The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (2024) Review

The movie starts by introducing us to the Herdmans, a group of poor kids who are the worst kids in town. Even the girls. 

Told through the narration of the main protagonist, Beth Bradley, the Herdmans are bullies and juvenile delinquents who spend their time terrorizing the other kids and the townspeople. 


Everyone in town hates them, especially the parishioners and busy-body mothers at the local Christian parish. 


That changes as the film progresses and our main characters see the Herdmans in a new light as they become involved in the town’s local

Christmas pageant. 


Sadly, Grace Bradley is forced to take over the pageant after Mrs. Armstrong breaks her legs. 


When the Herdmans join the Christmas pageant under the motivation of receiving free food and desserts by going to church, somewhere nobody expected the Herdmans to show their faces, every expects the worst to happen. 


However, once the pageant comes around, the entire town has a newfound sense of the Herdmans and the Christmas story. 


There’s also a message about seeing the good in people, even those deemed the worst of society, and not judging others.


The Herdmans’ change is more prevalent in the oldest dumbing, Imogene Herdman, a tough girl who developed an admiration and love for the Mother Mary. 


In particular, their outrage against Herod and the Innkeeper for their treatment of the Holy Family helps the Christian parishioners see 


Their portrayal in the pageant also brings laughter and tears to the audience members, who see a realistic depiction of the Christmas characters through the Herdmans’ personal takes on those characters and how they would look and act like. For example, Imogene burping the Baby Jesus doll like a baby (as she did for her baby sister) and when she starts shedding tears as she stares at the Baby Jesus in a manger.   


There are touching and heartwarming moments as Imogene sees the Mother Mary as a loving and beautiful woman, while also being strong, something that Imogene doesn’t see herself as. 


Beth and her family also change after seeing the Herdmans in a new light throughout the film. Through her own experiences and seeing the Herdmans become more interested and invested in the Christmas story of Christ’s birth, the more Beth is changed. She even gets up the courage to go to the Herdmans house and eventually move them into rejoining the Christmas pageant. 

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