Ralphie Parker wants, more than anything in the entire world, a Red Ryder air rifle for Christmas. Throughout the film, Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) must convince his caring mother (Melinda Dillon) and workaholic father (Darren McGavin) that the B.B. gun is the perfect gift for him.

Set in the 1940s, this classic Christmas movie captures the mind of a 9 year old boy who goes through ups and downs of his childhood near the holidays.

The star of the movie, Ralphie, has to accept a bad grade from his teacher on what he thought was the best paper he’s ever written and has to deal with his pesky little brother who seems to be nothing more than a nuisance, always trying to tag along with him and his friends. Despite these troubles, Ralphie remains optimistic that on Christmas morning, he will wake up to the Red Ryder gun under the tree.

The movie, however, proves to be a little boring after you lose sight of what the plot is halfway through the film. The Red Ryder gun is seldom mentioned until the end, and everything in the middle is cheesy humor, yet it still makes a grin appear on your face every now and then.

The movie is based on the writer Jean Shepherd’s memoirs who tries to capture her childhood struggles, and kids in our generation, perhaps, wouldn’t understand some of them. In one scene, Lifebuoy soap is forced into Ralphie’s mouth after he swears in front of his parents, and kids nowadays wouldn’t be able to relate to that. However, many of Ralphie’s struggles and frustration are universal and draw some laughs.

The film’s sound effects help illuminate the mood, and Ralphie’s flashbacks throughout the movie keep the audience entertained. The acting is passionate and the character’s personalities are believable.

The outdated cinematography is overshadowed by the true Christmas spirit that this movie possesses, and director Bob Clark helps the audience revisit what it was like to be a child again and the bravery it took to triple-dog-dare someone to stick their tongue to a frozen lamp post.

This is a great movie to watch with your family around the holiday time, and to laugh along to the quirky jokes, told by the little boy with glasses that are much too big for his face, on his journey to get a Red Ryder B.B. gun.