1983 saw the release of A Christmas Story. In the forty years since that movie’s premiere, it has earned the coveted title of “classic” Christmas cinema. It has even become one of the most merchandized Christmas films of our time. But A Christmas Story was not the only Christmas movie released in 1983. That same year saw the premiere of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever! While figuring out which Christmas movies to review this year, I reflected on all the Christmas titles I’d seen in the past. During this reflection, I realized I hadn’t seen The Best Christmas Pageant Ever in a very long time. However, I remember liking the film. So, in this review, I’ll be evaluating whether this movie still holds up forty years later!

Things I liked about the film:

The acting: One of my favorite scenes in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is when Grace Bradley, portrayed by Loretta Swit, explains the Nativity story to the Herdman children. Because religion is not prioritized in the Herdman household, the Herdman children become curious about the story behind the play they are starring in. While Grace is reading the Nativity story, the Herdman children ask questions and make assumptions. From Gladys stating to Imogene how the Wise Men were “the welfare” to Leroy asking why King Herod isn’t in the Nativity play, this scene shows how children are trying to grasp the basic understanding of the Nativity story. What makes this scene work is the candid and realistic portrayals of the actors and actresses portraying the Herdman children. With the Herdman children trying to connect the story to aspects of their own lives, the film’s audience can see the children attempting to make sense of what they are being told. The motherly persona and patience Loretta displays throughout the Nativity reading also helps. Grace is recognized as someone who is trying her best to do a good deed because of Loretta’s performance.

The messages and themes: Helen Armstrong, the Sunday School teacher and director of the Christmas pageant, tells Grace how every child participating in the pageant should feel important. Grace takes Helen’s advice to heart when she includes the Herdman children in the Christmas pageant. From telling the Herdman children about the Nativity story to giving the Herdman children major roles in the play, Grace tries her best to make the Herdmans feel important. Because of Grace’s efforts, the Herdman children begin to take the play seriously. They even start to change some of their ways. This part of the story showcases a central message of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: making others in your life feel important and included. While this message can be found in movies from any season, it was nice to see it in a Christmas film.

Christmas from a religious perspective: Most Christmas movies, especially from Hallmark, will prioritize the secular components of the holiday. From Christmas trees to gift giving and even Santa Claus, these elements have become staples in Christmas cinema. While there are Christmas films that acknowledge the religious component of Christmas, few of them prioritize it. This is what sets The Best Christmas Pageant Ever apart! The story itself revolves around the production of a church’s Nativity play. As I previously mentioned, Grace Bradley explains the Nativity story to the Herdman children. While there are Christmas decorations throughout the movie, these decorations are far and few between. There is no mention of Santa Claus and none of the children discuss what they want for Christmas. Because of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’s emphasis on the religious component of Christmas, the film avoided a lot of cliches and tropes typically found in Christmas films.

What I didn’t like about the film:

Breaking the fourth wall: At certain points of the story, Beth Bradley breaks the fourth wall, talking directly to the audience about the Herdman children. While I recognize Beth is explaining things that came from the book, I found the broken fourth wall inconsistent. Even toward the end of the movie, Beth explains the Herdman’s actions through a voice-over. I wish parts of the story, such as the Herdman’s home life, had been brought up through dialogue. If there had to be a narrator, I wish the book’s author and film’s screenwriter, Barbara Robinson, had narrated the story.

Parts of the story that don’t lead anywhere: There were parts of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever that didn’t lead anywhere. One example is Alice’s role in the overall story. During rehearsals for the Christmas pageant, Alice records all of the Herdman children’s mischief in a notebook. She shows this notebook to Beth, explaining how she will show the notebook to the grown-ups in the parish if the Christmas pageant turns out to be a disaster. As the story progresses, nothing becomes of this notebook. After she shows it to Beth, Alice doesn’t bring up the notebook again. Instead of this unresolved subplot, Alice’s part of the story should have focused on Alice learning to stand up for herself and dealing with bullies.

Not addressing bullying: As I just mentioned in my previous point, Alice’s part of the story should have focused on Alice learning to stand up for herself and dealing with bullies. Had this idea been included in the script, the story would have showed younger audience members how to resolve the issue of bullying. In The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, the Herdman children bully their peers. The children affected by the Herdmans don’t stand up against them. Even when someone did speak up, such as Charlie telling his father about Leroy Herdman stealing his lunch, the grown-ups in the children’s lives don’t deal with the conflict. Because bullying was not addressed in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, some younger audience members could walk away from this movie thinking they shouldn’t bother talking about bullying.

My overall impression:

In television shows of yesteryear, a show’s creative team would create a “very special episode”. These episodes would either bring up a serious, real-world topic or would take place around a major holiday. When this type of episode premiered, it would sometimes feel like an event, with a show’s creative team inviting guest stars to add excitement or relevance to the episode’s story. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever felt more like a “very special episode” of a television show than a movie. As someone who watches and reviews movies, I found myself expecting more from the 1983 film. The adaptation does have merit, which can be seen in the acting performances and heard in the messages and themes. But there are parts of the story where the film falls short. Instead of having Alice record the Herdman children’s mischief in a notebook but not do anything about the notebook, Alice should have learned how to stand up for herself against bullies. The book’s author and film’s screenwriter, Barbara Robinson, should have narrated the story instead of having the fourth wall inconsistently broken. Looking back on the Christmas movies I’ve seen, it seems like The Best Christmas Pageant Ever has been forgotten by time. Then again, I don’t know how many people would purchase merchandise associated with this movie.

Overall score: 6 out of 10

Have you seen or read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever? Are there any Christmas movies from the 1980s you enjoy watching? Let me know in the comment section!

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen