TV SCREENINGS: A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

Well, here we are with another timeless holiday classic!

Hey guys! Whatsoever Critic here!

And last night, we decided to do another DVD/TV SCREENINGS episode on another holiday special. Last time, we did Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. And now, we're giving Charlie Brown a go.

So, this was our viewing of A Charlie Brown Christmas.

(Opening Scene)

LBF: This is so cool. I remember watching this every Christmas!
WC: Me too.

(Charlie meets Lucy at her "doctor" stand)

WC: You know, Christmas doesn't have to be overwhelming.
LBF: Yeah, but I understand where Charlie's coming from. All that commercialism can be a doozy at times. Like with Black Friday shopping and...

WC: So yeah, they're gonna tell us that it's not about the material things. I get it.

(The kids learn that Charlie Brown is directing their play)
WC: What a bunch of posers...
LBF: This is kind of like Rudolph, with him getting bullied. And now that I think about it, these Christmas movies have some kind of pattern.
WC: No, no. Leave that to the Hallmark and Lifetime movies that get shoveled out every year. Those darn things are so repetitive. You can't even come up with anything original nowadays!

(Snoopy mimicks Lucy)

LBF: This part always gets me laughing.
WC: (laughing)

(Sally has a crush on Linus)
LBF: That girl's always goo-goo ga-ga over Linus. That's always a good laugh, right?
WC: I remember seeing some fan art about that. I assume this is a running gag that this series has?
LBF: Well, I think someone in my family told me that there was a, uh...
WC: The comics?
LBF: Yeah. That's it. Comics. I can totally see this being a thing in the original source material, 'cuz this is funny.

(Charlie Brown is asked to get a Christmas tree)

WC: They're gonna ask him to get a really big tree for that one show.
LBF: What, they think he's made out of money?
WC: Well, why not? They asked for an aluminum tree.

(Linus plays Jingle Bells on the piano--the way Lucy is asking)

LBF: This part is awesome.
WC: This just proves that abstract rules over concrete.
LBF: What do you mean?
WC: In other words, anything sells for art... Like everything is too simple nowadays.

(Charlie Brown is bullied for bringing a small tree)

WC: Why are you guys laughing? He got you a tree!
LBF: Yeah! And isn't this supposed to be a Christian play?
WC: Um... not the best ones.

(Linus explains the Biblical story of Christmas)

(Both girls are silent, as this scene plays out)

(Charlie goes out to decorate the small tree, but fails)

LBF: I'd fix it up too, if I had a small tree like that.
WC: Yeah. Maybe some tinsel and ribbon.
LBF: Poinsettas?
WC: Oh yeah. And those.

(The kids fix the tree to where it's VERY decorative)

LBF: I can see someone saying "Yeah right" to this.
WC: I know, but you know that saying "The thought that counts"?
LBF: Yep.
WC: I mean, it's Christmas. They took some liberties, and that's all it is.

DISCUSSION:
LBF: I remember watching this every year around Christmas.
WC: Same here. Like, there's pretty much absolutely nothing wrong with it. There's a reason why this one is timeless, why it's a classic.
LBF: And what you were saying earlier about the Hallmark and Lifetime movies... you're right, because those movies are so repetitive. It's like they share each other storylines.
WC: If those movies were to watch this and the other Christmas specials, then maybe they can learn from them, because let's face it: they're unoriginal. But here... this special has a great message--and that's one reason, if not just one, reason why this turned out to be timeless.
LBF: I couldn't agree more, Critic.