Michael's Movie Grade: A-
A delightfully old-fashioned Christmas movie.
This film feels like a throwback to a more innocent time. Yet this is just what makes this such a charming movie. As you watch it, it is hard to not feel like a kid once again. This is of course perfect for a Christmas film, as Christmas does the same thing of making us feel like a child again. This movie's simple story of a small town's bullies taking charge of the church's Christmas pageant (which is the pride of a town) and perhaps learning the spirit of Christmas themselves can invite you in like a warm hug, the way a more complex story couldn't. Not only is the story delightfully old-fashioned but so is the visual filmmaking. From the opening shots of storybook to the 70's setting to even the sets and use of lighting (which feel like they are from a movie from multiple decades past). With this great visual filmmaking this film seems to effortlessly have the old-fashioned Christmas charm so many movies try to achieve and don't (most Hallmark Christmas movies for instance). This is mostly because here it feels natural instead of forced as well as a passion project rather than an effort to easily sell something to an audience. Even the use of narration (much of it reminiscent of A Christmas Story (1983)) adds to the warm nostalgic charm. Even with the outward simplicity of this movie, there is a surprising intelligence here (in the spirit of director Dallas Jenkins' popular Christian TV show, The Chosen). This film more than anything is commentary on hypocrisy. It looks at a community that views itself as Christian and yet is anything but. They are more concerned with tradition than what is actually right or wrong. The Herdman kids may be bullies but they are not hypocrites and because of this they can provide this town whose traditions have grown old and stale with something real and genuine. One of the best scenes is fairly early on, when the Christmas play's director is reading the Christmas story from the bible to the kids. The rest of the kids are bored because they heard this story many times and it has become boring for them. However, the Herdmans are gripped on every word and have many questions. They may not understand everything, but their reactions are real, genuine and honest. Though before this scene all we had seen of these kids are them being bullies, this comedic little scene tells us all we need to know about how they are more than they seem on the outside.
This is a new Christmas classic.
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