Fans of the wildly popular 1971 book, ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’ are in for a treat. The story has been transformed from the page to the screen by director Dallas Jenkins, with Judy Greer, Pete Holmes, Lauren Graham and a slew of young talent added to the cast list. But as Greer says, you don’t have to be an admirer of the story to fall in love with it—the nostalgia and message of the movie should be enough for you.
The film follows a small town’s Christmas pageant, which Greer’s character, Grace, has hesitantly signed up to lead. When a group of young trouble-makers, also known as the Herdman’s, attempt to be part of the show, most of the adults want nothing to do with them. But as the story plays out, everyone seems to learn a lesson about “the reason for the season.”
To chat more about the film, Greer sat down to dive deeper into ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.’
What made you want to sign on with the film?
The sort of family, old-timey, timeless Christmas element. I don’t think I’ve done a very traditional sort of Christmas movie. I hadn’t heard of the book, so I just read the script first—I thought it was so adorable and beautiful. I loved the message. And then when I met Dallas, it was like his obsession with it was infectious. So then I read the book and I just loved it. I thought it was a really, really sweet story and I also felt that Lionsgate would take good care of it. That meant a lot to me.
With Dallas being such a fan of the book, were there conversations on set about what he wanted to make sure translated from the page to the screen?
I know that he had been obsessed with this book for 20 years and had been waiting patiently to get the opportunity to direct it. He was so confident it was meant to be him. That kind of confidence, it’s really inspiring to make a movie with someone that loves it so much and cherishes it so much. Anything that I decide to be a part of is what are we saying and who are we saying it to?
I love the idea that this group of outcast children in town gets an opportunity to do something that’s so beautiful and special. But what’s also really inspiring is seeing how everyone realizes that [they’ve] been so stuck in their own ways and stuck in this old tradition… Not really looking beyond themselves to people in need and people who have something to offer. And not really anticipating that there’s more going on from what just meets the eye. I think that was a really important message.
The film feels very nostalgic, and I know that was intentional from the costumes to the town to the camera work. Did it feel that way on set as well?
When I would look at the monitor, the shots that were put together were so overwhelmingly beautiful. It kind of felt to me sometimes that ‘A Christmas Story’ was having a baby with a Wes Anderson movie. I loved it so much. I think that the care and the time that was put into the cinematography is a part of the story here.
It’s very different from the aesthetic of ‘The Chosen’. It’s always exciting to see a filmmaker step outside of their comfort zone or from something that we’re used to seeing from them. To make something that is aesthetically so different I think is really the sign of an artist.
You work with a lot of young co-stars for the film. What was your experience like?
The younger kids were probably the most mature people on set—so I would say that it was very eye-opening because I would see how well behaved they were. I’m not even just saying that because I’m doing an interview, [they were] so professional and mature and they cared so much. Watching that made me feel like I needed to step up my game personally.
A lot of the poignant moments in the film come from your character specifically. So what can you say about her and what she goes through in ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’?
I have to steal something from Pete Holmes, who said that my character’s name is Grace, and it is a fitting name because Grace has a lot of grace. She extends a lot of grace to the people around her, obviously with the Herdman’s, but then I think she is quicker to learn the lessons of the movie than the rest of the town. That’s what’s interesting is that we see the evolution through her eyes of like, Hey, wait, what are we doing? What do we stand for here?
If we’re saying one thing but we’re doing another, then this isn’t who we are. This isn’t who I want to be. She could see her faults and she could make these changes in herself. She wasn’t afraid to stand up for other people. We talk about the reason for the season and the spirit of Christmas, but it’s really an all-year-long kind of vibe when you think about it. I mean, being welcoming, taking the outsider in, not judging a book by its cover— that’s the kind of person I would hope we all aspire to be.
Overall, in a world full of Christmas movies, what stands out to you about this film?
I think this is a very traditional Christmas movie, and it stands out because we haven’t really had one in so long. It’s based on this book that’s been around for I think over 50 years, so people know the story. We’re giving audiences something that will feel like they’ve seen it a million times, but actually, it’s a brand-new movie. It just has such nostalgia and it’s so funny and it’s so heartwarming.
‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever‘ releases in theaters Nov. 8.
