A Christmas Story

Rating: 9/10 (29 April 2000)

Van Orton was Scrooged in this great movie. The cinematography was excellent in the flashback footage of the protagonist. The audience is taken on a suspension ride of disbelief (like Magritte's pipe).
Van Orton was the dynamic character in this movie because he went through a sort of catharsis. The sequence of events were definetly contrived and could cast doubts on it's realism. However, the ending is a must. (One member commented that it was just some deux es machina.)
BUT--it isn't because just like The Fight Club, Sixth Sense, the usual suspect and other movies before/after it, the entire movie hinges on an unexpected ending. That's what makes this a classic in my book (in lue of the run of the mill Christmas Story or Miracle on Corny Street).