Cult holiday classic A Christmas Story was only moderately successful in its initial release in theaters. While contemporary reviews were somewhat critical of the movie, reviews written in more recent years have been overwhelmingly positive, perhaps because of its cult status.

Set around 1940, the nostalgic film follows 9-year-old Ralphie in his attempts to acquire a Red Rider BB gun for Christmas. It also traces the foibles of those around him, including a classmate whose tongue is frozen to a flagpole, his parents' battle over a lamp shaped like a woman's leg, and the tragedy of the family's Christmas turkey. It is based on incidents in several books by author and radio personality Jean Shepherd.

• rogerebert.com: A Christmas Story Review (3/4)
  • "Visits to Santa Claus are more or less standard in works of this genre, but this movie has the best visit to Santa I've ever seen."

• DVD Verdict: A Christmas Story DVD Review
  • "If you can live with the video being grainy and worn, then I would recommend picking this up."

• FilmCritic.com: A Christmas Story Movie Review (5/5)
  • "For the uninitiated, A Christmas Story ranks as the best holiday movie ever, better even than It's a Wonderful Life."

• The A.V. Club: A Christmas Story (DVD) Review
  • "The affection audiences feel for A Christmas Story is related to the holiday spirit, yes, but specifically to Clark and Shepherd's awareness of how the true meaning of Christmas manifests in the real world..."

• FlickFilosopher.com: A Christmas Story Review
  • "Despite -- or perhaps because of -- the oddities of Ralphie's family, A Christmas Story is a comfortable, homey movie."

• Reel.com: A Christmas Story Special Edition DVD Review (3.5/4)
  • "From the minute Ralphie and his eight-year-old friends press their noses up against the Higbees department store window to admire the tin toys and BB-guns, viewers are transported to a different period."

• Apollo Movie Guide: A Christmas Story Review (85/100)
  • "A Christmas Story is a delightful movie, destined to become... a staple in many families' Yuletide traditions."