My Summer Story

A funny movie, while not as good as A Christmas Story, it has it's own silly feel and manages to stay in the same mold as its predecessor. So if you liked A Christmas Story, you'll probably enjoy this one as well, even if you've watched A Christmas Story your entire life :)

I have enjoyed Charles Grodin's work in a number of films (e.g., "Midnight Run"), but he is a problematic factor in this sequel to "A Christmas Story". Darren McGavin portrayed The Old Man as eccentric, volatile, bemused and usually funny. Grodin's portrayal made him seem close to insane and occasionally a bit scary. Mom was fine and the kids were acceptable. The best thing about the movie was the Bumpus clan...really the only reason to watch it.

"It Runs in the Family" is a great movie for the whole family! It is one of the cutest films I've ever seen! It's right up there with "Stand by Me" and "A Christmas Story." It's the kind of movie that give you a warm feeling, yet it's very entertaining. The Culkin brothers do a great job in my opinion, and Mary Steenburgen is a gem as always. If you're looking for a movie that will make you laugh, and maybe even bring back great childhood memories, this is definitely the movie for you!

I just caught this follow up on TV today and I simply found myself laughing all the way through it. A Christmas Story is a true classic flick that I watch every Xmas. I had not heard up until about a year ago that a follow up even exsisted! Obviously the film was promoted poorly. I think it's very underrated, for one reason JEAN STAPLETON. This man a true master of narrating a film, he gets us from beginning to end through the picture with pure satisfaction of re-living of childhood. I personally love Mr. Stapleton's narration in both films and his comedy & witt is just priceless to listen to. All in all "It Runs in the Family" is an enjoyable funny follow-up, but will never achieve the classic & beauty that "A Christmas Story" achieved.

This film is a good example of how not to make a sequel. That Bob Clark who did such a perfect casting "A Christmas Story" should have blown this vital aspect of the film is beyond understanding. Charles Grodin is just terrible as the Old Man. Kieran Culkin who plays Ralphie is not quite as horrid,but is still a sad comparison with Billingsly in the original.One wonders if he was not cast because he was the brother of another kid actor who had a huge Christmas hit. Only Mary Steenburgen as Mom does a decent job,and even she is not quite as good as Melinda Dillon did in the original. In addition to the casting mistakes,but other wrong decisions were made.Showing the Bumpasses for no good reason is a prime example.They were so much funnier left to the imagination (except for he dogs) in the original. All in all,Bob CLark should have known better.