Film Review: THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER (2024): The Most Awkwardly Funny Holiday Comedy That You’ll Ever See
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever Review
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (2024) Film Review, a movie directed by Dallas Jenkins, written by Platte Clark, Darin McDaniel and Ryan Swanson and starring Judy Greer, Lauren Graham, Pete Holmes, Elizabeth Tabish, Stephanie Sy, Molly Belle Wright, Kirk B.R. Woller, Kynlee Heiman, Matthew Lamb, Vanessa Benavente, Lauren Cochrane, Beatrice Schneider, Sebastian Billingsley-Rodriguez, Lorelei Olivia Mote, Danielle Hoetmer, Isla Verot, Sara Angelica and Ewan Wood.
With The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, filmmaker Dallas Jenkins has made a holiday movie that is cringe-worthy in certain respects early on but by the time the film ends, you may just find yourself wiping a tear or two away due to the overall heartwarming message of the picture. Let me be clear, though, that getting to the conclusion of this movie could try the patience of the viewer. It’s about a family of kids called the Herdmans. At the movie’s end, the film tells us that the most inspirational character in the picture, Imogene (Beatrice Schneider) went on to be a mom of five kids. That piece of information inspires hope that even the most misguided children in life can make their lives meaningful and have purpose. True, one of the Herdmans ended up in jail but you can’t always win. But, you have to try to inspire and that is the message of this awkward comedy that creeps up on the viewer and touches the heart by the time it reaches its conclusion.
The always super Judy Greer plays the aptly named Grace who comes to direct the nativity play referred to in the film’s title. The televised 75th Christmas pageant for a small town becomes a life-changing event for the people in the neighborhood as the Herdmans take control of the major parts in the pageant with hilarious and wildly intriguing results all around. As Grace’s husband, Bob (Pete Holmes) supports Grace, he is also a bit less ambitious than his wife in certain areas. Grace has a lot of her own feelings bottled up but the Herdmans may just change all that over the course of the film.
The Herdmans pretty much terrorize the town in the opening scenes of the film which is a little disheartening to watch. Of course, the movie is greatly exaggerated for comic effect but one could feel sorry for both the town and the Herdmans whose effects on the residents are, initially, mostly negative. Kynlee Heiman all but steals the show as the little girl, Gladys Herdman, who is missing teeth but is nevertheless overly confident. Heiman may chew scenery but Schneider ultimately commands the most viewer respect by the picture’s conclusion.
Beth narrates the film. She’s played as an adult by Lauren Graham of “Gilmore Girls” fame. Beth is played as a child by the charming Molly Belle Wright while Sebastian Billingsley-Rodriguez plays her brother, Charlie. Beth sees the story the film tells through her eyes and it’s a fascinating story that gives off A Christmas Story vibes from the opening moments all the way until the closing ones with the story of the nativity at the center of the play the film focuses on.
The boy-dominated Herdman clan wants to get free snacks from the church the film features at first but when the family gets involved in the pageant, the movie teaches the audience a lot of important lessons about not judging a book (or books) by its/their cover(s). When Imogene tells a key character that her mom isn’t around, one can feel for the character Schneider is presenting but Imogene puts up a good front to deal with the frustration she may face being part of a large family that doesn’t fit in. The Herdmans may seem like bullies on the surface but they really just want to fit in with their neighbors somehow. They just choose the unconventional route, at least at first anyway.
The religious aspects of accepting and helping thy neighbor(s) are the messages at the core of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. The funny thing is that this doesn’t feel like a religious movie because the bad behavior is so exaggerated that the picture plays more like a serious didactic picture at times than just a flat-out comedy. It’s sort of a CODA type movie if CODA was a holiday movie. Why CODA, you say? Well, like that Oscar-winning film, the awkwardness is certainly evident on-screen but in the same way that Academy Award-winning film grabbed the viewer, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever slowly moves towards a conclusion that recognizes that underneath all our differences are the similarities that make us human. We’re all driven by the desire to fit in and the movie shows that through the different characters the movie displays to the viewer.
Judy Greer has a nice, juicy leading role that she sinks her teeth into. She’s natural and genuine here. But, Beatrice Schneider, Molly Belle Wright and Kynlee Heiman have the most substantial parts. Not that Greer isn’t substantial to the plot. She absolutely is. It’s just that the kids run the roost and the parallels between Beth and Imogene are drawn through their differences and their fortunes or misfortunes in their lives. Heiman is just perfect as Gladys who goes buck wild in the pageant and has a great time, and by that point, the audience may just enjoy the film so much, they’ll forgive it its flaws.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is the type of movie that starts off exaggerated and wild but it focuses in on its characters in such a way that they’ll feel like your own neighbors by the time the picture closes. This isn’t quite A Christmas Story. It’s sloppier and much more awkward. However, life is full of cringe-worthy moments that ultimately merge into the happier ones that make life worth living. This film could even grow more on the viewer days after seeing it. Thus, Jenkins’ new movie is worth seeing.
Rating: 7/10
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