A Christmas Story 2 is a 2012 comedy film directed by Brian Levant (Beethoven, The Flintstones) that serves as a direct sequel to the 1983 holiday classic A Christmas Story. Like the previous sequel, It Runs in the Family (1994), the cast was entirely different. Braeden Leamasters stars as Ralphie Parker, with Daniel Stern and Stacey Travis as the parents, in addition to Valin Shinyei as Randy Parker, David W. Thompson as Flick, and David Buehrle as Schwartz.
Set in 1946, six years after the previous film, the film follows 15 year old Ralphie as he wishes for a 1939 Mercury Eight convertible for Christmas, but crashes the car before he owns it. Now, Ralphie and his friends, Flick and Schwartz, must find a way to raise enough money to fix the car before Christmas.
The film as released straight to DVD on October 30, 2012 to mostly negative reviews from critics.
Followed by a 2022 sequel A Christmas Story Christmas, released on HBO Max, which completely disregards the events of the film and was released to a slightly better critical reception.
Previews: Trailer
A Christmas Story 2 includes the following tropes:
- Artistic License – Geography: As Ralphie walks down the streets of Hohman, Indiana, a New York City subway entrance, complete with a modern graffiti tag, is visible.
- Artistic License – History:
- When the Old Man answers the phone, he says, "Parkers. It's your dime." Payphones increased from a nickel to a dime in 1952, 6 years after the film's events.
- The used Oldsmobile Ralphie and his dad look at is a 1941 model. The salesman says it is an Olds 88, which wasn't introduced until 3 years later in 1949.
- The Buick Roadmaster is said to have a two-speed Hydra-Matic transmission. Hydra-Matic transmissions were never two-speeds (in The '40s they were four-speeds). Buicks were known for having Dyna-Flow transmissions, not Hydra-Matics, and the Dyna-Flow was not available until 2 years later in 1948.
- There are black students at Ralphie's school, but Indiana schools did not integrate black students until 3 years later in 1949.
- On Christmas Eve, Ralphie passes a theater with It's a Wonderful Life on the marquee, but the film was not released until January 7th, 1947.
- The dentist in the film puts on latex gloves, which they did not wear until the 1980s.
- One of the side stories in the invoice at Highbee's features Franklin D. Roosevelt, who passed away the previous year in 1945.
- Wheelchair-accessible curbs appear in several scenes.
- The narrator states that the 1939 Mercury Eight convertible has 132,000 miles on the odormeter, which did not read past that until the 1980s.
- Canon Discontinuity: The film completes ignores the references and events of the previous sequel, 'It Runs in the Family (1994). It's follow-up, A Christmas Story Christmas, has no connection to this film.
- Continuity Nod: Crosses into Call-Back, as it has plenty of it to the first movie, such as the "Oh Fudge" slow motion, dealing with yet another rude department store Santa, an embarrassing outfit from their aunt, and of course, the infamous leg lamp.
- Determinator: Despite numerous setbacks, Ralphie does his best to try to earn the money for the damages to the car. It pays off in the end, when the car dealer lets him off the hook for exactly this reason.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Ralphie rapidly banging his cymbals after smelling Drucilla's hair.
- The '40s: Set in 1946.
- Imagine Spot: Not as frequent as the first movie, bit Ralphie has at least two of them.
- Mall Santa: Even worse than the first film; Ralphie calls him out on it.
- Riding into the Sunset: Ralphie and Drucilla.
- Stalker with a Crush: Ralphie has a crush on a girl named Drucilla. One disturbing facet about this is that he also brings up her lavender scented shampoo. Errr... Ewww.
- Stock Sound Effect: Baby Kate Cry: Variant: A group of people were rushing trying to get attention at once, including one of the women with her baby in a basket, which was crying until Ralphie wrapped it as a present.
- Time Skip: Six years after the first movie.
- Work Off the Debt: The main conflict of the movie. Ralphie accidentally damages a car while messing around in it and trying to raise the money to get it repaired.
