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A Christmas Story remains a holiday favorite even decades after its original release in 1983. The movie follows a young Ralphie, who tries everything he can to convince Santa and his parents that the Red Ryder Range 200 Shot BB gun is the best Christmas present one could wish for. He also has to dodge his neighborhood bully to make it to Christmas.
The film set the standards for all the Christmas movies that came after. Themes of family, childhood, myth, and festivities have been central to every holiday film since the release of A Christmas Story.
A sequel to A Christmas Story, titled A Christmas Story Christmas, premiered on HBO Max on November 17, 2022. The new film also features Ralphie, who is now an adult and tries his best to recreate the nostalgic vibe of Christmas from his childhood for generations after him. It opened to a fairly positive reception and is now one of the many Christmas films inspired by A Christmas Story.
Here is a list of some other great films that are similar to A Christmas Story.
More interesting films like A Christmas Story
1) The Santa Clause (1994)
In this very popular Christmas classic, Tim Allen plays Scott Calvin, who accidentally causes Santa to fall off a roof and die. As dark as the beginning seems, Calvin then sets out to take up Santa's job of distributing presents and convincing the elves that he is indeed one of them. He takes his son along for company, making the film all the more enjoyable.
With the myth of Santa Claus at the center of the film, The Santa Clause reimagined the Christmas film by adding more elements of magic realism and fantasy that became the norm after this film. Although the cast and crew were all new to the industry at the time of the film's release, The Santa Clause became a critical and commercial success, giving Tim Allen his big break in cinema.
The film was soon turned into a franchise as The Santa Clause 2 and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause were released in 2002 and 2006, respectively. As a recent addition to the franchise, The Santa Clauses is a Disney+ series that was inspired by the film and released on Disney+ on November 16, 2022.
2) Jingle All the Way (1996)
While A Christmas Story follows a young boy who tries to convince his parents of why his favorite toy would make for the best present on Christmas, Jingle All the Way follows a desperate father who will go to any length to buy his son his favorite toy for Christmas.
Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Howard Langston, who forgets to buy his son his Turbo Man present even after he promised to do so. He decides to get the toy at any cost and gets into a slew of fights and even more trouble in order to get his hands on it and make his son happy.
Like a lot of Christmas movies, Jingle All the Way plays around with the idea of presents for Christmas. It also includes themes of childhood, parenting, family, and fantasy to create the wholesome experience that one would want from a holiday film.
3) Elf (2003)
Elf, starring Will Ferrell, is another heartwarming Christmas comedy that is more of a fantasy as compared to A Christmas Story. It features Ferrell as Buddy, an elf who discovers that he is actually a human who was brought up among the elves. Upon this heartbreaking realization, he travels to New York to find out who his biological father is.
As usual, Ferrell delivers a brilliant performance fueled by incredible comic timing. The film was directed by Jon Favreau and became an instant favorite among family audiences and critics right after its release. Even today, Elf remains to be one of the most heartwarming and well-executed Christmas movies ever made.
4) Home Alone (1990)
Even in the context of cinema itself, Home Alone is one of the most entertaining and fun films that have come out in the past couple of decades. Home Alone has been a household favorite since it was first released in 1990, gaining popularity with both kids and adults.
While many films like A Christmas Story already established the idea of family as integral to Christmas, Home Alone did a wonderful job of illustrating the relationship between family and festivities. It dealt with complex themes such as dysfunctional families, bullying, parental trauma, and loneliness in an engaging and heartwarming manner.
Although a couple of sequels were made for the film, none were seen to live up to the original's standard. Home Alone, by breaking most character cliches and bringing life to the deepest human emotions subtly, has become one of the best modern Christmas movies ever.
5) The Polar Express (2004)
The Polar Express is barely ever missed in any discussion about holiday movies. Exploring the journey of a young boy who travels to the North Pole in a mysterious train, The Polar Express defined the myth of Christmas for an entire generation. The film was one of the first to use motion-capture technology to make its characters fun and animated, yet strangely human.
The film taps into themes of compassion, family, kindness, love, and privilege as it tells the stories of multiple different characters, each one etched with nuance and emotional depth. It, like A Christmas Story, explores the concept of presents and the joy they bring during the holiday season.
The Polar Express is one of those rare masterpieces that will be remembered as a great film for generations to come.
A Christmas Story Christmas premiered on HBO Max on November 17, 2022.
