My Movie Journal is Better Than Yours

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Notes History

Date Viewed	Venue	Note
12.25.25	Internet	Merry Christmas! Finally getting around to giving this a shot. I think I've been hesitant because from what i understand this was a decent attempt at a sequel unlike the other Jean Shepherd / Christmas Story projects over the years but in my mind that movie is singular. Even Bob Clark's other stuff, as good as it might be, is in another category as A Christmas Story. Still, it's been on the hard drive for three years now and there's not going to be a better time to watch it than Christmas. It's pretty decent. I'd go so far as to say it's good in its own way, but... it's not the original. It's nice to see the kids grown up, nice to see Peter Billingsly's name all over the credits (he has story and producing credits as well as the lead role), it's nice to see the old house on the old street again. They set this one in the early 70s to account for everyone's age which I think is smart. There's fun scenes that call back to the original but with their own flavor to make them stand on their own. All that's nice, but Billingsly's narration just isn't Jean Shepherd. The words aren't Shepherd's. It's a modern movie so all the flashbacks look too clear and new. I don't want to be harsh on this because I did like it more than I thought I would. It's just not a timeless classic.