The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

“Pageant” goes a little too sentimental and instructive too soon for those viewers whose attention spans are better suited to the antic earlier going. Nonetheless, this is a well-cast, well-crafted diversion for the whole family.

Working from a screenplay by Ryan Swanson, Platte Clark, and Darian McDaniel, Jenkins crafts a tale that moves unsteadily between poignancy and a kind of emotional sterility.

A faith-based film that is going to be really entertaining and accessible for secular audiences as well.

With so many entries in the recent Christian cinema canon demonstrating a complete misunderstanding of both Jesus’ teachings and storytelling fundamentals, “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” should be somewhat proud to say that it went one-for-two.

Ultimately, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is cute, somewhat funny, and if you don’t mind having concepts like “the real Jesus” pushed at you, mostly innocuous.

Jenkins and his trio of screenwriters are able to slide in their messaging without clobbering viewers over the head with it, and the movie manages to exist in a world that comes across as relatively modern...

This is a fun, meaningful, warm and hopeful movie, and I can see some of us integrating it into the holiday-movie rotation every year.

The plot is straightforward and uncomplicated, with its charm rooted in the performances and the nostalgic portrayal of the Christmas spirit.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever will put the Scrooges and Grinches in the holiday spirit.

This is going to be a holiday classic. It's very touching and moving and not at all cloying. A great family film.