# Non-US Dopers, Have You Seen The Movie 'A Christmas Story'? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 14, 2019, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-have-you-seen-the-movie-a-christmas-story/844857 "2019-12-14T16:52:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-have-you-seen-the-movie-a-christmas-story/844857/21 "2019-12-15T03:56:32Z")
As per **Banksiaman** Can’t recall ever seeing it and based on the TV guide it’s been shown only twice this holiday season, on Pay TV and that was back-to-back last week (7th Dec) ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-have-you-seen-the-movie-a-christmas-story/844857/22 "2019-12-15T08:40:56Z")
Somehow I wonder if it was really popular when it first came out. Neither my husband nor I (both Americans) have seen it. We were teenagers when it came out. His sister bought it for him a few years ago and we still haven’t watched it. So we don’t talk about it. My coworker is Italian. He, along with lots of other Italians, watch Planes, Trains & Automobiles on Christmas Eve. In Italian. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-have-you-seen-the-movie-a-christmas-story/844857/23 "2019-12-15T09:04:40Z")
I’ve seen it because I watched it with my American ex. I don’t know anyone else who has seen it - some friends must have, I’m sure, but I’m fairly certain no members of my close family have seen it. ---
**Author:** ![Malden\_Capell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malden_capell/32/5274_2.png) [@Malden\_Capell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malden_Capell)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-have-you-seen-the-movie-a-christmas-story/844857/24 "2019-12-15T09:06:11Z")
Yes. My American wife loves it. Is it a sweet film. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-have-you-seen-the-movie-a-christmas-story/844857/25 "2019-12-15T09:19:26Z")
Canadian here who considers _A Christmas Story_ to not only be a great Christmas movie, but in fact one of the relatively few even tolerable Christmas movies. My dad also liked it (he was similarly fond of _My Favorite Year_) and he was a consistently negative and hypercritical guy. ---
**Author:** ![sohvan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@sohvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sohvan)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-have-you-seen-the-movie-a-christmas-story/844857/26 "2019-12-15T10:00:21Z")
I’ve never seen it. We have other films that are shown in a similar tradition in Finland. [The Snowman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Snowman) is played every christmas, and [Dinner for One](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinner_for_One) is shown every New Year for example. ---
**Author:** ![Oswald\_Bastable](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oswald_bastable/32/214_2.png) [@Oswald\_Bastable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oswald_Bastable)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-have-you-seen-the-movie-a-christmas-story/844857/27 "2019-12-15T10:20:06Z")
> [@Banksiaman](#): > > movie - Passion of the Christ You Australians and your strange summertime Christmases. This seems like an odd choice for a Christmas movie. OB ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-have-you-seen-the-movie-a-christmas-story/844857/28 "2019-12-15T10:46:35Z")
> [@Oswald\_Bastable](#): > > You Australians and your strange summertime Christmases. This seems like an odd choice for a Christmas movie. > > OB Well, it is about Jesus… On the OP - I was not aware of this movie’s existence. The plot, as described, sounds painful. The kid looks like a little twerp. On the other hand, the trailer really wasn’t half bad. So I suspect sales resistance may be a reason for it not really catching on. It just doesn’t look like “our kind of thing” even if it is in fact quite a decent movie ---
**Author:** ![kk\_fusion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kk_fusion/32/15276_2.png) [@kk\_fusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kk_fusion)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-have-you-seen-the-movie-a-christmas-story/844857/29 "2019-12-15T11:02:07Z")
German here. I knew it long before I had any real-life ties to America. Family caught it on TV when I was a kid and we were all immediately euphoric about it. It is still one of the few, if not the only Christmas movie I actually like. Back in the days before online shopping, I even tracked down the DVD as a gift for my dad when I was in the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-have-you-seen-the-movie-a-christmas-story/844857/30 "2019-12-15T11:28:16Z")
American here, 1961 model (if that makes any difference). Never seen the movie and have no idea of the storyline, though I do recognize the title. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-have-you-seen-the-movie-a-christmas-story/844857/31 "2019-12-15T13:29:45Z")
> [@kk\_fusion](#): > > German here. I knew it long before I had any real-life ties to America. Family caught it on TV when I was a kid and we were all immediately euphoric about it. It is still one of the few, if not the only Christmas movie I actually like. Back in the days before online shopping, I even tracked down the DVD as a gift for my dad when I was in the U.S. Here’s another German, and I haven’t even ever heard of the movie before. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-have-you-seen-the-movie-a-christmas-story/844857/32 "2019-12-15T13:32:14Z")
American - tried to watch it once and just couldn’t last more than about 15 minutes. I honestly couldn’t see what people were raving about. Each to his own, right? ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-have-you-seen-the-movie-a-christmas-story/844857/33 "2019-12-15T14:22:22Z")
Spaniard here. First time I even heard of it was probably some youtuber talking about it. On the other hand, I bet they’re going to air Scrooged again this year, ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-have-you-seen-the-movie-a-christmas-story/844857/34 "2019-12-15T14:40:43Z")
