海角大神

Looking for a new holiday classic? These 2 films glow with Christmas spirit.

New classic Christmas movies are rare. This year, miraculously, there are two. I鈥檓 not talking about 鈥淩ed One,鈥� the action-comedy in which Santa gets abducted. Nor am I referring to 鈥淗ot Frosty,鈥� the mildly steamy Netflix movie about a woman鈥檚 love affair with a snowman. (Not so much a May to September romance as a November to March one.)聽

The whole family can enjoy 鈥淭hat Christmas,鈥� a bright and cheerful animated movie on Netflix starting Dec. 4. Or you can trek to the cinema to see 鈥淭he Best Christmas Pageant Ever,鈥� based on a popular children鈥檚 book, which has deservedly become a sleeper hit.聽

Both stories explore the same question: What makes Christmas meaningful? 鈥淭hat Christmas鈥� takes a secular approach to that theme. 鈥淭he Best Christmas Pageant Ever鈥� comes at it from a religious perspective. Yet they both commend similar qualities. In common, too, they each feature the Nativity play as a beloved tradition.

In 鈥淭hat Christmas,鈥� only-child Danny is a loner in the (fictitious) British town of Wellington-on-Sea. His single mother works night shifts. Danny has a secret crush on Sam, a girl at school who is a social justice crusader. 鈥淚鈥檓 shy. She鈥檚 anxious. It鈥檚 hopeless,鈥� says Danny.

鈥淭hat Christmas鈥� was co-written by Peter Souter and Richard Curtis, the creator of 鈥淔our Weddings and a Funeral鈥� and 鈥淟ove Actually.鈥� Characters abound. Among them are Sam鈥檚 twin sister, Charlie, a troublemaker who frets that she鈥檒l be on the naughty list. There鈥檚 also Ms. Trapper, a stern teacher who takes an interest in supervising Danny. Her wisdom is born out of a moving backstory.聽

We meet them all at the annual Christmas pageant. Sam has scripted it to be 鈥渁 strictly vegetarian, multicultural funfest with lots of pop songs and stuff about climate change.鈥澛�

In this telling of the Nativity story, there are three wise women, the shepherds have been replaced by farmers who harvest organic vegetables, and there aren鈥檛 any hymns. Instead, Jesus鈥� mother sings Madonna鈥檚 鈥淧apa Don鈥檛 Preach鈥� with its chorus, 鈥淚 made up my mind, I鈥檓 keeping my baby.鈥澛�

This isn鈥檛 the King James Version. It鈥檚 more like a ChatGPT version designed to appeal to Greta Thunberg. (Or to a secular Netflix audience.) The storyline has lots of episodic high jinks, but it鈥檚 the quieter moments of character growth that resonate.

鈥淭he Best Christmas Pageant Ever,鈥� set in the early 1970s, features a more recognizable version of the Nativity play. One that鈥檚听迟辞辞 traditional. The small American town of Emmanuel has been trotting out the same tired production for nearly 75 years. When the longtime director has an accident, a mother of two named Grace takes over. She lacks theatrical experience. Complicating matters: A family of redheaded children, the Herdmans, gate-crashes the auditions.

鈥淭he Herdmans are the worst kids in the history of the world,鈥� declares the narrator, voiced by Lauren Graham. These six uncouth, unwashed, unacculturated bullies make the team of kids in 鈥淭he Bad News Bears鈥� seem as prim as the von Trapp family. They鈥檝e been drawn to the pageant rehearsals by the church鈥檚 plentiful provision of snacks. Imogene, the preteen leader of the clan, stages a coup by getting cast as Jesus鈥� mother.

鈥淵ou鈥檙e too dirty to play Mary,鈥� sneers Alice, a snooty girl who鈥檚 accustomed to playing the lead role. Imogene begins to doubt her own worthiness of portraying the virgin mother, depicted as a beatific figure in a painting in the church foyer.

In both movies, characters have become so inward-focused that they鈥檝e lost sight of cherishing those less fortunate. Danny, in 鈥淭hat Christmas,鈥� has lost perspective on how minor his problems are compared with what other people are dealing with.聽

In 鈥淭he Best Christmas Pageant Ever,鈥� the pious church seems more like a 鈥淢embers only!鈥� country club than like a loving sanctuary. Grace, charmingly played by journeyman character actor Judy Greer, reminds her two children of the importance of 海角大神 grace and care for those who are downtrodden. The film is directed by Dallas Jenkins, the creator of 鈥淭he Chosen,鈥� a long-running TV series about Jesus鈥� life. His tonally perfect adaptation of Barbara Robinson鈥檚 book boasts a gentle wit. He deftly conveys the movie鈥檚 message without a heavy hand.聽

Ultimately, both stories are about transformation. Misunderstood characters turn out to possess hidden virtues and innate goodness.聽

The most indelible scene of either movie comes near the end of 鈥淭he Best Christmas Pageant Ever.鈥� (PSA: You鈥檒l want to have a tissue handy.) Imogene realizes that Christmas isn鈥檛 just a celebration of Jesus鈥� birth. The season is an opportunity for one鈥檚 own rebirth.

鈥淭he Best Christmas Pageant Ever鈥� (4 stars) is rated PG for thematic material and brief underage smoking. 鈥淭hat Christmas鈥� (3.5 stars) will stream on Netflix starting Dec. 4. It is rated PG for thematic elements, some language, and rude humor.