It’s risen from the grave! – A Christmas Story 2 (2012)
What became of Ralphie after dinner with his family at a Chinese restaurant on Christmas Day? This straight-to-video picks up the story 6-years after the events of that day. This is a cute little tale and is fairly entertaining. It is much better than the reviews and ratings that this film received.
Hello to all of the classic people that are returning. I am glad you are back. I want to welcome any new visitors. Today on Classic Movie Review, we are taking on A Christmas Story 2 (2012), which was released directly to video.
Is it as good as the original? No!. Is it worth a holiday watch? Probably. It’s at least as good as any Hallmark Christmas movie, and you can think about the original while you watch this one. This film has a miserable score of 3.5 on iMDB.com[1]. On Rottentomatoes.com, this film doesn’t have a Tomatometer score and a similar 36 percent audience score[2].
For full disclosure, I think Daniel Stern is one of the greatest comic actors. I can’t understand how he ended up as the Director of NASA on “For All Mankind” (2019–present). Maybe I have a slight bias. Replacing the three main characters and the narrator weakens this movie.
Actors – A Christmas Story 2 (2012)
New
Daniel Stern replaces Darrin McGavin as The Old Man. McGavin had a hard edge, befitting a man with his struggles. Stern comes off as much more likable and funnier. Stern was born in Maryland in 1957. He acted in plays during high school, and after graduation, Stern landed a walk-on in the Washington Shakespeare Festival.
Stern went to New York and did well in off-Broadway plays. He also studied at H.B. Studio in Greenwich Village. Stern’s first break came when he was cast in the bicycle race buddy film Breaking Away (1979). Stern began appearing regularly in films and still worked in theater. He was featured in the cult favorite Diner (1982). He was a police officer in the excellent helicopter thriller Blue Thunder (1983).
Other films include Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), The Milagro Beanfield War (1988), which is a fun, quirky movie that I highly recommend, and the outrageously funny and politically incorrect Born in East L.A. (1987).
One of his best-loved roles was the voice of adult Kevin Arnold on “The Wonder Years” from 1988 to 1993. With films like Home Alone (1990), City Slickers (1991), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Rookie of the Year (1993), and City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly’s Gold (1994), the rest of the world discovered the comic genius of Stern. Stern appears regularly in films such as Whip It (2009) and the aforementioned television show “For All Mankind” (2019–present).
Story – A Christmas Story 2 (2012)
This movie is set 6 years after the BB-gun Christmas, detailed in A Christmas Story (1983). Ralphie is now an awkward teen that has discovered fumes: Car fumes and perfumes. He is not as loveable as Peter Billingsley was in the younger role. As I mentioned earlier, the narrator is not as good as the original story’s author, Jean Shepherd, was not in this position.
Ralphie’s brother Randy is in his own world of space adventures while their Mother (Stacey Travis) blissfully prepares for Christmas. Randy drops an SOB, and the Mother asks where they got that language while The Old Man (Daniel Stern) curses from the basement as he battles the furnace. He also shouts hasenpfeffer.
Ralphie’s sidekicks Schwartz (David Michael Paul) and Flick (David W. Thompson), walk with Ralphie to school as they discuss how nude Rita Heyworth was in Gilda (1946). She wasn’t. The boys also spend some time discussing cars as well.
At school, Ralphie sees the object of his affection, Drucilla Gootrad (Tiera Skovbye). I don’t know about that name; she might be a vampire. Drucilla is dating the school football quarterback. Later that day, Ralphie and The Old Man go shopping for a used car.
At home, The Old Man gives lessons for life as Ralphie angles to get a second car for the family. Suddenly, The Old Man rushes to the basement to battle the furnace. Ralphie spends time dreaming about saving Drucilla from nazzies and sniffing her hair in band class. Restraining order?
Ralphie goes with his buds to the lot. He sees the Mercury he wants and accidentally rolls it into a pole, losing his pants and causing $85 damage. The average salary for a non-farming American family was around $3,000 at the time of this movie[3]. The auto dealer wants the money, or he will call the police. Ralphie says he will get the money, but he doesn’t know how. He is given until Christmas Eve to pay. Schwartz and Flick agree to help, but they only have $19. Ralphie has a fantasy about being executed for the money.
Ralphie confesses to The Old Man. But the father is so cheap he freaks out when Ralphie asks for the money. He flatly refuses. The next day Ralphie and his cronies got to work at Higbee’s Department Store. He has more fantasies about the American President congratulating him for being the best worker. And, of course, Drucilla falls in love with him. Higbee’s is the store with the mean Santa from the first movie.
