Ralphie grows up

0 Comments | Buffalo News, Oct 9, 2009 | by ROBERT W. BUTLER

Peter Billingsley was on the other side of the world at Bora Bora’s St. Regis Resort describing his working conditions for making the new comedy “Couples Retreat.”

The phrase “working conditions” may not be entirely appropriate.

“To my left is this beautiful beach,” he said by phone. “I’m in a house built on stilts over the water where we shot several scenes. On the deck there’s a hot tub . . . you can jump from the hot tub into the sea. In the floor is this big glass pane, and I can see fish swimming under my feet.”

If the name Peter Billingsley rings a bell, it’s because when he was only 11 he starred in one of the most beloved movies of all time — “A Christmas Story.” He played Ralphie, the kid desperate to get his hands on a Red Ryder BB gun.

Now Billingsley, 38, makes his directing debut with “Couples Retreat,” opening today in area theaters. It’s about Midwesterners who get a great rate on a tropical vacation, then find that as part of the deal they have to undergo marriage counseling.

Among the players are Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Kristin Davis, Jason Bateman, Faizon Love, Kristen Bell and Malin Akerman.

“You could say that the water here is a cast member, too,” Billingsley said. “I mean, it’s really that blue color you see in the movie. Remember Bomb Pops when you were a kid? That blue band on the bottom? That’s exactly the color of the water here. I’ve never seen anything like that in the Bahamas or Hawaii. All you have to do is turn on the camera, and the ocean makes you look like a visual genius.

Billingsley acted for years before and after 1983′s “Christmas Story.” But for the last decade he has worked mostly as a producer of movies (“Iron Man,” “Zathura”) and TV shows (“Dinner for Five”).

“Jason Bateman and I have a running joke that after 35 years each in this business we should be retiring. But I love what I do.”

Unlike some child actors, Billingsley has carved out a satisfying career.

“I’ve always been self-motivated, but I can’t take a ton of credit for any success I’ve had,” he said. “It’s a difficult world for lots of child actors . . . and it’s difficult to be a teenager under any circumstances. Add to that notoriety and fame, and things can go really wrong.

“But I had a terrific family and grew up very normal in Phoenix. When I was at home I had chores, and if I didn’t act right, I couldn’t do films. So that provided a foundation that let me keep perspective in a business with lots of highs and lows and rejection.”

He said he was fortunate that for his directing debut he was working with friends. Vaughn has been his best bud since they met two decades ago at an audition. And Billingsley spent several years with Favreau on “Dinner for Five.” In “Couples Retreat,” he was working from a screenplay by Vaughn and Favreau.

Even when he was on the set of “A Christmas Story,” he was fascinated by the mechanics of moviemaking, Billingsley said.

“Even after that film I’d seek out advice and guidance from Bob Clark” [writer/director of 'A Christmas Story']. When I told him I wanted to be behind the camera he said, ‘Go spend time in the editing room. That’s where you’ll learn the most important lessons about directing.’ “

Billingsley said he was devastated by Clark’s 2007 death in a traffic accident.

“Looking back, I realize Bob was the most prepared filmmaker I’ve ever seen. Did you know he tried to make ‘A Christmas Story’ for 12 years before getting the go-ahead? The studios just couldn’t see it. They didn’t think it was funny enough. They didn’t see how they could sell it.

“But by the time Bob finally got to make it, he’d had years of planning.”

Almost 30 years later, do fans still recognize him?

“Yeah. Usually around Christmas time
jumping stilts