Hi, everyone!
Merry belated Christmas and happy New Year from the Nightcrawler Experience!
I was going to have my next entry finish out the series I'm currently on by looking at the film 'Dogma,' but I got so wrapped up in Christmas planning (No pun intended) that I'll have to put that on hold for a little while, but it'll be out some time in the next month or so, I think.
And, speaking of Christmas and getting wrapped up in planning for it, that's the focus of the film that I'll be looking at in this entry: This year's family comedy film 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.'
This film, based on the 1972 book of the same name by the late Barbara Robinson, is told from the point of view of a girl named Beth (Played by Molly Belle Wright as a kid, and by Lauren Graham as an adult narrating the story). She lives in a town which is widely renowned for its church's annual Christmas pageant, yet the opening narration makes it clear that the pageant had started to become a little stale lately. On this, what will be its 75th anniversary, the longtime pageant director Mrs. Armstrong breaks her legs and so Beth's mother Grace (Judy Greer) decides to take over, even though she has never done it before.
This in and of itself would be enough of a challenge, but she soon gets an even greater obstacle to contend with: The Herdman kids.
These six siblings were born from an absentee father and a mother who works multiple shifts to keep a roof over their heads. So, in other words, they're wild terrors. They bully other kids, disrespect adults, shoplift, smoke cigars, and generally are a menace to everyone in town.
One Sunday morning, the Herdman kids out of nowhere come to the church for Sunday school, as they've been led to believe there'll be free snacks there. They come on the very day that Grace announces she's going to need children to play the various parts in the Christmas pageant.
The Herdmans take a surprising interest in the concept of this play (Particularly their tough- as- nails oldest sister Imogene, who's thought a lot about acting), and decide they want to play the main roles in it. The other children in the Sunday school class are all too afraid of them to compete with them for the roles, so the Herdmans get the parts; Imogene as Mary, older brother Ralph as Joseph, the younger brothers Leroy, Ollie and Claude as the three Maji, and their psychotic youngest sister Gladys as the Angel of the Lord. Literally everyone in the church thinks that letting the Herdmans have anything to do with the pageant is a REALLY bad idea, but the aptly- named Grace is determined to give them a chance as a way of demonstrating Christian love and compassion.
As rehearsals go on, the Herdmans look surprisingly deeply at the details behind the story of the first Christmas (Which they had never heard of before), at times raising questions that none of the others had really thought of before. All sorts of hijinks and revelations ensue, leading up to a Christmas pageant that will never be forgotten by any who witnessed it.
I absolutely ADORED 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever'! It was funny, inspirational, heart- warming, and just a real treat to watch! It was also extremely faithful to the book. It added on some scenes and a subplot or two to pad out its run time which would have otherwise been extremely short due to how short of a book it was (There's a reason why the only other adaptation of this book was a TV movie in 1983 that was less than an hour in length), yet the additions didn't really feel out of place or unnecessary.
One thing I like is that, while the movie gives off the impression of taking place some time in the past (After all, Grace is a child about 10- 11 years old when the story takes place, yet narrates the story as a middle- aged woman), yet it keeps it vague as to exactly what time period it takes place in. I get the feeling that was a deliberate choice, and it works well. I also like that it includes a "Where Are They Now" epilogue showing what eventually happened to each of the Herdmans. It was cute, funny, and made a lot of sense.
The acting in the film is all solid. Judy Greer is wonderful as Grace, portraying her as someone who is under increasing stress to show she has what it takes to pull off the pageant even as things get more and more out of hand, yet remains as patient and kind as possible, both towards the people in the church and towards her own family. Pete Holmes also sticks out very well as Grace's husband Bob, a good- natured guy who gets a few laughs and remains loyal to his wife's decisions and optimistic amid everything that happens.
The real stars in this movie, though, were the kids. The film and its young actors make the Herdmans out to be characters who, in spite of all the problems they cause to everyone, still manage to be likable and tons of fun whenever they appear. In particular, Bea Schneider gives a wonderful performance as Imogene Herdman, infusing her with real emotion in a lot of scenes. She definitely has potential to continue to impress as an actress. Also, Kynlee Heiman shines as little Gladys, making her terrifying (Especially when she screams, she has a real set of lungs on her) and yet adorable at the same time. Admittedly, I wish the film had given the cat- loving Herdman brother Ollie (In the poster above, he's the boy getting a headlock from his older brother Claude) a little more to do, but that's just a minor quibble. I pretty much guarantee this movie will be getting some Young Artist Awards nominations for its child- actor performances. Probably a win or two, in fact.
