Sequel to A Christmas Story seems as bad as it sounds

Yahoo!Movies has released the trailer for a straight-to-dvd feature they are touting as the "official sequel" to the 1983 classic, A Christmas Story.

The film, scheduled for release on October 30th, will be the last release by Warner Premiere, the direct-to-video division of Warner Bros. who have brought us such classic gems as Ace Ventura Jr: Pet Detective, Dukes of Hazzard: the Beginning, and, Another Cinderella Story (starring Selena Gomez). 

The movie appears to be exactly what the undesired straight-to-DVD sequel of an '80s classic would be. This time, the now pre-teen Ralphie (who hasn't changed his hair, glasses, or style of dress since he was eight, apparently) has his sights set on a car and follows the same series of comic misadventures as the original. As the trailer goes to great lengths to point out, all the old characters will be returning -- Flick, Schwartz, Randy, Mrs. Parker, and of course, "The Old Man," played by Daniel Stern (whose impersonation of Darren McGavin's iconic performance feels almost sacrilegious).

While the trailer does not make it seem likely that A Christmas Story 2 will live up to the success of its predecessor, in it's defense, the sequel, much like the original, will probably be good for a few laughs -- just not for the same reasons.