It’s an OK movie. There are a couple of scenes I will sit through if my TV clicker happens to land on it. But the film doesn’t resonate with me culturally, despite having Midwestern roots on both sides of my family. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-have-you-seen-the-movie-a-christmas-story/844857/35 "2019-12-15T15:34:49Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > Never seen it. Can’t remember ever seeing it listed as on TV or anybody ever mentioning it. > [@saje](#): > > American here, 1961 model (if that makes any difference). Never seen the movie and have no idea of the storyline, though I do recognize the title. > [@steatopygia](#): > > I’m American and I’ve never seen it though I’m aware of it. Native of Southern California here, but I’ll post anyway. I don’t think I heard about the film until 20 years after its release. When I finally did see it, I loved it. I felt – still feel – a bit ‘cheated’ that I hadn’t seen it earlier. I didn’t grow up where there was snow, we had colour TV instead of radio dramas/comedies, I don’t recall myself or other kids behaving the way the kids did in the movie, our home was heated with natural gas instead of coal… There’s not really anything I have personal nostalgia for. But I watched _The Waltons_ when I was a kid, and Sunday mornings _The Little Rascals_ was shown on TV; so I guess I was primed for a movie set decades before I was born. That it was and became a cultural phenomenon that I was unaware of when it was happening makes me feel as if I’d missed out. I do watch it every year now, but… > [@Malden\_Capell](#): > > Yes. My American wife loves it. Is it a sweet film. … Mrs. L.A. doesn’t like it. I’m not entirely sure why; just that she avoids it at all costs. > [@Biggirl](#): > > A real 1940’s(?) slice of Americana life. It’s hard to tell if it’s set in the 1940s, or the late-1930s, or sometime in the '50s. I’m not well-versed in cars of that era, so that’s no help. I think the filmmakers wanted to keep the timeframe vague so that people who grew up in those decades could all relate. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-have-you-seen-the-movie-a-christmas-story/844857/36 "2019-12-15T16:24:01Z")
Every country that celebrates Christmas seems to have it’s unique television traditions. In the UK we have the Queen’s Speech, and The Snowman. In Poland it’s Home Alone. In Sweden the the whole country sits down on Christmas Eve to watch Donald Duck. It’s so associated with childhood that we like to relive it every year and those traditions we see as children tend to appeal to us year after year. So these funny things stick. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-have-you-seen-the-movie-a-christmas-story/844857/37 "2019-12-15T16:37:37Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > It’s hard to tell if it’s set in the 1940s, or the late-1930s, or sometime in the '50s. I’m not well-versed in cars of that era, so that’s no help. I think the filmmakers wanted to keep the timeframe vague so that people who grew up in those decades could all relate. The movie’s producers are on-record (I think it comes up in the DVD commentary) about how they deliberately kept the timing ambiguous. Indeed, the timing has been discussed at length here on the SDMB (I don’t have the time or inclination to look up previous threads about it). There are some things that date to the late 1930s, some to the early 1950s, and everywhere in between. > [@Die Capacitrix](#): > > Somehow I wonder if it was really popular when it first came out. It was not. Like _The Shawshank Redemption_ and too many other movies to count, it went big years after its release, thanks to cable and home video. ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-have-you-seen-the-movie-a-christmas-story/844857/38 "2019-12-15T17:43:22Z")
> [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > Somehow I wonder if it was really popular when it first came out. Neither my husband nor I (both Americans) have seen it. We were teenagers when it came out. His sister bought it for him a few years ago and we still haven’t watched it. > > So we don’t talk about it. > > My coworker is Italian. He, along with lots of other Italians, watch Planes, Trains & Automobiles on Christmas Eve. In Italian. I don’t remember it in theaters at all, nor do I remember trailers for it. I don’t think it became a thing until the early 90s. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-have-you-seen-the-movie-a-christmas-story/844857/39 "2019-12-15T17:44:40Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Loach** : > > Christmas is the plot thread that holds the movie together but it’s really a bunch of unrelated vignettes about growing up in America. And the fact that it’s a series of vignettes probably has a lot to do with why it’s so popular. You don’t have to sit down all at once. If you have twenty minutes between popping dinner in the oven and guests starting to arrive, or want to get the kids out of your hair for a half-hour, or digest dinner for a bit before you serve dessert, or whatever, you can plop down on the couch, flip the TV to the channel that’s showing a 24-hour marathon of _A Christmas Story_, and have something you’ll enjoy for those few minutes. _It’s a Wonderful Life_ largely benefits from the same effect. And it was a _long_ time before I discovered that it was a nationwide favorite. I knew Clevelanders loved it, but I thought that was just because it was filmed here (in fact, it’s still something of a source of local pride). ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2019, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-have-you-seen-the-movie-a-christmas-story/844857/40 "2019-12-15T17:55:16Z")
> [@saje](#): > > American here, 1961 model (if that makes any difference). Never seen the movie and have no idea of the storyline, though I do recognize the title. 1961 model year American, and despite being set 30ish years before I was even born, could have been modeled after my own childhood. Everything rang so true that the first time I saw it I could tell what was going to happen. (“I can’t put my arms down!”) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-have-you-seen-the-movie-a-christmas-story/844857.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-us-dopers-have-you-seen-the-movie-a-christmas-story/844857.md?page=3)