Very Stupid and boring!
A Christmas Story
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Wonderful antidote to saccharine holiday tales.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 8 and Up
The good stuff
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Role models:
What to watch out for
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Violence & scariness:
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Sexy stuff:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of A Christmas Story was written by Nell Minow
Parents need to know that in one scene, the main character is punished for swearing by having his mouth washed out with soap. He's also bullied and beats up his nemesis, then cries afterward. One child sticks his tongue on a flagpole on a dare and needs the fire department to unstick him. Families can talk about bullies: What makes people act like bullies?
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Why is a "triple dog dare" so hard to resist?
- What makes people befriend bullies? How will the bully's life change after Ralphie fights him?
- Families can also discuss why Ralphie's father likes the lamp so much? Why does his mother dislike it?
- Why is it hard for Ralphie to talk to his parents about what he wants for Christmas?
- Why is Ralphie so disappointed by the decoder?
Have you seen it? Review It!
More on A Christmas Story
What’s the Story?
Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) is a 9-year-old boy in 1930s Gary, Indiana, whose entire life is consumed with his one wish: to get a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. He also has to deal with a seemingly endless wait for his Little Orphan Annie decoder ring, a nasty bully, and an overworked department-store Santa. His father (Darren McGavin) seems preoccupied with the neighbors' dogs (he hates them), a huge lamp in the shape of a lady's fishnet-stocking-clad leg that he won, the family's furnace, and the Christmas turkey. His mother seems preoccupied with getting his brother to eat and getting the leg-lamp out of the house, but both parents manage to come through for a chaotic but very merry Christmas.
Is It Any Good?
Part of the appeal of this movie, based on the memoirs of humorist Jean Shepard (who narrates), is the authenticity of the period detail, much of which will seem bizarre to kids today. But what is really engaging is his feel for the timeless details of childhood. Today's kids may not have Ralphie's exquisitely calibrated system of dares and double-dog dares, but they will have some equivalent that is just as thoroughly understood and immutable in their own schoolyard community. And they will have a bully to deal with, something sent away for with box-tops to haunt the mailbox for, a sibling to be annoyed by, an essay to dream of impressing the teacher with, the adult world to try to figure out, and, most of all, some magic dream of the ultimate Christmas present to hope for beyond all reason.
This is a nice antidote to all those Christmas television specials with perfectly harmonized carols and perfectly wrapped gifts. Because people tend to get so obsessive about every single detail at Christmas, the last scene of this movie, when the family's Christmas dinner is exactly the opposite of what they had planned, is especially sweet. Their reaction, seeing it not as a disappointment but as a delightful and funny adventure to enjoy remembering in future Christmases, is a lesson for all families.
Movie Details
Studio: Warner Bros., Director: Bob Clark
Run time: 98 minutes
Theatrical release: 11/18/1983, DVD release: 10/7/2009
MPAA Rating: PG
Run time: 98 minutes
Theatrical release: 11/18/1983, DVD release: 10/7/2009
MPAA Rating: PG
Our Members Say
See all 36 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title off for age 17 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Excessive consumerism
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- Negative role models
BORING!!!!
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I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
good movie, but some stuff maybe to inappropriate for younger kids
i think this movie is really hilarious, but i think that the language is too strong for elementery school kids. even though a bunch of the language was hard to make out, some words were clear to me. it also references the f words, even though it is not described.
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I rate this title iffy for age 14 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Negative role models
Parents beware, preview this one first
I have never been so incented to post a review a movie until we turned this one off half way through. The CSM reviewer was so off on this one, it's shameful. The language is completely inappropriate, and the sexual innuendos were offensive for a supposed "classic" Christmas holiday movie. I don't think I could in good conscience recommend this movie even for older children as I feel it a waste of time, the material is so poorly treated.
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I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- Excessive consumerism
Bad Language
I heard bad words, smart(a-word), (d-word), (h-word), and then the top of the bad words, the f-word. There was shooting and bullying in it.
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I rate this title iffy for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
good movie
It is a good movie that parents and kids will love!
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I rate this title off for age 8 and give it- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
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I rate this title off for age 17 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Negative role models
Dumb!!!!!!
