With retailers already pushing Christmas to the forefront of everyone’s minds, why not see a new Christmas movie in theaters before Thanksgiving? “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” directed by Dallas Jenkins, hit theaters this weekend and opened to a strong second-place showing at the box office, just narrowly behind the thriller “Heretic.” Jenkins may have struck gold again, adding another promising title to his slate of television shows and films centered around Christian media. Based on author Barbara Robinson’s 1972 children’s novel of the same name, “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” offers a comedic and religious take on the Christmas season.
The movie transpires in the fictional town of Emmanuel where the narrator, Beth Bradley, and her family live. An adult Beth reflects on her most memorable Christmas as the audience watches her younger self, her little brother Charlie and her parents Grace and Bob live it themselves. The Bradleys are a picture-perfect family in a picture-perfect town.
In fact, everyone in Emmanuel is a little too picture-perfect, and, as teased by the town’s name, they are exaggeratedly Christian — everyone except for the Herdmans, who are known to steal, smoke and curse. A fierce family of six known for their fiery red hair, the children Imogene, Ralph, Claude, Leroy, Ollie and Gladys are outliers in the town of Emmanuel. It is not hard for the other townspeople to notice their tattered clothing or their dilapidated house, but it is hard for them to live out their Christian ideals and actually offer the poor children a helping hand.
With a runtime of 99 minutes, “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” is a straightforward family film that unpacks its story as quickly as it wraps itself back up with a shiny ribbon. All of the children in Emmanuel loathe the Herdmans and literally pray for them to vanish from their lives. The Herdmans burst into church after Charlie tells one of the boys that they are unable to enjoy all of the fun activities and sweet treats that the “good kids” receive after Sunday School sessions. Guided by the promise of free cake, the group begrudgingly sits through the sermon and then attends the annual pageant meeting where they comically bully the other children to not raise their hands for parts.
So it is set — Imogene and Ralph will play Mary and Joseph; Claude, Leroy, and Ollie will be the wise men; and little Gladys will play the Angel of the Lord. The only problem? The Herdmans know absolutely nothing about Christianity or the birth of Jesus.
The Herdmans remind us what it means to be an outsider and face resistance, especially Imogene, who is the true star of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.” As the oldest of the family, she deals with the brunt of the town’s distaste. She never gets to be an individual, only a member of the Herdman clan. At one point, Imogene sees herself in a painting of Mary hung in the church hall, enraptured by her sweet and soft face and inspired by her resilience in giving birth to Jesus. Imogene is a maternal figure for her siblings, so the audience is unsurprised when she becomes the ideal mother Mary.
She delicately carries the baby Jesus doll to the manger during the pageant, and after she hilariously burps the doll as if it were a real baby, she sets him down as the parishioners sing “Silent Night.” The crowd is shocked by Imogene’s poise and even more flabbergasted when she begins to weep.
For weeks, she had to depend on Grace Bradley to be an advocate for her and her siblings, even as the other mothers and churchgoers openly expressed their terrible opinions of her family. For as long as she can remember, she has always been the leader of a flock of black sheep in the town of Emmanuel. Imogene’s vulnerability evokes shame from the town, who claim to be model Christians. As Grace reminds Beth, “Jesus was born for the Herdmans as much as he was for us.”
Sadly, I don’t think there are enough moments like these for us to realize that we are all alike. Even if you are not religious, it is not hard to realize that we are all searching for a community and a deeper meaning in life.
As Bob Bradley reminds Beth when they drop off a Christmas ham to the Herdmans, “Christmas comes for everyone.” In this divided time, “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” is a delightful way to inspire charity and compassion during the holidays.
