pageant

Lionsgate’s seasonal “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” based on the popular 1972 novel about a family of misfits, debuted in the No. 2 spot with $11.1 million.

There’s no shortage of seasonal films that claim to extol the “true meaning of Christmas” and this year, the holiday comes early with Dallas Jenkins’ “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” based on the 1972 novel by Barbara Robinson.

Playing Beth’s mother, Grace, she volunteers to direct their small town’s famed Christmas pageant after an incident befalls the longtime director.

“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” strives to be a “Bad News Bears”-type comedy before it attempts a 180-degree turn into a heartwarming tale of unlikely interlopers who help a group of people truly understand Christmas.

As far as family-friendly, faith-based holiday movies go, you could do worse than “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” though it might not quite connect with all young audiences, as the film leans more toward poignant than playfully riotous.