By John Corrado

Adapted from the 1972 children’s novel by Barbara Robinson, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever tells the story of a town’s Christmas pageant that gets upended when the local outcast kids audition for roles.

In the hands of director Dallas Jenkins (creator of the Bible-based TV series The Chosen), Robinson’s book is turned into a charming film that has all the warmth of a Christmas classic. The cynics may scoff. But this movie isn’t made for them. If you open yourself up to it, Jenkins has crafted a wonderful and meaningful family movie about the true meaning of Christmas.

The story is set in the town of Emmanuel, which is gearing up for their 75th annual Christmas pageant, which is treated as a very big deal in the community. The fact that the church pageant is always the same is seen as a feature, not a bug, for the local parents, who delight in seeing their kids take on the same roles year after year.

The story is told through the eyes of middle schooler Beth Bradley (Molly Belle Wright), who is starting to outgrow the pageant and her background role in it. But things are upended when Beth’s mother Grace (Judy Greer) ends up taking over directing the show, and is unable to stop the Herdmans, a group of six rambunctious, troublemaking siblings, from being in it. The lore about The Herdmans runs deep; the other students even refer to them as possibly the worst kids in the world. They swear, smoke cigars, steal your lunch, and are never, ever seen with their parents or in church.

Which is why it takes everyone by surprise when they show up at church one Sunday, swayed by the promise of free desert after the service, and volunteer to all star in the pageant. Imogene Herdman (Beatrice Schneider) will be Mary, her brother Ralph (Mason D. Nelligan) will play Joseph, and little Gladys (Kynlee Heiman) – who shrieks and hits people more than she speaks – will be the angel. Their three brothers Claude (Matthew Lamb), Leroy (Ewan Wood) and Ollie (Essek Moore) will be The Three Wise Men, of course.

Parents balk at the thought them being in the show. Besides, someone like Imogene shouldn’t even be allowed to play Mary. Because that role has always been reserved for goody two-shoes Alice Wendelken (Lorelei Mote), whose mother (Danielle Hoetmer) would rather Beth’s mom stay on cookie duty instead of directing the show. But Grace holds firm that everyone is welcome in church, and they deserve to be given a chance.

The Herdmans take an immediate interest in the story of Jesus Christ’s birth, even if the other Sunday School kids scoff that they don’t already know it. Naturally, they have a lot of questions; will they get revenge on the innkeeper for forcing Mary to give birth in a barn, and do they get to kill King Herod for going after baby Jesus? Through this, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever becomes about learning to appreciate the Christmas story in a deeper way, by experiencing it through new eyes.

Lauren Graham narrates the film from the perspective of adult Beth looking back on her childhood, à la Jean Shepherd in A Christmas Story. This storytelling device adds an element of nostalgia to the film, which retains the 1970s setting of the book (this invites comparisons to last year’s film adaptation of Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, another portrait of a young girl wrestling with questions of faith in the ’70s). The whole film has a soft glow to it courtesy of cinematographer C. Kim Miles (it was shot in Winnipeg last winter, standing in for a classic American town).

The screenplay (adapted by Ryan Swanson, Platte Clark and Darin McDaniel) finds a lot of humour in the at times farcical story of a Christmas pageant gone awry, but there is a great deal of heart to it as well. The film doesn’t shy away from being a Christmas movie. Moreover, it’s also an openly Christian one. This is a story about the birth of Jesus, and how this miracle continues to touch people centuries later. But Jenkins avoids the pitfalls of other “faith-based” movies by making a film that doesn’t feel preachy, instead telling an engaging story first and foremost with religious values baked in.

There are valuable lessons here about true acceptance, which includes lending a helping hand to kids who clearly need one. The Herdmans are mean to the other kids at first, and the story never excuses their bad behaviour. But are they just acting this way because they have never been given a chance? They also aren’t exactly welcomed with open arms by the church community, when perhaps they are the ones who need the most support. The film gently admonishes the do-gooders who make their presence known at church, but reject anyone who doesn’t fit their perfect mold.

The film works because it knows exactly what type of movie it wants to be and who it is for; this is unabashedly a feel-good Christmas movie made for the whole family to enjoy. Jenkins does a fine job directing his cast of child actors, with young stars Wright and Schneider nicely delivering the character arcs of Beth and Imogene, respectively. It’s also nice to see Greer in a more prominent role and she does solid work as Beth’s mom Grace, while comic actor Pete Holmes is a warm presence as Beth’s dad.

As a family dramedy, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever remains entertaining and enjoyable throughout, and the emotional beats land in a way that genuinely tugs on the heartstrings, allowing warm reflection on the importance of community. It’s a lovely surprise, that should draw families and church groups to the theatre over the Christmas season.

Film Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever opens exclusively in theatres on November 8th. It’s being distributed in Canada by Cineplex Pictures.