Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Plot

In 1972, the Herdmans are six siblings with the reputation in the town for being the worst kids in the world. They are also labeled as juvenile delinquents who will most likely end up in jail. Beth Bradley, the narrator, wishes they would somehow disappear somewhere remote until she can grow up and move away.

The Herdmans are Ralph, the eldest, then Imogene, Leroy, Claude, Ollie, and Gladys. They are all assertive and brutish, bully everyone, steal, and generally make everyone miserable.

On the town Christmas pageant's 75th anniversary, Beth's housewife mom, Grace, volunteers to be in charge as the woman who usually runs it has broken both her legs. Beth's little brother Charlie tells his Herdman tormentor that at church they get treats and sweets, so the whole Herdman clan comes to Sunday school.

Surprisingly, they stay. But even more surprising, Imogene announces she will take the role of Mary in the local church pageant. She and her siblings offer themselves to take the biggest parts, bullying everyone else into silence. The shocked community is appalled that Grace gives them a chance to reform by letting them perform in the pageant.

At the first rehearsal, Grace reads everyone the Christmas story, sensing that the Herdmans are not familiar with it. They are outraged by the story, suggesting they include a King Herod to kill, so the first meeting is cut short when chaos erupts.

At the Bradley's that night, they debate over the Herdmans' participation in the pageant. Dad Bob points out they will make the show more interestingly unpredictable and that they had some valid questions. The next morning, he takes the family as he delivers hams for the food drive. Watching how excited the Herdmans are upon receiving theirs seals Grace's determination to follow through with them in the pageant.

Imogene gets Beth to help her and her siblings to research the Christmas story in the library. To convince them to care about the pageant, Beth points out it is an opportunity to live someone else's life, like actors in a movie.

The final dress rehearsal is chaotic. Imogene's brothers hide the baby, the choir is not in sync, a mother makes Imogene feel unworthy to be Mary, and then a fire alarm is pulled due to a burnt cake meant for the potluck. In the mayhem with the fire trucks, Imogene overhears many townspeople speaking badly of the Herdmans, so they disappear.

The next day, when Grace is not able to reach them by phone, Beth confronts Imogene at home. Although reminded that Grace fought for her family to have this opportunity, Imogene does not give her any assurance that she and her siblings will come. So that evening, when Grace opens the Christmas pageant, she freely admits she has no idea how it will go.

At the last minute, the Herdmans do come and give a certain authenticity to the show. Imogene sheds real tears and many are moved. The audience gives the pageant a standing ovation.

The movie then switches to the present where an older Beth is running an upcoming pageant and is telling the story about the Herdman's pageant to a group of kids and she encourages them to participate in it.

We learn via postscript what happens with the siblings:

Ollie Herdman is now a veterinarian who specializes in feline research.

Claude Herdman is now a public school teacher.

Leroy Herdman had a few stints in jail, but has been rehabilitated.

Gladys Herdman is a flight attendant.

Ralph Herdman is a pastor of the largest church in the Midwest.

Imogene Herdman acted in a few movies before running the Christmas Pageant at Ralph's church. She is a mother of five.

Production

In November 2023, it was reported that an adaptation of the 1972 children's novel was in the works at Lionsgate, with Dallas Jenkins directing the film. Principal photography began on December 6, 2023 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and wrapped on January 27, 2024.

Media Capital Technologies co-financed the film.

Release

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever premiered in Los Angeles on November 2, 2024, and was released in the United States on November 8, 2024. It was previously scheduled for November 15, 2024 before moving forward a week earlier to avoid competition with another Christmas film, Red One.

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever was released alongside Heretic, Elevation, Weekend in Taipei, and the wide expansion of Anora, and was projected to gross $6–8 million from 3,020 theaters in its opening weekend, with some projections going as high as $10 million. The film made $5 million on its first day, which included $2.3 million and $500,000 from Sunday and Thursday night previews, respectively, for a total preview gross of $2.8 million. It went on to debut to $10.8 million, finishing in third behind holdover Venom: The Last Dance and Heretic. The film made $5.3 million in its second weekend (a drop of 51.3%) and then $3.5 million in its third, finishing in third and sixth place, respectively. Its total worldwide gross is $40.2 million.

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 63 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "Decking the halls with unflappable charm and sincere spiritual conviction, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is winningly wholesome family entertainment." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 60 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by PostTrak gave it an 88% overall positive score.