All in all, 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever' is a wonderful film which I believe really does have the potential to one day join the ranks of 'Home Alone' and 'Miracle on 34th Street' as one of the great Christmas classics.
The original book was always meant to have a theological message to it, and as this movie adaptation of it is directed by 'The Chosen' creator Dallas Jenkins, it unsurprisingly contains a lot of spiritual truths.
The first I can think of relates to inclusion within the church. This movie, perhaps even more so than the original book, makes for a great indictment of the judgmental, ultra- controlling, borderline- Pharisaic attitudes that can be found in certain church settings, where a small group of church members feel like they have the right to control everything that goes on in the church and decide who is welcome there and who isn't. In this case, it's seeing how Mrs. Armstrong and a group of her fellow "Church- ladies" are practically champing at the bit for any excuse to get the Herdmans kicked out of the pageant and regularly pressure Grace on what a bad idea it is to keep them in. Their cruelty and snobbery (Particularly that of the character Mrs. Wendelken and her snotty daughter Alice, both of whom will have you practically tearing out your hair in nearly every scene they appear in) are a complete contradiction to the core teachings of the Christian faith that they claim to profess. I'm sorry to say I've seen people a lot like them in some of the churches I've attended over the course of my life.
In contrast to that sort of attitude, as Grace tells Beth at one point in the film, "The whole point of the story is that Jesus was born for the Herdmans as much as He was for us. We'd be missing the point of all of it if we turned them away."
That seems like a great depiction of the sentiment expressed in Colossians 3:11- “Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.” Jesus came to Earth and died for ALL of us, even those we might see as "Bad." The inclusion and love that Grace and eventually Beth show to the Herdmans ends up touching the hearts of everyone in the church, and likely played a big role in the fact that, as the "Where Are They Now" epilogue showed, the Herdmans would (For the most part) go on to do much better as adults than anyone figured they would. We all, similarly, need to open our church doors and our hearts to everyone, demonstrating the love of Jesus towards all of His children.
Another theological point to be taken from 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever' is on intercessory prayer. One of the characters who changes a good deal over the course of the film is Beth, and one of the ways it is shown is through how we see her pray at night in various scenes. Early on, Beth's prayers include that God would find a way to get rid of the Herdmans so she can have an easier time of it. Later on in the movie, however, as Beth gains a more compassionate and indeed Godly heart, her prayers become more selfless, praying a lot for her mother Grace to get by well as the pressures she's under continue to mount, and even eventually praying for the Herdmans themselves, that God would look out for them and help them.
This more selfless attitude to prayer calls to mind 2 John 5:14, which says "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us."
Notice the term used: If we ask anything "According to His will." See, God most enjoys hearing us ask Him in prayer for things that will help fulfill His will for us and for the world. Simply praying for people who bother you to go away is not the sort of prayer that God is likely to answer, as such a desire is not in accordance to His will for our lives. In contrast, praying for the well- being of others, including your enemies, is a prayer that God will be much more likely to listen to.
One more Scriptural point to be taken from 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever' is on learning more about the Scriptures and the lessons they have to teach. An important scene is in the first rehearsal for the pageant. Grace decides it would be a good idea to read the Christmas story to everyone there. The kids that were regulars at the church all groan, and say they've heard the story loads of times. The Herdmans, however, are genuinely interested in it. They listen deeply to it, wonder what certain words and terms mean, and actually ask questions about it (i.e. "What's a 'Manger'? Is that like a bed for a baby? Why would there be a bed in a barn?"; Their observations relating to Herod are hysterical, too). The Herdmans and Beth then go to the library to research the Christmas story in preparation for their roles, further expanding on their knowledge of the story.
This calls to mind the important truth that knowledge and studying the Scriptures are important for believers to expand their faith, and as it did for the Herdmans, can even lead those who are new to the faith to come to find Jesus as a result. As Romans 10:17 tells us, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." In addition, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." It's why even rereading Bible stories you've already read or heard of before is important; It can reveal new truths to you, and enable you to better explain them to those who are new to the faith.
That sums up my look at 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,' a marvelous new film that I can tell will become traditional Christmas viewing for me, both for its entertainment value, and for the timeless lessons it teaches on being welcoming to others, truly reaching out to God in prayer, and learning more about God's holy Word.
That's it for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. I should be cranking out a couple more entries soon. Until then, I hope you had a very merry Christmas, have a happy New Year, and may God bless you all!
