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A boy growing up in 1940’s middle-America tries to convince his parents to get him a Red Ryder B.B. gun for Christmas. It’s hard to judge a movie that has become a holiday tradition. Growing up, I don’t think a single Christmas went by where I didn’t watch A Christmas Story at least one or two times. Seeing it again recently, it has lost none of its charm. It’s got a remarkably tight script, loveable characters, endearing child performances, and jokes that will live and work in perpetuity. Director Bob Clark (who also gave us Porky’s and Black Christmas) does a remarkable job recreating the period setting, and the soft-focus gauzy photography makes the whole thing feel like a bona-fide memory. With Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon, and Darren McGavin.