As a fairly secular kid who loved Christmas as much as anyone else, I read the book this film is based on a few times. It was fun, funny, and had a nice Christmas feel. The 2024 adaptation’s trailer though made me nervous that it was going too far down the modern faith-based film rabbit hole. But I needn’t have worried… it’s faith based, it’s a Christmas film, and its as wise-acre as I remember the book.

It’s about a small town that has been hosting the same Christmas pageant for seventy-five years. But this year will be different because those no good Herdman kids (who don’t even attend church) have decided to crash the play this year.

While the producers of this film are in the faith-based tv and film business, they didn’t twist the story into something unrecognizable. The bad guys are not sneering atheist, they are the holier-than-though Christians who sneer at the dirty, rotten (and poor) Herdmans who *gasp* don’t even know the Nativity story. It’s the kind of Christian film a certain brand of Christian really should watch in order to learn a thing or two.

It was a nice change of pace to watch a nice Christmas movie with an acerbic sense of humor that understands what the season is about. It doesn’t feel unfairly schmaltzy (though it has some) and it doesn’t feel like a bright, overlit Hallmark film. I found it charming, sweet, funny, and my goodness the dust in the air. I had to brush away the tears a few times too.

The two lead little girls were very good, especially Beatrice Schneider as the oldest Herdman. Her performance was often abrasive and heart-breaking at the same time. There are some simple acting choices she makes that felt above and beyond what everyone else was doing in the movie. Judie Greer is solid as the mom trying to herd these cats and Molly Belle Wright, who plays her daughter, is sweet and brings a wise understanding to her part. Lauren Graham is fun as the narrator (shout out to my Gilmore Girls fans!).

Also: SHAZAM! The other Herdman daughter (Kynlee Heiman) was a riot.

Best Christmas Pageant Ever is perfectly good for less devout Christians and secularists. It pokes fun and ultimately comes around to what Christmas is about. If you put up a Christmas tree – and even if you don’t – this is a heart-warming and funny film with terrific performances.

Score: 86