the sequel mainly as a money-making enterprise; when he saw the amount of royalties he was making off telecasts and re-releases of A Christmas Story compared to his television productions, he walked away from television and vowed to work almost exclusively on films. Because the cast of A Christmas Story had aged to the point where they no longer fit their roles, it was entirely recast, with the exception of Tedde Moore, who returns as Ralphie's teacher, Miss Shields. Reception The film received mixed reviews. Entertainment Weekly gave it a B+, noting that the film "improves on A Christmas Story, with better pacing and better-defined characters, but found Shepherd's narration to be "oh-so-drolly exaggerated — and therefore condescending". Robert Butler at The Kansas City Star called it "a sequel worth seeing" which revisits the humor of the original. Upon the release of the film on DVD in 2006, DVDtalk wrote "if you squint just right, My Summer Story is actually reasonably good", while criticizing the casting, but praising Shepherd's narration as "easily the film's saving grace". Christopher Null at MovieCritic.com referred to the film as a "lackluster sequel" with "little of the same charm" as A Christmas Story, and "not funny, really". A 2011 summary of best and worst movies filmed in Cleveland called the film a "dog", which "features none of the original cast -- and none of the original heart". Released in very few theaters, the film grossed under $71,000. Related works Prior to the making of the theatrical film, PBS co-produced a series of TV movies based on the Parker family for American Playhouse including Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss, The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters, The Star-Crossed Romance of Josephine Cosnowski and The Phantom of the Open Hearth. References External links Beyond a Christmas Story 1994 films 1994 comedy films American comedy films American sequel films 1990s English-language films Films scored by Paul Zaza Films about families Films directed by Bob Clark Films set in 1941 Films set in Indiana Films shot in North Carolina Films shot in Ohio Films based on works by Jean Shepherd Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films based on multiple works 1990s American films Films about hillbillies