THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER (2024) - Movie Review

Director: Dallas Jenkins
Starring: Judy Greer, Pete Holmes, Molly Belle Wright, Lauren Graham
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Writer: Ryan Swanson, Platte Clark, Darin McDaniel
Runtime: 99 min
Rated: PG for thematic material and brief underage smoking
Buy This Movie: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

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Synopsis:

The Herdmans are absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world. They lie, they steal, they bully…and now they've hijacked the town Christmas pageant. Six siblings sneak into church searching for snacks and walk away with the lead roles in the town pageant. Grace (Judy Greer) is directing the performance for the very first time, but she and her daughter Beth (Molly Belle Wright) and husband Bob (Pete Holmes) are in over their heads, especially against a town that wants them to kick the Herdmans out. But the play's mischievous stars might unwittingly teach a community the true meaning of Christmas.

Review:

Based on the 1972 children's novel "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" by Barbara Robinson, the 2024 holiday dramedy of the same name tells the story of a community who is about to discover the true meaning of Christmas with the help of six problem children, "the worst kids in the history of the world", who end up playing the lead roles in the town's traditional nativity pageant.

The film is directed by Dallas Jenkins, best known for helming the Biblical miniseries "The Chosen", and its shaped like your usual faith-based movie, in that it's a fairly dull viewing that allocates way too much time setting up scenes that serve as a crash course on the basics of Christianity. It doesn't feel like it's necessarily trying to convert the unfaithful, but it too often functions like a Sunday school session.

Also, don't go in expecting a comedy. It has its fair share of humorous material and its voice over narration takes great inspiration from "A Christmas Story", but I was disappointed by how rigidly and lifeless it's all presented. Add to that some flat and muted cinematography and the result has a made-for-TV dryness. Aside from that, its underlying message of redemption ends up being more poignant than I expected, wrapping it all up with a strong emotional payoff. It's also a nice tribute to the transformative power of art.

The cast gets the job done efficiently enough, and the kids are fine, but the under-appreciated Judy Greer steals the show, playing a mother who takes on the challenge of directing the treasured pageant. The stakes are high and the margin for error near zero, but she's unwavering in her determination to see it all through, and throughout all the chaos never gives up on the six troublemakers that the entire town wants to see kicked off the play. That's pretty much what true Christmas spirit is all about.

In the end, "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" is a sincere family-friendly holiday movie with a genuine heart, that is unfortunately very clumsily executed. It's sometimes a slog to get through, so I don't quite think it will become a Christmas classic anytime soon, but it's definitely a notch above the usual holiday drivel, and could be worth a try, even if you're not fond of faith-based flicks.

SCORE: 6.5/10