Film Review: ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’

Written by: Celita Diaz-Perillo (10/25/2024)

It’s November 8th, and the comedy/drama movie The Best Christmas Pageant Ever – based on the children’s novel written by Barbara Robinson in 1972 – is releasing just in time for the holiday season. With a little over a month until Christmas, there is still time to make preparations… and perhaps gain some new perspective?

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is not giving a pristine perspective of people, but gives a real look at the human condition. It’s all about people and personalities (some immediate and some eventually) working together in unity to accomplish something notable and important; about establishing the basic “Reason for the Season”, and what that means to those who don’t understand the significance of it all.

It’s about persevering, and doing what’s right, even when everyone else doesn’t understand, or doesn’t agree.
It’s about not “judging a book by its cover” and reconciliation; about showing grace, mercy, compassion, and love to others; and the dangers of pride and gossip. It’s about taking all our problems to God and knowing that He hears and is “God with us”; about priorities and giving people space to learn and grow to understand the wonderful truth of Christmas. Really, there are so many mini lessons along the way.

My husband said, “It’s one of the best Christmas movies I’ve ever seen. 10 out of 10 rating. All about the true meaning of Christmas, salvation, and reaching lost souls.”

My daughter’s thoughts: “I love how it talked about how there are NO small parts, because all parts are important….It’s a different Christmas movie. Mostly all of the characters were focused on the superficial, but it was a good lesson on how God is and how He sees things. And, there was no Santa Claus!”

Some quotes that I, personally, love are below. (Some are paraphrased)

“Just suppose you’d never heard the Christmas story, and somebody told you!”

“A man much wiser than me said you can’t add one single hour to your life by being anxious about anything.”

“Jesus is for the world”

With so many well known faces in the cast – including Lauren Graham, Judy Greer, Pete Holmes, Elizabeth Tabish, Kirk B.R. Woller, and so many more – I have no complaints regarding the acting. Each part was played well, with much attention to detail and portrayed with individuality. There are so many children and youth present in the cast, and they did their jobs well. Seasoned actors or not, each part was represented with finesse.

The story line is unique and interesting. I was very cautious with the film, as I have seen enough movies to know that liberties and cheap shots can be taken when referring to church, religious traditions, etc… We didn’t necessarily encounter that.

There were some lines that made me raise my eyebrows; most were lines by the father, Bob Bradley (portrayed by Pete Holmes) and Imogene (portrayed by Beatrice Schneider). The lines were said in innocence or to diffuse high feelings.

Some things to note:
“My God” is said a handful of times by one of the characters not familiar from church, followed by a gentle reprimand by the adult present. It was a realistic kind of situation.

While not shown, it is said that one of the “bad” kids smokes cigars, that they are known for setting things on fire and beating up on others. Adults and kids alike are uncomfortable with them.

Some characters had a tendency to react with aggression, and in their ignorance, it is also directed to certain situations or people in the Bible. (For example, Herod – the reasons for which actually made sense, when I thought about it.)

Some scenes gave a very realistic perspective on how some people who are unaware of why some things happen in the Christmas story might react to certain situations. For example, without knowledge of the basics of the Bible, something as simple as how Jesus got His name might seem weird and be misunderstood by some folks.

Some focus was put on “Mother Mary”.

The parents of the “bad” kids are never seen, never present.

Overall, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is unorthodox, down to earth, and endearing. The last part moved my family very much.

I would suggest that each family watch it together, so as to confront certain situations with conversation, especially of Biblical truth. Enjoy and be blessed!!!

4.5/5