My Summer Story
Encyclopedia
It Runs in the Family is a 1994 film that follows the further adventures of Ralphie Parker and his family from the holiday hit A Christmas Story
. Like the previous film, it is based on semi-autobiographical stories by Jean Shepherd
, primarily from his book In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash
.
The opening of It Runs in the Family makes direct reference to the events of A Christmas Story, and the ending narration strongly parallels that of the earlier film. However, the sequel features a different cast, with two exceptions. Both movies feature Tedde Moore as Ralphie's teacher, Miss Shields, and Jean Shepherd
as the narrator, the voice of the adult Ralphie. Charles Grodin
stars as the Old Man (Ralphie's father), Mary Steenburgen
plays Ralphie's mother, and Kieran Culkin plays Ralphie.
tough enough to knock a bully's top out of a chalk circle in a game of "Kill." The Old Man has a series of skirmishes with his hillbilly
neighbors the Bumpuses and all 43 Bloodhound
s named Big Red. The Old Man calls in Barkley, the family dog to distract the Bumpuses' hounds when the Old Man comes home from work, when he got out of the car, he accidentally stepped in dog poop
. Ralphie's mom would like to finally get something other than a Ronald Colman gravy boat on dish night at the local cinema. Scut the main Bully is demoted down with a new head bully ruling over him.
When Ralphie does get a superior Top just as powerful as the Bully's and both Tops go at it, ending up with both of them disappearing into the sewer never to be seen again.
gave it a B+, noting that the film "improves on the original", A Christmas Story, with better pacing and better defined characters, but found Shepherd's narration to be "oh-so-drolly exaggerated — and therefore condescending". Robert Butler at the Kansas City Star called it "a sequel worth seeing" which revisits the humor of the original.
Upon the release of the film on DVD in 2006, DVDtalk wrote "if you squint just right My Summer Story is actually reasonably good", while criticizing the casting, but praising Shepherd's narration as "easily the film's saving grace". Christopher Null
at MovieCritic.com referred to the film as a "lackluster sequel" with "little of the same charm" as A Christmas Story, and "not funny, really." A 2011 summary of best and worst films about Cleveland called the film a "dog", which "features none of the original cast -- and none of the original heart."
The film was a box office flop, grossing just under $71,000.
also made a series of TV movies based on the Parker family for American Playhouse
, including Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss
, The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters, and The Phantom of the Open Hearth.
A Christmas Story
A Christmas Story is a 1983 American Christmas comedy film based on the short stories and semi-fictional anecdotes of author and raconteur Jean Shepherd, including material from his books In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, and Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories. It was directed by Bob Clark...
. Like the previous film, it is based on semi-autobiographical stories by Jean Shepherd
Jean Shepherd
Jean Parker Shepherd was an American raconteur, radio and TV personality, writer and actor who was often referred to by the nickname Shep....
, primarily from his book In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash
In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash
In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash is a book of short stories by Jean Shepherd .It was first published by Doubleday in New York in October 1966....
.
The opening of It Runs in the Family makes direct reference to the events of A Christmas Story, and the ending narration strongly parallels that of the earlier film. However, the sequel features a different cast, with two exceptions. Both movies feature Tedde Moore as Ralphie's teacher, Miss Shields, and Jean Shepherd
Jean Shepherd
Jean Parker Shepherd was an American raconteur, radio and TV personality, writer and actor who was often referred to by the nickname Shep....
as the narrator, the voice of the adult Ralphie. Charles Grodin
Charles Grodin
Charles Grodin is an American actor, comedian, author and former cable talk show host. Grodin began his acting career in the 1960s appearing in TV serials including The Virginian. He had a small part as an obstetrician in Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby in 1968...
stars as the Old Man (Ralphie's father), Mary Steenburgen
Mary Steenburgen
Mary Nell Steenburgen is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of Lynda Dummar in Jonathan Demme's Melvin and Howard, which earned her an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.-Early life:...
plays Ralphie's mother, and Kieran Culkin plays Ralphie.
Plot
The film has several plot lines, one each for Ralphie, his father and his mother, followed by one involving Ralphie and his dad on a fishing trip. Ralphie's quest for most of the movie is to find a topTop
A top is a toy that can be spun on an axis, balancing on a point. This motion is produced in the most simple forms of top by twirling the stem using the fingers. More sophisticated tops are spun by by holding the axis firmly while pulling a string or twisting a stick or pushing an auger as shown...
tough enough to knock a bully's top out of a chalk circle in a game of "Kill." The Old Man has a series of skirmishes with his hillbilly
Hillbilly
Hillbilly is a term referring to certain people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas of the United States, primarily Appalachia but also the Ozarks. Owing to its strongly stereotypical connotations, the term is frequently considered derogatory, and so is usually offensive to those Americans of...
neighbors the Bumpuses and all 43 Bloodhound
Bloodhound
The Bloodhound is a large breed of dog which, while originally bred to hunt deer and wild boar, was later bred specifically to track human beings. It is a scenthound, tracking by smell, as opposed to a sighthound, which tracks using vision. It is famed for its ability to discern human odors even...
s named Big Red. The Old Man calls in Barkley, the family dog to distract the Bumpuses' hounds when the Old Man comes home from work, when he got out of the car, he accidentally stepped in dog poop
Feces
Feces, faeces, or fæces is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus or cloaca during defecation.-Etymology:...
. Ralphie's mom would like to finally get something other than a Ronald Colman gravy boat on dish night at the local cinema. Scut the main Bully is demoted down with a new head bully ruling over him.
When Ralphie does get a superior Top just as powerful as the Bully's and both Tops go at it, ending up with both of them disappearing into the sewer never to be seen again.
Reception
Both positive and negative reviews have appeared about the film. Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave it a B+, noting that the film "improves on the original", A Christmas Story, with better pacing and better defined characters, but found Shepherd's narration to be "oh-so-drolly exaggerated — and therefore condescending". Robert Butler at the Kansas City Star called it "a sequel worth seeing" which revisits the humor of the original.
Upon the release of the film on DVD in 2006, DVDtalk wrote "if you squint just right My Summer Story is actually reasonably good", while criticizing the casting, but praising Shepherd's narration as "easily the film's saving grace". Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Christopher Null is a film critic, columnist and former blogger for Yahoo! Tech, editor of Drinkhacker.com, and is the founder and editor in chief of Filmcritic.com.-Publications:...
at MovieCritic.com referred to the film as a "lackluster sequel" with "little of the same charm" as A Christmas Story, and "not funny, really." A 2011 summary of best and worst films about Cleveland called the film a "dog", which "features none of the original cast -- and none of the original heart."
The film was a box office flop, grossing just under $71,000.
Related works
PBSPublic Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
also made a series of TV movies based on the Parker family for American Playhouse
American Playhouse
American Playhouse is an anthology television series periodically broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service in the United States.It premiered on January 12, 1982 with The Shady Hill Kidnapping, written and narrated by John Cheever and directed by Paul Bogart...
, including Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss
Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss
Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss is a television comedy film written by Jean Shepherd and directed by Dick Bartlett, based on the 1968 short story by Shephard...
, The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters, and The Phantom of the Open Hearth.