My Summer Story Blu-ray Review
The largely unknown “My Summer Story” deserves more of an audience.
Unlike the abomination that was “A Christmas Story 2,” “My Summer Story” (also known as “It Runs In The Family” in some parts) is a true sequel to “A Christmas Story.” Not only did the “A Christmas Story” director Bob Clark direct this film, but it was also co-written and produced by author Jean Shepherd who wrote the story “In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash” that the original film was based on. Shepherd also returns to narrate this film as the adult Ralphie.
Much like “A Christmas Story,” “My Summer Story” is all about family and childhood as told through the eyes of Ralphie. As you can no doubt guess from the title, the story revolves around the Parker family’s adventures during one summer. Among the plots included here are spinner top toy battles, a new bully (Lug), The Old Man waging war against the Bumpuses, a new addition to the Parker family (a dog), gravy boats, and fishing.
While the story is pretty slight and not exactly comparable to “A Christmas Story” (few films are though), “My Summer Story” is a charming sequel that manages to capture the spirit of the original film. Aside from Tedde Moore as Miss Shields, no returning cast members make an appearance, but the new cast is rather impressive as it contains the likes of Charles Grodin, Kieran Culkin and Mary Steenburgen. Grodin (Mr. Parker), Kieran Culkin (Ralphie), and Steenburgen (Mrs. Parker) all nail their roles, but the portrayal of Randy is definitely off here. It’s not actor Christian Culkin’s fault though as the writing of his character is simply too cartoonish.
What really makes “My Summer Story” work though is that it further explores the town and characters. Having seen “A Christmas Story” well over a hundred times, it’s just flat-out fun to see the previously mentioned candy store, the hillbilly Bumpuses family, new characters, new locations, etc. The clever references and music cues to the original don’t hurt either.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 1.85:1 1080p. How does it look? The print has some noticeable flaws like scratches and dirt specs, but it is a solid hi-def upgrade.
Audio Track: Unspecified Audio Track. How does it sound? The track is a bit low, but it does the job.
No extras.
Overall Thoughts: Having been more or less buried since its release, I’m hoping this new release of “My Summer Story” will allow more people to see this film as it’s well worth seeing.
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