The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is a children’s movie directed by Dallas Jenkins. It tells the story of six misfit children who volunteer to star in their town’s Sunday school Christmas pageant, and end up teaching the town the true meaning of Christmas. Nobody is ready for the mayhem and surprises that ensue when six of the worst youngsters disrupt the town’s yearly Christmas performance.
The film is narrated in first person perspective by Beth (Elizabeth) Bradley, daughter of the pageant’s director. The six Herdman children – Imogene, Ralph, Claude, Leroy, Ollie, and Gladys – are notorious for their rowdy misfit behavior, including cigar smoking, cussing, drinking jug wine, and shoplifting. They have never been disciplined because their father hopped a train and never came back when they were babies and their mother is always working multiple shifts to make ends meet. Despite their poor performance, the Herdmans steadily pass through elementary school (since holding any one of them back would mean having two or more of them in the same grade).
They go to Sunday school for the first time after being told that the church offers snacks. The narrator’s mother is flabbergasted when they all volunteer for the lead roles in the Christmas pageant: Mary (Imogene), Joseph (Ralph), the Three Wise Men (Claude, Ollie, and Leroy), and the Angel of the Lord (Gladys), the last of whom likens her role to a character from Amazing Comics. Since they’ve bullied all the usual cast members into remaining silent during the call for volunteers, the director has no choice but to cast them.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is an upcoming American Christmas film directed by Dallas Jenkins, based on the children’s novel of the same name by Barbara Robinson. It stars Judy Greer, Pete Holmes, and Lauren Graham. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is scheduled to be released theatrically by Lionsgate on November 8, 2024.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (2024)
Directed by: Dallas Jenkins
Starring: Judy Greer, Pete Holmes, Molly Belle Wright, Sebastian Billingsley-Rodriguez, Beatrice Schneider, Mason D. Nelligan, Matthew Lamb,Ewan Wood, Vanessa Benavente, Lauren Graham
Screenplay by: Platte Clark, Darin McDaniel, Ryan Swanson
Production Design by: Jean-Andre Carriere
Cinematography by: C. Kim Miles
Film Editing by: John Quinn
Costume Design by: Jean-Andre Carriere
Art Direction by: Gary Barringer
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Lionsgate Films
Release Date: November 8, 2024
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