MovieChat Forums > A Christmas Story Christmas (2022) Discussion > Thought Julie Hagerty miscast.....otherw...

Thought Julie Hagerty miscast.....otherwise, a not too awful update...

posted a year ago by TruMovieFan (1969)
9 replies | jump to latest

One has to admit that any sort of update or sequel for the original would be very hard to make and I thought they did a reasonably well update.

One thing I don't think worked well was the casting of Julie Hagerty as the Mom - her portrayal of the Mom was just too flakey, hyper, and too spastic. Melinda Dillon wasn't quite like that in the original.

I also had to consciously remind myself that the Ralphie character was the narrator in both movies even though Billingsley sounds nothing like the late, great Jean Shepherd. It was strange trying to rectify Billingsley mimicking the nuances of the speaking patterns of Jean Shepherd.

[–] strangenstein (683) a year ago

She looks enough like the original actress, especially all these years later, but her whispy voice made me think of Airplaine. Overall I really liked the movie.

[–] TMC-4 (19442) 5 months ago

I just saw this movie on TBS and I kept wondering if Julie Hagerty was miscast. Maybe I in the back of my mind, wondered if Melinda Dillon's interpretation as Mrs. Parker was in-line with hers. But like you said, Julie Hagerty still has that unmistakably whispy speaking voice, which I don't recall Melinda Dillion having.

Depending on your point of view, Hagerty's interpretation made Mrs. Parker seem like a ditz and not a strong woman who was undoubtedly the glue that kept the family together.

https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/yzdoml/comment/j0h6x2o/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

[–] TMC-4 (19442) 5 months ago

Come to think of it, Julie Hagerty at least vocally, sort of reminds me of Mary Gross, who was a cast-member on Saturday Night Live during the early '80s (AKA the Eddie Murphy-Joe Piscopo-Julia Louis-Dreyfus years):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iuk2lYH0tOc

[–] TMC-4 (19442) 4 months ago

I just have a hard time now, imagining Julie Hagerty in scenes or scenarios where she has to act "forceful" and be convincing as a stern disciplinarian. Like, I just can't see her do that scene from the original, where Melinda Dillion as Mrs. Parker makes Ralphie hold a red bar of soap in his mouth after saying the f-word.

[–] liscarkat (16592) a year ago

It took me a little while to get used to her, but she ended up being likeable and funny in her own right as the mother. I chalked up the slight character change from Dillon's portrayal to age and stress over her husband's recent death. The movie exceeded my expectations and was quite enjoyable. I'll definitely be watching it again during some future December.

[–] TMC-4 (19442) a year ago

I wonder if they couldn't get Melinda Dillion back they could've instead, gotten Dee Wallace (Elliot's mom in E.T.) as Mrs. Parker:

https://www.datalounge.com/thread/19176302-dee-wallace-stone

I used to get her and Melinda Dillon mixed up.

by Anonymous reply 16 June 27, 2020 10:46 PM

https://www.google.com/search?q=dee+wallace&bih=757&biw=1600&hl=en&sxsrf=ALiCzsYyZuWFWldBza4ogM7mxzzcn52U_g:1672107468084&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwis_qTd3Zj8AhVmE0QIHWLsAlUQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw

[–] MrMovie (845) a year ago

It was jarring how bad of a miscast she was. It almost ruined the movie for me, they really should have gave Dillon a lot of money to get her out of retirement

[–] Tongue (446) 5 months ago

Agree. Julie Hagerty was miscast . This movie is a decent watch but I don’t think I’ll ever watch it again

[–] LadyOracle (5) 4 months ago

Gwyneth Paltrow mom, Blythe Danner would have been better casted.

It felt Like Julie Hagerty was playing the same mom from the movie Just Friends.