As part of
the effort to get me caught up on all of the movies I should have seen by now,
a friend loaned me A Christmas Story and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
Yes, that’s right. I hadn’t seen either movie. Both had been on my radar as
movies I should watch. However, at least in the case of A Christmas Story, I
was afraid the nostalgic love people have for it had inflated my expectations.
So, I did what any reluctant moviegoer should do, I lowered my expectations.
Still, A Christmas Story fell short. It was as I expected but only cornier and
seemingly pointless. I kept wondering when it would end. Surely Ralphie has to
get his BB gun or face the disappointment of a crushed dream, but were the
other plot lines necessary? I’m guessing that if I had seen this movie as a
child I would have enjoyed the silly moments and quirky quotes and would cherish
them still to this day. On the other hand, I now have a greater understanding
of the leg lamp. It is something I didn’t realize was from A Christmas Story
until just last year. I always thought it was just a really tacky piece of
American kitsch with origins unknown. I kept watching the movie just for the
sake of saying I have seen it, but I wanted to shut it off and make better use
of my time. That’s not to say that I’m not a fan of old, classic movies. I am a
big fan of the timeless telling of great stories.
Cue
National Lampoons to save the night. I watched this movie after finishing A
Christmas Story. I hadn’t planned to do so, but I needed something to rinse the
befuddlement of a deficient cinematic experience off of me. This movie was
humorous and more relatable. There were many characters on the rolls and they
all added a different eccentric quality to the movie. At times, I felt the joke
went on for too long, but then again I often feel that way about slapstick
comedies of this sort. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation did just what I
needed it to do; it ended the night on a more entertaining note and restored my
faith in Christmas movies (which I have still not seen many of).
As part of
the effort to get me caught up on all of the movies I should have seen by now,
a friend loaned me A Christmas Story and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
Yes, that’s right. I hadn’t seen either movie. Both had been on my radar as
movies I should watch. However, at least in the case of A Christmas Story, I
was afraid the nostalgic love people have for it had inflated my expectations.
So, I did what any reluctant moviegoer should do, I lowered my expectations.
Still, A Christmas Story fell short. It was as I expected but only cornier and
seemingly pointless. I kept wondering when it would end. Surely Ralphie has to
get his BB gun or face the disappointment of a crushed dream, but were the
other plot lines necessary? I’m guessing that if I had seen this movie as a
child I would have enjoyed the silly moments and quirky quotes and would cherish
them still to this day. On the other hand, I now have a greater understanding
of the leg lamp. It is something I didn’t realize was from A Christmas Story
until just last year. I always thought it was just a really tacky piece of
American kitsch with origins unknown. I kept watching the movie just for the
sake of saying I have seen it, but I wanted to shut it off and make better use
of my time. That’s not to say that I’m not a fan of old, classic movies. I am a
big fan of the timeless telling of great stories. 
Cue
National Lampoons to save the night. I watched this movie after finishing A
Christmas Story. I hadn’t planned to do so, but I needed something to rinse the
befuddlement of a deficient cinematic experience off of me. This movie was
humorous and more relatable. There were many characters on the rolls and they
all added a different eccentric quality to the movie. At times, I felt the joke
went on for too long, but then again I often feel that way about slapstick
comedies of this sort. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation did just what I
needed it to do; it ended the night on a more entertaining note and restored my
faith in Christmas movies (which I have still not seen many of).
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