The Old Man continues his battle with the furnace. He decides he needs a new furnace more than he needs a new car. But the Old Man balks at $395 for a new furnace. Later, he goes with his wife to buy a turkey. When the Old Man sees that turkey is 40 cents a pound, he freaks out and returns the bird. The Old Man decides to go ice fishing and get the family a fish for Christmas.
The boys are terrible workers and are moved to various jobs in Higbee’s. The Old Man spends time ice fishing but fails to land a fish. He purchases a used furnace.
The three boys are assigned as Santa’s elves. Naturally, Santa is mean and mocks all the kid’s requests. Fat, Judgemental Capitalist Bastard. A poverty-stricken child comes to Santa and asks for a car tire. Ralphie asks Santa to be nicer. He then tells the other children to leave. Flick and Swartz get into an elf fight. Santa quits. The manager fires the trio.
Mother and the Old Man fight at the fishing hole as he fails to land a fish. Mother goes caroling.
Ralphie walks the streets of the town. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) is playing at the theater. Ralphie sees the kid who wanted a car tire in the alley. The kid’s family is homeless, and their car needs a tire.
Ralphie goes to the lake to visit the Old Man. The Old Man is proud of Ralphie, and the boy can’t tell his dad that he was fired. Later, the Old Man comes home, failing to have caught a fish. Mother secretly goes to the money she has collected while washing the Old Man’s clothes.
In the morning, Ralphie returns to Higbee’s and asks for another chance. After a bit, the manager gives him another job. They dress Ralphie in a reindeer costume and send him outside by the front door of the store to hawk customers. This really brings back the deranged Easter Bunny scene for the original A Christmas Story (1983).
Ralphie hops and rings his reindeer sleight bells as the Salvation Army bell ringer works harder the match the noise. Ralphie sees Drucilla and her boyfriend approaching. While trying to hide behind the other bell ringer, Ralphie spills the money collected in the kettle. Ralphie confronts a man that stole a blowing away fiver. For his efforts, he gets a gut punch and the money back. Drucilla’s boyfriend laughs at the downed reindeer, but she does not.
After his payday at Higbee’s, Ralphie has almost enough money to pay off the car dealer. On the way to make the payment, Ralphie passes the Fragile Lamp in a pawnshop window. He sees the homeless family in the alley. He takes the homeless family to dinner at the Chop Suey Palace and buys them a tire. Later, Ralphie brings home a package and hides in the basement.
At the dinner, the Old Man begins explaining that he failed to catch a fish when Mother comes out with a large cooked fish. She has used her saved laundry money to help the Old Man save face. The Old Man vows to not be a cheapskate in the future.
Later, Ralphie goes to the car dealership to pay the money he has remaining. The dealer takes the smaller amount and says he has already sold the Mercury. The car dealer tells how he hooked an absolute sucker for the car.
On Christmas morning, Randy and Ralphie run downstairs and begin tearing into the gifts. Aunt Claria sends Ralphie a sailor suit. Randy laughs until the tag is checked, and the suit is really for Randy.
Ralphie sends the Old Man to go to the basement. Down there, he finds his beloved Fragile Lamp. He is over the moon, but Mother is not happy. The Old Man directs Ralphie to a set of car keys hanging on the tree. The Mercury is parked outside. The Old Man is the sucker who bought the car.
The Old Man places his beloved leg lamp in the window as Ralphie waxed the Mercury in the freezing weather. Ralphie accidentally starts the car rolling into the street. Suddenly, Drucilla arrives and helps him save the car.
Drucilla tells how brave Ralphie was in front of the store. She says she has broken up with her boyfriend. The Old Man lets the unlicensed Ralphie drive Drucilla around the block. She kisses him on the cheek, and they drive off into the sunset.
Conclusion – A Christmas Story 2 (2012)
A Christmas Story 2 (2012) is actually the third film following the original A Christmas Story (1983). The other two are Ollie Hopnoodle’s Haven of Bliss (1988) and My Summer Story (1994), which are considered non-canonical. I thought that was only for Star Trek and Star Wars.
I have not seen these two films and never even heard of them before researching this episode. For safety’s sake, avoid these two at all costs.
World-Famous Short Summary – It was a simpler time.
Beware the moors.
[1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2281069/
[2] https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_christmas_story_2_2012
[3] https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1948/demo/p60-001.html
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