Based on the 1972 children's book of the same name by Barbara Robinson, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever lengthens the story but fails to dig deep while exploring its own true meaning of Christmas. Now that it's November, stores, companies, and the media will all be leaning head-first into the Christmas spirit, even if the event itself is still almost two months away. This is the cycle of Christmas cheer in film and television. Though it's being released right on schedule, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is trying to combat the commodification of Christmas, if only slightly.
Director Dallas Jenkins
Release Date November 8, 2024
Studio(s) Kingdom Story Company
Writers Darin McDaniel , Platte Clark , Ryan Swanson
CastJudy Greer , Pete Holmes , Molly Belle Wright , Lauren Graham , Sebastian Billingsley-Rodriguez , Kynlee Heiman , Matthew Lamb , Beatrice Schneider , Ewan Wood , Essek Moore , Mason D Nelligan , Lorelei Olivia Mote , Danielle Hoetmer , Kirk B.R. Woller , Elizabeth Tabish , Vanessa Benavente , Wyatt Dewar , Nolan Grantham , Isla Verlot , Lauren Cochrane , Daina Leitold , Jenni Burke , Stephanie Sy , Tom Young
Runtime 114 Minutes
While Christmas movies have become more secular over time as Christmas transforms into a cultural celebration rather than a religious one for many Western countries, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever wants to remember the holiday's roots. However, it's unlikely that it will be remembered as one of the best Christmas movies of all time. Directed by Dallas Jenkins, well known for the TV series The Chosen, the movie follows Beth (Molly Belle Wright) as she remembers a historic moment in her town's family Christmas pageant when the Herdmans, a rowdy group of kids, steal the show.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever Wastes Judy Greer & Pete Holmes In Half-Baked Roles
The Actors Do Their Best To Bring Depth To Their Storybook Characters
Judy Greer stars as Grace, Beth's mother, who volunteers to direct the pageant to show the judgmental mothers around town she can do it. Pete Holmes plays Bob, the father. This character has nothing to do except deliver weak one-liners and a Christmas ham. Like most people in the story, Beth and Bob have thin motivations and desires outside of wanting Christmas to be special and have little insight or expertise outside their small town. While a limited scope can sometimes work in favor of a movie like this, it makes the story difficult to connect with.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever tries to strike a tone similar to iconic movies like A Christmas Story, using the same framing device of an older narrator describing their childhood and the whimsical way the story unfolds. However, the film asks for a lot more emotional vulnerability than A Christmas Story, and it doesn't always balance its emotional appeals with its gimmicky depiction of the Herdman children. Simultaneously painting these kids as cartoon villains and misunderstood underdogs, the Herdmans aren't the only source of cognitive dissonance in the film.
Even in an exaggerated fairy tale, it's difficult to believe that the spirit of Christianity that the film is otherwise in tune with is lost on all these characters.
One of my biggest issues with The Best Christmas Pageant Ever was the characterization of the antagonists and their one-dimensional hatred of a group of children. Surprisingly, the film chose to make practically the entire town against the Herdmans. While these kids are naughty, they're also impoverished, and it's well-known that their parents are absent. Even in an exaggerated fairy tale, it's difficult to believe that the spirit of Christianity the film is otherwise in tune with is lost on all these characters. The fact that Grace even considers kicking them out of the play is shocking.
Yassir and Isaiah Lester's The Gutter is undeniably a largely charming and entertaining underdog comedy often undone by repetitive jokes.
There are parts of the story the movie needed to include, and the Herdmans' ostracization is one of them, but it could have been handled with more nuance. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is a children's escapist fantasy at its core, and there's nothing wrong with this. However, it's frustrating when so much of the story seems to take place in this sanitized version of the past while attempting to tackle serious issues. Imogene Herdman (Beatrice Schneider) and the few glimpses we get into the reality of her situation are by far the best part of the film.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever Steps On Its Own Interpretation Of The True Meaning Of Christmas
Once the town shows a sliver of kindness to these children, it's implied the Herdmans are swiftly embraced by the community. This is a sweet ending, but it's completely disconnected from the fact that the town was perfectly content to villainize these children for years and leave them out in the cold. We're supposed to understand that the Herdmans' outside perspective and questioning of Christmas brings the church closer to what Christmas is all about. But the movie refuses to critique the failures of the community while being comfortable punishing the Herdmans as outsiders throughout the story.
If an easy-to-digest and religious Christmas movie is what you're looking for this holiday season, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever will deliver. The denouement is emotional, and the performances from the child actors are sweet enough that they get away with a little too much screaming. Even if it's ultimately forgettable, the movie has an undeniable feel-good appeal, and during the cold winter months, there's no reason to take that away from anybody. Flaws and all, there's no question that this movie will find its audience and be celebrated for its nostalgia and pathos.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever will be released in theaters on November 8, 2024. The film is 99 minutes long and rated PG for thematic material and brief underage smoking.
4/10
The Herdman children, known as the worst kids in town, take over the annual Christmas pageant, causing chaos and confusion for the local community. As the town braces for a disastrous performance, the Herdmans inadvertently teach everyone a heartwarming lesson about the true meaning of Christmas.
Pros
The film can be feel-good and the child actors are solid in their roles
Cons
Judy Greer and Pete Holmes are wasted in half-baked roles
The story's interpretation of Christmas is jumbled
The characters' mistreatment of the Herdmans goes against its message
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English (US) ·