We all probably have our favorite Christmas movies or ones we watch yearly. There's just something about Christmas movies that bring us together, get us into "the Christmas spirit," and touch our hearts. On the other side, there are so many Christmas movies now that everything has been done. New Christmas movies can sometimes feel dull and uninspired from the classics we love. That's the mindset I had walking in to see this movie. I was hopeful for it, but was I expecting much? Not really. Thankfully, I was wrong, and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever touched me.
Distributed by Lionsgate Films and directed by The Chosen director Dallas Jenkins, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is a family-friendly, faith-based comedy based on the hit novel of the same name. The movie centers around the town of Emmanuel's 75th annual Christmas pageant tradition, being upset by a group of rebel kids coined "worst kids in the world" joining the production. The movie tells their story through the eyes of Beth, the daughter of the new and stressed director of the pageant, Grace.
Throughout the movie, there are a lot of laughs. From the crazy things the kids get into to just the awkward situations surrounding the pageant among the parents, they give for many funny moments. The movie holds to being family-friendly in the process. I brought my teenage sister to watch the film; she also loved it. The humor, heart, and Christmas-y flare throughout the movie hold firm and help pull it all together.
I love Dallas' unique approach to the film. Its focus differs from a Christmas movie's, but it is fresh and captivating. The narration at the start feels overbearing for a movie, but after 20 minutes, it finds its footing quickly and thrives with a steady and heartful pace of Christmas joy.
The heart of the movie is what caught me off guard in the best way possible. The film does more than the classic show "The True Meaning of Christmas"; it shows what that means for us now. Through the eyes of the broken, hurting, and lost, what would the story of Jesus's birth entirely mean to them?
With its Christmas and humor focus, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever has a message for everyone: We should live more like Jesus in the middle of all our crazy Christmas. If we tell others and live out the Christmas story more focused on our traditions and plans, we may miss what Jesus came for and the real impact of "God with us." I love how The Best Christmas Pageant Ever does just that. It shows how Jesus came in a very "unpleasant" way and how His love for us is more accurate than ever through the age-old story of Christmas. The movie takes that beautiful story and wraps it into a heartful tale of hope and light at this time that everyone can take from.
I didn't know if I would like The Best Christmas Pageant Ever going into it, but I did not expect to leave the theater loving it and with a smile as much as I did. It's a sweet, modern Christmas movie that feels fresh and powerfully shows the Gospel through Jesus coming down for us. It's wrapped in humor and fun moments that would make this an entertaining watch for any family looking for a new yearly addition to their Christmas classic and something that reminds us all of why Christmas matters because of Jesus here with us.
Bradden Ford is a Christian music junkie charged with maintaining NewReleaseToday's new release database of artists and releases. He lives just outside of Nashville, Tennessee.
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