When I say the phrase “Christmas Movies,” what do you think of?
Whether you think “Hallmark Channel” or It’s a Wonderful Life, a new classic has entered the scene just for you this year.
In 1972, author Barbara Robinson published a short story in McCall’s. It took the country by storm. The subsequent book quickly sold over a million copies and gave birth to one of the most popular made-for-TV Christmas movies. Today, high schools across the country bring the story to life on the stage.
The story: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. This year, it thunders onto the big screen for the first time in director Dallas Jenkins’ Quixotic attempt to create the next Christmas classic in the vein of Home Alone with the heart of A Charlie Brown Christmas.
If you don’t know the tale, imagine the dirtiest, meanest, poorest-behaved children in the world storming onto the cast of a church’s Christmas Eve play. The Herdmans break every rule, challenge every tradition, and, in the process, remind everyone of the meaning of Christmas.
Lauren Graham narrates the movie. This is perfect casting for this role. Graham is best known for her roles in the TV series “The Gilmore Girls,” “Parenthood,” and in the movie, Bad Santa.
Graham tells the story from modern times as a reflection on a past event, just like A Christmas Story. Graham is the grown-up voice of the main character, Beth, whose mom is chosen to pinch-hit as director of the pageant. The Herdmans have terrorized Beth at school and are now going to destroy her favorite event of the year. The movie wins on three fronts:
Evoking Laughter and Tears
First and foremost, I loved watching the preview audience be moved to hard laughter and to sincere tears. The movie taps into the deep memories we all carry of Christmas wishes, bullies, our relationships with our parents, and the nostalgia of growing up. You, too, will be moved. You won’t be able to help yourself. Jenkins’ does a great job of pacing and planning a rollercoaster for your emotions. Just give in, raise your hands, and enjoy the ride.
Nailing the Time Period
Period movies are difficult. They are expensive. But production designer Jean-Andre Carriere — with Star Trek, X-Men, and even a few horror movies under his belt — wins without making the late-70s/early 80s feel like a cliché. The script and direction help, too. Watch for the scene with the telephone cord. Anyone who grew up before the age of cell phones will feel at home… and have all the feels.
Working with Children
Actor and comic, W.C. Fields once quipped, “Never work with children or animals.” When a story relies on children to win, you rarely end up with The Sandlot. You most often end up with Problem Child. Jenkins and casting director Carmen Kotyk win and win big with their choices. Molly Belle Wright is getting a lot of media for her portrayal as Beth. She deserves every great comment and feature. She carries the narrative. Every great character needs her foil, and Beatrice Schneider, who plays Imogene Herdman, the most vocal of the bad seed kids, will have you cheering. Do yourself a favor and keep tabs on Schneider’s facial expressions throughout the movie. You’ll be glad you did.
Dan Haseltine’s instrumental soundtrack works and contrasts Beth’s family and the Herdmans, but the song choices by the music supervisor didn’t make much sense to me. I think they missed a great opportunity to further place the movie in the late 70s/early 80s. Instead, they distract from the power of the film. Perhaps they should’ve tapped a different music supervisor, like Dave Jordan.
Also, as great as Lauren Graham is, her script contains too much exposition and fact-dumping. Every time adult Ralphie speaks in A Christmas Story, you gain insight into the little boy and hear sarcasm about the craziness around him. This movie needed a little more of that.
Trust me, I’m being nit-picky here. Neither the music nor too much exposition take away from the power of this movie.
Finally, let me give props to Judy Greer, who plays Grace, Beth’s mom, and the director of the Christmas Pageant. She’s the true lead in the movie. You will recognize her voice and face from her roles in 13 Going on 30, “Arrested Development,” and Ant-Man. She has always played the snarky best friend who says all of the inappropriate things other people think. She’s been great at it. I was worried that she would not be able to carry this role. She aces it. Her gumption peaks through the shy part of the character at key points. And she has more than enough gravitas to build to the climax of the story.
Director Dallas Jenkins, best known for “The Chosen,” bombed with critics on his first big-screen comedy. But he’s learned a lot through his small screen work and brings all his tools to bear on this movie. Well done, Dallas.
The movie will be in theatres beginning November 8 for as long as audiences make theatres money. Make it a point to go. Perhaps take your parents and your children. I think the ride home… and the conversations over the next few days… will put the movie on the list of your favorites.
Other Patheos Reviews of the Movie:
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In