- It Runs in the Family (1994 film)
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It Runs in the Family
(My Summer Story)
DVD cover, 2006Directed by Bob Clark Produced by Rene Dupont Written by Jean Shepherd,
Leigh Brown,
Bob ClarkNarrated by Jean Shepherd Starring Charles Grodin,
Kieran Culkin,
Mary SteenburgenMusic by Paul Zaza et al. Cinematography Stephen M. Katz Editing by Stan Cole Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Release date(s) September 23, 1994[1] Running time 85 min. Country United States Language English It Runs in the Family (released on DVD as My Summer Story) 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.
Contents
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 top 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 Bloodhounds 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.
Reception
Both positive and negative reviews have appeared about the film. Entertainment Weekly 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".[2] Robert Butler at the Kansas City Star called it "a sequel worth seeing" which revisits the humor of the original.[3]
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".[4] 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."[5] 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."[6]
The film was a box office flop, grossing just under $71,000[1].
Related works
PBS 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.
Video
My Summer Story (DVD, 2006) ISBN 1-4248-1902-4
References
- ^ a b "It Runs In The Family (1994)". BoxOfficeMojo.com. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=itrunsinthefamily94.htm.
- ^ Weiner Campbell, Caren (July 14, 1995). "Video Review My Summer Story". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ Butler, Robert W. (August 21, 1995). "A sequel worth seeing - My Summer Story revisits hilarity of 1982's A Christmas Story". Kansas City Star pg. D1. (subscription required)
- ^ Galbraith IV, Stuart (August 3, 2006). "My Summer Story (aka It Runs in the Family" DVDTalk.com. August 1, 2006.
- ^ Null, Christopher (February 4 2005). "It Runs in the Family". MovieCritic.com, AMC.
- ^ Campanelli, John (January 15, 2011). "Cleveland's best, worst movies over the years". Cleveland.com.
External links
Films directed by Bob Clark 1960s The Emperor's New Clothes (1966) · She-Man (1967)1970s Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things (1972) · Deathdream (1972) · Black Christmas (1974) · Breaking Point (1976) · Murder by Decree (1979)1980s Tribute (1980) · Porky's (1982) · Porky's II: The Next Day (1983) · A Christmas Story (1983) · Rhinestone (1984) · Turk 182 (1985) · From the Hip (1987)1990s Loose Cannons (1990) · It Runs in the Family (1994) · I'll Remember April (1999) · Baby Geniuses (1999)2000s Categories:- 1994 films
- American films
- English-language films
- 1990s comedy films
- Sequel films
- Films directed by Bob Clark
- Jean Shepherd
- Films shot in North Carolina
- Films shot in Ohio
- 1990s comedy film stubs
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