Who else grew up playing a shepherd in the local church or school Christmas pageant? Even if you weren't raised Christian, there's a chance you at least heard about the annual holiday event that celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ, with your young classmates enlisted in the pageant to play any one of the classic roles — whether they truly wanted to or not. There is a lot of heartwarming humor to be mined from behind-the-scenes moments of these events. A Charlie Brown Christmas is the iconic short-form version of said tale, still watched by millions during that special time of year — which seems to come earlier every year. Now there's The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.
From director Dallas Jenkins (The Chosen) and based on Barbara Robinson's best-selling novel, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever most likely won't rise to the timeless level of Charlie Brown, but the warm charm of Judy Greer and the comedic addition of stand-up pro Pete Holmes (HBO's Crashing) certainly adds to the well-rounded cause and prevents Lionsgate's new holiday offering from feeling too niche or limited.
The Herdmans and the Wackiest Christmas Pageant Ever
Based on the beloved book, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever centers on the Herdmans – absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world. But this Christmas, they’re taking over their local church Pageant – and they just might unwittingly teach a shocked community the true meaning of Christmas.
- Greer and Holmes' comedic chops and Midwestern charm shine through.
- The slapstick nature of those Herdman kids offers additional laughs.
- Lauren Graham's voiceover narrations go into overdrive and become tacky and distracting.
- Its overly kid-friendly tone sometimes keeps it from being entertaining for the whole family.
If the idea of a Christmas pageant doesn't bring you back, maybe the thought of that one family from your hometown whose kids were notoriously misbehaved might jog a certain sense of nostalgia. Perhaps you grew up near a married couple who raised, say, four or five kids, and you thought to yourself, "Wow, I wonder what that household is like on a daily basis!" In Lionsgate's new Christmas film, it's the Herdman family, and they have a whopping six offspring who have made an infamous name for themselves in the rural town in focus.
Led by eldest daughter Imogene (Beatrice Schneider), they're known for a wide variety of wildly mischievous deeds, such as lighting properties on fire, bullying classmates at recess, and stealing from small businesses. So it's a bit of shock when they arrive at the doorstep of the local church with the outrageous end goal of joining its upcoming Christmas pageant, an annual event that's especially coveted this time around since it's the 75th-anniversary edition.
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Judy Greer & Pete Holmes Share Holiday Memories and Discuss The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
The charming Judy Greer and Pete Holmes are the perfect pair to play parents in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, and discuss their roles in the movie.
The churchgoers initially assume the Herdmans are just there to swipe snacks from the institution's endless stash — but once they realize the six siblings mean business, the Christian part of town is in for a whirl this holiday season. Folks are also overwhelmed to know that this pivotal year for the pageant — which is even being promoted on television, mind you — is being overseen by newbie director Grace (Greer). Her husband Bob (Holmes) is simply floored to learn she's volunteered to take the reins, and when her kids, Beth (Molly Belle Wright) and Charlie (Sebastian Billingsley-Rodriguez), walk in and ask their dad if he looks so distraught because someone died, the reliably humorous Holmes replies, "It's worse..."
Judy Greer Turns Up the Charm
With her wonderfully endearing voice and smile and that Midwestern charm, Greer is pitch-perfect in the role of Grace, a hopeful community member who decides to give the Herdmans a shot at the "Bible play," as they call it — even enlisting Imogene in the highly prestigious role of the Virgin Mary. When Grace gets pushback from her fellow soccer moms and asks, "What am I supposed to do, kick them out of the church?" the ladies reply in Wes Anderson-esque unison, "Yes."
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Grace sticks with her optimistic, spirit-of-Christmas instincts and proceeds with giving the rebellious Herdmans a fair shot, ultimately garnering the support of her loving husband — who even has a few sweet surprises up his sleeve that are tied to the down-and-out Herdmans, a family that is truly struggling under that label of deviance.
Less Narration, More Pete Holmes Please
Director Jenkins is hoping this will be the next classic Christmas movie, especially with the backing of powerhouse producer Andrew Erwin (Ordinary Angels, White, Unsung Heroes). Perhaps that's why Gilmore Girls favorite Lauren Graham is also featured as grownup Beth to narrate the tale, in the vain of the iconic holiday flick A Christmas Story (1983). Of course, who doesn't love Graham — but there was something poetically hysterical about the adult-Ralphie voiceovers were featured in Bob Clark's classic; meanwhile, the extensive use of Graham's colorful narrations in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever unfortunately comes off as overkill.
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And while the Herdman kids' mischievous antics provide a fresh angle to the holiday-classic subgenre of cinema, at the end of the day, this is a kids' movie at heart — so we'd be surprised to see any grownups tuning in without little ones by their side. If only there were more of Holmes' signature comedic antics to keep Lionsgate's new film afloat. Sure, there are glimpses — like when Grace recites a whole empowering speech she tells Bob she had delivered to the church about how she knows what she's doing as pageant director is right. Bob replies, "Wow, you said all of that?" And when Grace says, "Well... no," he replies once more with, "...Any of it?" More of Greer and Holmes' banter together might have given this film a longer shelf-life.
As it is, it's a cute movie for the family to check out this holiday season. From Lionsgate, The Best Movie Pageant Ever will be released in theaters on Nov. 8, 2024.
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