What people that get on those of us for hating this don't realize is, you can't capture lighting in a bottle!! What I mean is, the movie was the right cast, right place, right time!! The chemistry between the whole cast was perfect in the movie!! Doing the play is just ridiculous!! You go trying to hard to cast people to recreate the ones who did the movie back in 1983. That doesn't work!! They don't have the chemistry, they don't have the "magic" that the original cast had!! Also, they are focusing on being politically correct in what they do this day and time & none of it works!!! You can't have an all white or black or Latino or Asia cast with a different race mother!! What made the older movies classics are the cast & crews!! The director fought for what they knew the film needed to succeed!! Look at the Dirty Dozen, the cast was great & the direction was great but the studio wanted things changed. The director fought to keep his movie intact & he won over the studio & the rest is history!! That movie has gone down as a game changer & is the war movie that has lead to war movies today being able to show how awful war can be!!! I hope this helps people understand why this play and other remakes are awful!!

Fox 's live version of "A Christmas Story" is the latest in a line of live shows on TV. Those who have seen the others are familiar with the pitfalls and problems that can plague a live television production, though most of these shows have been very entertaining. The electricity (and risk) of a live show is palpable, adding to the enjoyment of the viewing.

I am happy to say that this production is a tremendous success. It starts with a frozen tableau that dissolves into the live action, a clever convention that is used throughout, showing a dedication to detail and a willingness to go the extra mile. This musical, based upon the stage production, is narrated by Matthew Broderick, the adult version of the central character, Ralphie.

We realize that Broderick is not the usual narrator when he holds the car door for Ralphie's mother. Like the stage manager in "Our Town", he is an all-seeing guide, who talks of Ralphie's inner dreams and fears, and lends universality to the messages of the story. Several times I felt a lump in my throat during the show and a few of them were caused by Broderick's role,

If you have never seen the movie or the play, it will not prohibit enjoyment of this Christmas tale, a classic that many enjoy every year. If you happen to be an older person, this is a nostalgic trip down memory lane that recalls simpler times and simpler tastes. The commercial overload that Christmas has become makes it a pleasure to revisit the analog days before Walmart and Amazon.

Like Frank Morgan in "The Wizard of Oz", Broderick portrays a number of characters within the story, most of them fleeting.

The cast is excellent, including fourteen youngsters who, like the rest of the cast, are triple threats. Maya Rudolph plays the mother with touching simplicity. Chris Diamantopoulos, who plays the father, reminds me of Jack Lemmon-a perfect combination of musicality and comic talent. There are too many talented players to mention, but Jane Krakowski gives her usually stellar performance, and the boys who play Ralphie (Andy Walken) and his brother Randy (Tyler Wladis) handle the load of their performances like champs.

There are few slip-ups in this production and most I saw were quickly dealt with or ignored quite professionally. The sets are wonderful. The orchestration is terrific. The production numbers, including the staging, is masterful. The sound, which can be a problem in live productions, is consistently clear. The camera movement is so good that it deserves special mention. Weaving in and out of the scenery and keeping pace with the action, it drew my attention some, but never felt annoying.

The story includes Walter Mittyesque flights of fancy that were handled with moving walls, special lighting, camera effects and choral craftwork. The transitions are perfectly executed and sometimes breathtaking.

This is a classic that deserves rewatching, if only to admire the details that one might miss the first time around. Kudos to the director for the vision and for the artistic choices that were made. A documentary about the backstage activities that created this live illusion, including the quick changes, would be fun to watch.

After a rather inappropriate rap opening (with impossible to understand lyrics),this takes off with gusto in recreating all the classic moments from the 1983 cult favorite film adapted for the stage as a touring production and coming to Broadway in 2012. Having seen that production (right after visiting the other Christmas musical, "Elf!"),I was completely enchanted. Revisiting it the following year in the cavernous Madison Square Garden, I was too far away to regain that delight, but in anticipation of this TV special, prayed that all my favorite parts would be included. A few alterations didn't make much of a difference, although one major obvious blooper instantly got my attention, involving the infamous leg of lamp.

Headlining the cast as the narrator and older version of the hopeful kid wanting the Red Ryder bee bee gun is the understated Matthew Broderick, perhaps not my first choice, but gray haired enough to be age appropriate. Chris Diamantopoulos and Maya Rudolph are perfect casting as the beleagured parents of the nearly angelic boys Ralphie and Randy (Andy Walken and Tyler Wladis) who bellow their lines a bit but do a fine job otherwise. Jane Krakowski youthens teacher Miss Shields, but seems very 1940's like in her singing and dancing. My favorite part of the Broadway production was Caroline O'Connor as the slightly older version (still younger than the 1983 version) who seems very 1940's and can be seen in the 2013's Tony Awards clip.

A good majority of the Broadway score is present, and lovingly recreated. Certain changes are obviously p.c. based, but what matters is the joy that you can find if you open your hearts. Complaints about this being a musical were overwhelming to read, but it was never promoted as anything else. The important details are kept in place, especially the 1940's atmosphere. A little bit of Hannukah is added to diversify the holiday, and that's ok too. I just wish the continuity people noticed that there was another leg in the crate which made no sense for the burial of the entire lamp in that scene.