“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” has resurrected the Christmas film genre by blending old tropes with new direction. It summons back the nostalgia of “A Christmas Story” through its narration while emulating the silliness of the stress that the holiday season brings with movies like “Christmas with the Kranks.” Industry veterans such as cinematographer C. Kim Miles also adds a rich, classic flair to “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” with seasoned experience.
“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” takes a look at the all-American town of Emmanuel during the Yuletide season. The streets are covered with snow and houses decked with lights as a banner over the main street advertises the Annual Christmas Pageant. As preparations are being made, the town is expecting a bigger and better crowd for the occasion. When the organizer of the event suddenly gets injured, Grace Bradley and her family get wrapped up in a chaotic series of events while trying to keep the town happy.
A NEW TRADITION
An aspect of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” that makes it unique is the casting of usually supportive actors as main characters. Judy Greer from “Ant-Man” and “Archer” portrays the determined Grace Bradley, while comedian Pete Holmes plays her quirky husband Bob. Lauren Graham also voices the narrator while Kirk B.R. Woller and Elizabeth Tabish, collaborators of Dallas Jenkins’ “The Chosen,” appear in supporting roles.
Familiar faces are not the only reason “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” feels so warm. The film’s child actors comfort audiences with love and laughter. Molly Belle Wright is charming as Grace’s daughter Beth, while Beatrice Schneider gives a touching performance as Beth’s foil Imogene Herdman. The actors for the rest of the Herdman family build chemistry as the remaining performers help boil the plot.
Perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” is filmmaker Jenkins’ homecoming to the feature film medium as director. Though Jenkins helmed several smaller features before his influential TV series “The Chosen,” “The Best Christmas
Pageant Ever” is his first film fully cemented in his newfound style. Using his established technique of recruiting lesser-known talent while also utilizing collaborators, including editor John Quinn, Jenkins gives his work a look that will hopefully stay.
CRUSADING CINEMA
Another possible contributor to the aesthetic of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” is the Kingdom Story Company, the film’s main production company. The studio has recently been the top competitor in the Christian entertainment playing field, releasing faith-based content with more artistic merit and less preachy messaging. Their filmography has also become a part of the Christian Renaissance wave of film, a developing movement in cinema. The intent for “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” to contain Christian themes while appealing to a broader audience through its filmmaking makes it a prominent model for similar future projects.
The detail that makes “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” stand out from other modern Christmas films is its simplicity. Most Christmas movies today are filled with either an unnecessary amount of CGI or center around crude and shocking morals that are not of the season. “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” provides a more relatable tale taking place within the confines of reality while also creating a look and feel that connects kids from one to ninety-two.
The heart of the success of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” lies within the reason Jenkins chose to direct such an idea. Jenkins mentions in interviews that he was full of tears after reading the book for the first time to his daughter. Since then, Jenkins had a passion to translate the story into a full-length film. Twenty years later, Jenkins finally had the rights released to him and his dream was fulfilled.
GENRE-DEFYING
Critics and reviewers alike have been lauding “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” as the number one family movie of the year. This accomplishment is rightfully deserved but also awakens the realization that such a ranking is not too hard to achieve. The box office these days is always filled with content that includes heavy material usually aimed toward the eighteen to thirty-four-year-old demographic. When a film for everyone is released, like “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” it is relieving to experience something for all, a sensation that has nearly been forgotten.
The reception of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” raises the question of how it will perform regarding awards. Christmas movies seem to be able to rope in plenty of nominations and wins but they never come home with the Oscar for Best Picture. Christian films on the other hand rarely receive any recognition in the major award ceremonies and are usually nominated for Best Original Song. The realm of Christian award shows such as the GMA Dove Awards and K-Love Fan Awards are more accepting and Jenkins himself is no stranger to victory in these spaces.
Billy Wilder’s Best Picture winner “The Apartment” has been suggested as a Christmas picture while Oscar winners “The Ten Commandments” and “Chariots of Fire” are typically associated as Christian pieces. These statements have some merit but the question is whether “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” the best of both worlds, can sweep the Academy stage. The Dove and K-Love awards are likely victories but will “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” and similar creations change the landscape of the predictable award scene?
Regardless of its status among the world, “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” is a win for the Kingdom of God. The movie has widened the path for current and upcoming auteurs to create productions that exemplify God’s light in an authentic way.
