A Christmas Story [1983] back to back. And for those 24 hours, the networks continually beat out every other cable network in terms of ratings.

Why is this film so beloved?

Written by Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown & Bob Clark, the film is a family comedy that combines a darker humor than you’ll find in most Christmas comedies with the sweetest bit of nostalgia… and it’s the perfect combination.

If you’re a fan of Christmas movies, it’s hard to imagine you haven’t seen it, but take a look at the trailer and you’ll get a feel for the tone of the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfjEZ88NHBw

It’s interesting to note that the film began as a series of short stories that Jean Shepherd published in Playboy in the 60s, and the author—along with two co-writers—adapted parts of them for the screen. Was it a success when released? Not much. Its worldwide gross was only $20 million. But the studio hadn’t thought it would be a success so hadn’t booked it into enough theatres when it was released in mid-November, so by Christmas bigger blockbusters were taking all the screens and the little film of A Christmas Story died out.

And then came cable—where it was resurrected and became an annual favorite. Writer/director Bob Clark said he realized how successful it had become when he happened to be in a New Hampshire restaurant once on Christmas Eve and thought he heard a family reciting the dialogue from the film! He asked the restaurant’s owner if he was right and was told this family came in every year and recited the movie’s dialogue—so a shocked Clark knew he’d helped create a classic.

One of the things I love about this story is that it’s not that uncommon—films that don’t blow out the box office often are seen, later, to be brilliant. So one of the worst things you could do as a writer is to try and please the current box office! Who knows what that even entails!!

It’s so easy when writing a Christmas film to err on the side of sweetness or nostalgia. What A Christmas Story does is focus—with great humor and sometimes even love—on the commercialism of the holiday, on the greed of children, on the meanness of children, on the gender stereotypes women lived through, on the family dynamic that isn’t always perfect… there are just so many moments of ‘realness’ in the film that make it relatable to almost anyone.

Families. They are the fodder for the best Christmas films. So keep that in mind as you plan your own assault on this genre.

And next week, the penultimate in our countdown!

Copyright © Diane Lake

13Dec20

Email Diane a question to Diane@DianeLake.com