There’s no shortage of seasonal films that claim to extol “the true meaning of Christmas,” and this year, the holiday comes early with Dallas Jenkins’ “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” based on the 1972 novel by Barbara Robinson. But whether or not you’ll be excited to receive this one under the tree may depend on your tolerance for precocious kiddos and faith-based stories that come wrapped up as wacky family comedies. Adapted by Platte Clark, Darin McDaniel and Ryan Swanson, Robinson’s book was also made into a 1983 TV movie starring Fairuza Balk, and Jenkins leans into the 1970s and 1980s nostalgia, making this film a period piece.
Narrated by Beth (Lauren Graham), her recounting of a story from childhood serves as the voice-over for the film. Jenkins reserves the adult Beth for a reveal at the very end, though the film would have been served by an opening bookend — the script is heavy on voice-over, but there’s a lack of connection with who’s doing the talking. It feels like a very generic book adaptation with a celebrity narrator, when Graham’s Beth could have had a stronger presence in the film for connection to contemporary times, and a reason why we should take heed of this retro fable.
Molly Belle Wright plays the young Beth, but it’s the indispensable Judy Greer who hoists this project on her back and carries it. Playing Beth’s mother Grace, she volunteers to direct their small town’s famed Christmas pageant after an incident befalls t.
