This note-for-note rehash of A Christmas Story (though set in the 80s with plenty of nostalgia for the Gen X set) is kept afloat at least somewhat by Neil Patrick Harris as the little-kid-grown-up-to-be-narrator. “Cute”, “adorable”, and “sweet” are just a few of the adjectives that will be tossed around when all’s said and done, but there’s little chance this will become an annual classic. Watch it once, say”‘aww” a couple times, and then go back to Ralphie and his Red Ryder carbine-action, 200-shot, range model air rifle.
3/5 stars