Wonderful Christmas classic, not-so-great DVD

First of all, this is, aside from Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol," the best Christmas movie ever made. If you and your family have still somehow missed seeing this movie, make sure to buy the DVD, or at least tune in Christmas Eve and watch it on TBS. It is the kind of movie that will be immortalized throughout time.

The DVD is okay. The interviews are pretty decent on the 2nd disc, and the interactive games are fun. However, the biggest complaint I have is the lack of a remastered audio track. I incorrectly assumed that this would at least be in Dolby Digital 5.1, but then I realized it listed Dolby 2.0 mono. I said "okay, well at least it's in 2-channel audio." HA! After popping in the DVD to check it out, the only English track for the movie(without commentary) is in ONE channel audio, through the center speaker! YIKES! I'll keep this DVD for the time being, but I'll sell it or pass it on when I get my hands on a Blue Ray player and (hopefully) a Blue Ray disc with enhanced audio.

A Must-See Christmas Classic -- Even if You Don't Like "Classics"!

This movie is an annual Christmas "Event" in my household, second to none. Of course other annual Christmas movie traditons in our home include the classic "Charlie Brown Christmas", and one dear to my heart, "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer". However, those hold mainly nostalgic value for me -- I enjoy them immensely of course -- but none can compete with "A Christmas Story" for pure entertainment value!

I first saw this as a pre-teen, along with my family. It was an instant classic for us, and we watched it every year. I of course continued this tradition into adulthood - introducing it to my husband and then my kids (the younger two don't quite get it yet, but my almost 10 year old loves it!).

This movie has all the great nostalgic touches -- the perfect example of a 40's-era midwest American family, complete with many highlights of that golden age (which I admittedly only know through stories of my parents, but they are touching nonetheless).

More than the touches of yester-year warmth, however, the absolute hilarity of this Christmas movie is simply unparallelled. Several holiday movies since then have tried to match its comic value, and none have come close.

I love funny movies -- but real, truly laugh-out-loud ones are as rare as a snowstorm in Texas. This one is the real deal.

If you haven't seen it, please -- run, don't walk to your nearest movie rental store and GET IT. The childhood antics and dreams of Ralphie will win your heart forever, and several lines and scenes from the movie will stay with you always.

Watching it every single year since the mid-eighties has not diminished my fresh enjoyment of it one iota.

"You'll shoot your eye out kid....HO!! HO!! HO!!" (for those of you who have seen it, imagine the Santa Mall scene with the boot on the last "HO"). That's my personal favorite. : )

See A CHRISTMAS STORY even if you NEVER see a movie -- any movie.

There are extremely popular films that I have resisted watching for one reason or another. I see them on the video store shelves and I just resolve not to participate in whatever phenomenon made them into hits. I don't apologize for that, since there must be people who do the same thing with just about every movie in America -- nothing gets 100% acceptance, right? Right.

Now I'm going to tell you -- Go, and get A CHRISTMAS STORY, and see it. It doesn't matter who or where you are, or how picky you may be, or what your preferences of films may be, or what you think about it, or how antisocial or contrary you may normally consider yourself to be.

I don't care if your intellectual taste is high or low, smart or dumb, tasteful or kitschy, mainstream, radical or eclectic. I don't care how you were brought up, or where, when, or in what race or creed.

Go and get A CHRISTMAS STORY and see it. See this movie. Trust me, or don't trust me. Just do it anyway. You're welcome.

A CHRISTMAS STORY is not only a universal delight, in terms of story, perfect casting, inspired directing and undeniable humanity. It is the quintessential American movie about the Christmas experience and family life, like it or lump it, shop or don't shop, frown or smile, rich or poor, traditional or oddball.

If you don't see this movie about a kid named Ralphie and his brother and his perfectly rendered mom and dad, you will eventually pass away and be the poorer for not ever having warmed your heart over the hearthfires of this very moving, perfect little American masterpiece.

I'm not sure but what you don't have to have sampled this movie treat at least once in order to get into heaven.