LIKES:
Cute
Moves At a Good Pace
Funny And Wholesome
Good Acting
Realistic With Modern Sheen
Message Is Strong As Ever
Summary: The trailers portrayed this movie as a cute dive into a simpler time before the Internet exploded out of control. This remake is an example of taking history and bringing it to the present and capturing the wholesome nature of what was an adventure for most. It's not flashy, it's not state-of-the-art, and it's just feeling like living in a town that is fixated on traditions no matter their intended purpose. The movie lets the narrator tell the story, feeling like a television special, with an engaging teller to pull you into the tale. Its humor relies on relevance and timing, which had my fellow audience members frequently laughing and doesn't rely on wit or engaging quotes to do the work. A realistic overtone helps to keep this film in that cute sort of sitcom role and helps instill some emotions that hit me harder in this approach than the artificial feeling Hallmark injects its movies with every year. The real heart lies in the strong messages this movie brings, with the very message of Christmas radiating out, but again feeling genuine and perfect for the holiday season. As for the acting, the entire cast plays the roles well and makes this community of varying personalities match closely to communities I have lived in previously.
DISLIKES:
Preachy
Missing Character Development Completeness
A Tad Too Simplistic
Predictable
Missing The Full Fleshed Out Finesse
Too Many Characters in A Short Amount Of Time
Summary: Yet, the movie still suffers from what you might expect of a drama film such as this one. It's preachy at times, getting caught up in quoting the bible and taking asides to paraphrase the passages that it can get a bit too Hollywood. The movie's simplicity will be incredible for the key audience groups of family, while those looking for something more will find it tireless and boring, perhaps thinking this would have been best left to a straight-to-home release. The predictable plot is great for the family night-in but suffers from the lack of depth in character development and full immersion into the process. I felt there were too many characters and not enough time to fully invest in the characters nor give you time for build-up and gradual progression to the goal. It's a little too simplistic, lacking the full depth for just bites of the inevitable conclusion coming at the movie's end. I guess that's what religious-heavy movies are known for, but I would have liked just a bit more storytelling baked into the heartfelt message contained in this movie.
The verdict: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is a remake that sticks to the foundation without being a soulless carbon copy of the film before it. It is a delightful production that teaches the meaning of the holiday in classy, fun, and adorable tones without relying too much on the cliché theatrics and forced acting that some programs do. A wholesome and realistic edge works in this film, using just enough movie shine to glam it up without costing anything away from the goal of this movie. Yet, the simplistic direction of this movie is also a big limitation in terms of unique flavor and wow factors that one might be looking for in this movie, The short run time might get you out of the theater faster, but the storytelling suffers in regards to shallower character development, limited buildup of impasses, and a rather lackluster finish in terms of any real stakes to have you on the edge of your seat. It feels like a big-budget version of a Hallmark film at times, and those who like said movies should come out and see this movie (a killer youth group film). With all this in mind, my scores for this film are:
Adventure/Comedy/Drama/: 7.0 Movie Overall: 6.0.
Cute
Moves At a Good Pace
Funny And Wholesome
Good Acting
Realistic With Modern Sheen
Message Is Strong As Ever
Summary: The trailers portrayed this movie as a cute dive into a simpler time before the Internet exploded out of control. This remake is an example of taking history and bringing it to the present and capturing the wholesome nature of what was an adventure for most. It's not flashy, it's not state-of-the-art, and it's just feeling like living in a town that is fixated on traditions no matter their intended purpose. The movie lets the narrator tell the story, feeling like a television special, with an engaging teller to pull you into the tale. Its humor relies on relevance and timing, which had my fellow audience members frequently laughing and doesn't rely on wit or engaging quotes to do the work. A realistic overtone helps to keep this film in that cute sort of sitcom role and helps instill some emotions that hit me harder in this approach than the artificial feeling Hallmark injects its movies with every year. The real heart lies in the strong messages this movie brings, with the very message of Christmas radiating out, but again feeling genuine and perfect for the holiday season. As for the acting, the entire cast plays the roles well and makes this community of varying personalities match closely to communities I have lived in previously.
DISLIKES:
Preachy
Missing Character Development Completeness
A Tad Too Simplistic
Predictable
Missing The Full Fleshed Out Finesse
Too Many Characters in A Short Amount Of Time
Summary: Yet, the movie still suffers from what you might expect of a drama film such as this one. It's preachy at times, getting caught up in quoting the bible and taking asides to paraphrase the passages that it can get a bit too Hollywood. The movie's simplicity will be incredible for the key audience groups of family, while those looking for something more will find it tireless and boring, perhaps thinking this would have been best left to a straight-to-home release. The predictable plot is great for the family night-in but suffers from the lack of depth in character development and full immersion into the process. I felt there were too many characters and not enough time to fully invest in the characters nor give you time for build-up and gradual progression to the goal. It's a little too simplistic, lacking the full depth for just bites of the inevitable conclusion coming at the movie's end. I guess that's what religious-heavy movies are known for, but I would have liked just a bit more storytelling baked into the heartfelt message contained in this movie.
The verdict: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is a remake that sticks to the foundation without being a soulless carbon copy of the film before it. It is a delightful production that teaches the meaning of the holiday in classy, fun, and adorable tones without relying too much on the cliché theatrics and forced acting that some programs do. A wholesome and realistic edge works in this film, using just enough movie shine to glam it up without costing anything away from the goal of this movie. Yet, the simplistic direction of this movie is also a big limitation in terms of unique flavor and wow factors that one might be looking for in this movie, The short run time might get you out of the theater faster, but the storytelling suffers in regards to shallower character development, limited buildup of impasses, and a rather lackluster finish in terms of any real stakes to have you on the edge of your seat. It feels like a big-budget version of a Hallmark film at times, and those who like said movies should come out and see this movie (a killer youth group film). With all this in mind, my scores for this film are:
Adventure/Comedy/Drama/: 7.0 Movie Overall: 6.0.