The dumbest movie in the world
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I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- Negative role models
Screen it before your kids do
I know my husband loves this movie, but I can't stand it at all. As a parent, I like it even less. The language is terrible for kids to see, it makes children think Santa does not get you what you want-and he is portrayed as being really nasty in this movie at the mall. The father feeling up a sexy leg lamp is something little ones just simply would not get. All in all, I think that you have to decide on how mature your child is before you watch this movie. It also is really watered down when they run it on television, so if you buy it on DVD, make sure you screen it before showing your kids, I think you will be shocked at the content the networks leave out.
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
Too much swearing
ok movie but way too many cusses out of a lil kid. lil kid drops the f bomb in front of dad but movie changed the word to fudge so it wasnt heard although they told you he said it. gets secret decoder pen from ovaltine and gets a message, decodes it, finds out its an advertisement and says son of a b****
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
Too much swearing
ok movie but way too many cusses out of a lil kid. lil kid drops the f bomb in front of dad but movie changed the word to fudge so it wasnt heard although they told you he said it. gets secret decoder pen from ovaltine and gets a message, decodes it, finds out its an advertisement and says son of a b****
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I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
Not for children
I rented the movie so it was not edited by cable. The language used by the children were very bad one would call his friend Ralphie a smart ass, a few times and Ralphie said he used the F word instead of the Fuuu that replaced it. Not really for children and too much innuendo for tweens. Watch it on cable not rented version. But most children don't get the humor so they don't really like it anyway.
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I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
Not for children
I rented the movie so it was not edited by cable. The language used by the children were very bad one would call his friend Ralphie a smart ass, a few times and Ralphie said he used the F word instead of the Fuuu that replaced it. Not really for children and too much innuendo for tweens. Watch it on cable not rented version. But most children don't get the humor so they don't really like it anyway.
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Negative role models
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Good role models
A Christmas Story: A Christmas Classic Of the 20th Century!
I feel that, after 26 years, that this movie is worthy of being one of the great holiday movies of the 20th Century! I should also mention that there are some examples of big bullies and adults who did NOT understand Ralphie's wish and quest to get what he really wanted in the first place. But, Ralphie fought back and on Christmas Day, he did get what he really wanted!
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Negative role models
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Good role models
A Christmas Story: A Christmas Classic Of the 20th Century!
I feel that, after 26 years, that this movie is worthy of being one of the great holiday movies of the 20th Century! I should also mention that there are some examples of big bullies and adults who did NOT understand Ralphie's wish and quest to get what he really wanted in the first place. But, Ralphie fought back and on Christmas Day, he did get what he really wanted!
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I rate this title on for age 7 and give it
A great family movie
I love this movie. I watch it every year wih my family. Its a great family movie. It refers to the f word, but little kids wont really get that part, and middle school kids will think that parts hillarious. Again I love a christmas story, and I think you need to see it.
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I rate this title on for age 11 and give it
Best Christmas Movie Ever!!!!!
This is funny no matter how many times I watch this. And the language is kinda bad, but CSM missed the child says b***h and one scene he says ffffffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuudge even though it's not heard it's implied he said the word. There's nothing bad with the bullying, it's just funny! I don't think the producer meant to tell kids to hit people in real life.
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I rate this title off for age 10 and give it
Funny for adults and teens, but language is terrible for younger kids
I have watched this movie many times, and think it's really funny. I thought my 9-year old would like it this year, so we started to watch it, and I had apparently forgotten how bad the language is! MUCH more swearing that you would typically see in a PG or even PG13 movie these days... My daughter also really hated the bullying. We didn't finish watching the movie... we'll probably try again when she's about 12!
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
a holiday classic
i first saw this movie when i was 8 years old and i loved it! it's the perfect mix of humor for both adults and kids. the kids are going to watch this every christmas
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I rate this title pause for age 8 and give it
Really Good American Family Comedy
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
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Ratings at a Glance
| 100% | of parents say it has language their kids can't use |
| 57% | of parents say the sexual behavior isn't age appropriate |
| 57% | of parents don't feel there are good role models |
| 29% | of parents say it gives kids positive messages |
| 29% | of parents say there are good role models |
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