STUDIO: Warner Brothers
RELEASE DATE: November 11, 2008
STARRING: Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin, and Peter Billingsley
WRITTEN BY: Jean Shepherd & Leigh Brown & Bob Clark
DIRECTED BY: Bob Clark
FEATURES: Commentary by Peter Billingsley and Director/Co-Writer Bob Clark
20th Anniversary Documentary - Another Christmas Story
2 Festive Featurettes - "Daisy Red Ryder: A History" and "Get a Leg Up"
Script Pages
Theatrical Trailer

Do you think Jean Shepherd, Bob Clark, or Darren McGavin had any idea that A Christmas Story would be such a phenomenon so many years later? When it was released, the film barely made a dent on the national consciousness and now there is not only a cable network that plays in for 24 hours straight near Christmas but enough marketing of the film to make Buddy the Elf jealous. You can buy leg lamps like the one Ralphie's dad gets in the movie and even a Christmas Story Monopoly game with pieces like Ralphie in a Bunny Suit. A Christmas Story isn't just a movie any more. It's joined the pantheon of annual classics like The Wizard of Oz and has become a marketplace of its own. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if someone's working on plans for A Christmas Story theme park. You can ride the "stick your tongue to an icy pole" attraction first.

Why has Christmas Story developed into more than just a movie? There are underrated reasons - Shepherd's fantastic narration, believable performances from the entire cast - but the main reason is that A Christmas Story is nostalgia that has itself become wrapped in nostalgia. It's a movie that asks the audience to remember their own Christmases past and now those memories include the movie A Christmas Story. What I personally love about A Christmas Story and what I think has been a major reason its brand of nostalgia has had the impact it has had is that it doesn't sugarcoat the holiday. Shepherd and Clark realize that there is warmth in the way Christmas forces families together but, unlike a lot of schmaltzy yuletide flicks, A Christmas Story also adds the relatable human elements that surround the holiday like overprotective parents ("You'll shoot your eye out"), bullies, bad Chinese food, lines to see Santa, the bad taste of your father, that toy you want so bad that you dream about it, and much more. Everyone can find something to relate to in A Christmas Story and will for generations to come.

Naturally, one of the first Blu-Ray Christmas titles from Warner Brothers would be a title that is bought en masse every season and A Christmas Story first hit the format in 2006. This is really just a re-release to tie in with a Collector's Edition with new cover artwork. To be honest, the standard, single-disc BD release of A Christmas Story is not a marked improvement over even the last standard edition release, but don't you want to have all your favorite movies on Blu-Ray? And if A Christmas Story is truly a personal favorite like I know it is for thousands of you, then this is the way to watch it. The film has been beautifully mastered with a nice soft color palette that doesn't make the picture look too good. I love the way Christmas Story was filmed by Clark with an almost fuzzy quality that mimics memory. An overly polished HD picture could have taken that away but it looks perfect. And the special features, all previously available, are pretty great, especially the informative and interesting commentary by star Peter Billingsley and Clark. There's some great trivia in there, like the fact that Jack Nicholson nearly played Darren McGavin's father role. But if you're a serious Christmas Story fan, pick up the Ultimate Collector's Edition, which includes a string of leg lamp lights. Yes, you too can disturb the neighbors with Christmas lights shaped like a woman's leg. A Christmas Story is the movie that just keeps on giving.