All I'm thinking is: why couldn't they have made this movie ten years ago. It's a very nice idea; what ever happened to Ralphie Parker and his family and friends? It's not a bad movie, but it just doesn't catch the humor or the timeless quality of the house. For one thing, I don't think they used the actual house, and two, I really wish they had filmed it with the same style as the first movie, (but then, maybe it's a bit hard to gets 70s-era film gear). The young actors playing Ralphie, Flick and Schwartz are passable, but the new Mom and Dad kind of stick out. Mom is okay, but Daniel Stern makes no effort to emulate or really re-capture the role of the late Darren McGavin. What he does is basically create a new character with shades of the original, but he misses something of the timeless quality of the first movie, obsessing more on money and becoming a caricature. Another thing, the movie lacks some of the core characters of the first movie, (Scut Farkus, Grover Dill, Miss Shields, the Bumpass Dogs…), and introduces some new ones. Do we really need to see Ralphie as a teenager obsessing about getting a car and the hot girl in school? It's kind of like seeing Darla of "Our Gang" getting her first bra or Dorothy of "The Wizard Of Oz" having her first period. Sorry, too much information. Another thing, besides the school and the department store, the original movie was sort of in a contained universe. You never really saw much of it beyond the fences or the gray wintry skies, so actually seeing the rest of town and the neighbors' houses is kind of like the magician showing how the trick works, it removes the charm and the mystery, and let's not forget, there's something about seeing Christmas from a kid's point of view so trying it from a teenager's view feels kind of awkward. Bottom line, it's not a bad movie, but it really would have worked much better with a separate identity than as a follow-up to a Christmas Classic.

This movie was awful. Over acting, horrible script, and it did a great dis-service to the original movie. The only worse than this was the Star Wars Holiday Special.I recommend NEVER watching this. If you own a copy, burn it. With any hope it will only have mention of it on IMDb.com and people will wonder if it was any good. I hope that the actors can successfully ignore the fact that they were in this film. It must have been directed at 7 year old kids. Funny thing is that you can make a movie for kids and not have it suck so bad that parents burn it. DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE. Your life will be better having never seen it.

I'm sorry, but this is one of the worst movies ever. The people that wrote and directed this must have no imaginations at all. How many jokes can you possibly rehash from the original? They could have easily made an original Christmas Story sequel, but they did this. How about basing it in a different decade? How about not naming the characters the same as they were in the past? How about actually getting actors that at least resembled the original people? I also find it hilarious that they have to call this the official sequel because there was an attempt at a sequel to the original movie back in 1994. Mind you, it wasn't great and the characters again didn't look like the originals, but at least it was an attempt at a new story.

After watching this movie it's official: Both my husband and I are movie masochists:Him: Christmas Story 2 is on On Demand Me: You *have to be kidding me* Him: Yes. Direct to DVD and now here. Me: No. This is not happening. They did not make a sequel. Him: They sure did. Me: (masochism now kicking in on my end) *Who is playing the dad* Him: Daniel Stern. Me: He played the villain In the Home Alone Movies. Him: He sure did. (both of us stare at each other. The look of horror in our eyes with a look of Movie Masochistic gleam) Me: Yes. Order it.The parent characters are gutted to the point of disbelief. The hair color of Ralphie is so unrealistic for a person it is beyond comical. They turned him into a bumbling teenage idiot along with his equally idiot friends. If you are waiting for a teenage kid to get his lips stuck on something in bad generated graphics for a "Nod" to to his lips getting stuck to an ice pole? Oh...this movie is for you.You are completely unconvinced Stern and Travis even like each other as Ralphie's parent. He is completely unlikable as the dad. She looks like she has been popping those 19th nervous breakdown little yellow pills as he blames her for his stupidity.She catches fish. He loses. fish. He blames her. She goes out and buys fish to cover for being inept with her money she has been getting out the dryer from his pants. Why? because he won't buy them a Turkey.And we should care about these characters...why? Even when Ralphie gets that *prized car* you still are not fond of this family.*This family* mind you. This is another Parker family. The Bizzaro World Parker family In Bizzaro Holman Indiana if you wish to be nice.They even made Valin Shinyei's Randy Parker into a kid you just don't care if he has to go to the dentist instead of sitting on the cold ice fishing with his father. Every character you loved in the first are now Smug, inept and cartoonish. No evil kids to root against with the green eyes and yellow teeth. One villain who you barely see and...who actually should be reimbursed for Ralphie's mistake.Unlikable characters. Whose change comes way too late for you to even care that Ralphie got his car.The cinematography looks like Norman Rockwell on a bad acid trip. When you get to the point where you know Ralphie bought a new leg lamp for his dad? I applauded cynically to myself and said "Well done writer! You have completely torn apart the original movie right down to this!"If you wish to be horrified by the pure annihilation of a classic movie? First pick up the remake to Casablanca, then watch Christmas Story 2.