Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Finally decided to write a review in the lead up to Christmas to get used to the layout. And what better film to review than a Christmas film like 'Nativity!', being somebody who likes Christmas films and some of the cast members.'Nativity!' turned out to be a nice charming film. Not a Christmas cracker by all means, there are better Christmas films out there ('It's a Wonderful Life', the Alastair Sim 'Christmas Carol' and the original 'Miracle on 34th Street'). It's also hardly a piece of coal at the bottom of your stocking, there are also far worse of anything to do with Christmas like 1991's 'The Christmas Tree' and 'The Christmas Foal'. 'Nativity!' clearly knew what it wanted to be and never tried to do any more than needed, also achieving the main objectives of a successful film.It's not perfect. The story is very predictable in places, with it not doing much new with some of its elements. The film also has times where momentum is lost, with the finale for example going on longer than needed. Am not a massive fan of Alan Carr, so was not sure what to make of his small role. There is so much to enjoy in 'Nativity!'. In particular the splendid cast. Martin Freeman is in a role that he's perfect for. Marc Wooton is clearly enjoying himself and has his fair share of scene-stealing moments. Pam Ferris seems to do no wrong, and a big shout out has to go to the children. They are so natural and have great comic timing, they not only are more than a match for the adults but even upstage them.'Nativity!' looks nice enough in its own simple, un-flashy way. The music is very catchy and gives a real sense of Christmas, while for all the story imperfections the film has a lot of spirit and energy throughout.A decent script always helps, and 'Nativity!' has that. It has sparkling comic elements and a very warm heart and sweet charm, without being too sentimental.In summary, while not mind-blowing 'Nativity!' is a festive charmer that makes do for the festive season and the lead up to it. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Nativity! is a middling film which is partly improvised by the cast which is how writer/director Debbie Isitt works.Martin Freeman plays Paul Maddens a failed actor now an underachieving primary school teacher. His former girlfriend left him some years ago and made it big in Hollywood.Now Paul has been put in charge to direct the Nativity play and vies to outdo a rival school whose head teacher he knew at University and rather envies. Paul lies that Hollywood casting agent will come to see the Nativity play which escalates out of control thanks to the man-child classroom assistant Mr Poppy (Marc Wooton.)Paul ends up going to Hollywood to visit his ex (Ashley Jensen) and has to resort to get her to pull a few favours for him.In its favour Both Jensen and Freeman give a natural and charming performance which is more than the script (improvised or not) deserves. It is a silly plot and a film about the acting standards of a nativity play does not inspire me as someone who had to sit through a few as a father.Worse still Wooton's overacting as Mr Poppy had me wishing that a berserk driver would enter the film and run him over. Not sure how his character ever passed the criminal records checks in the first place.Still the film has become something of a regular Christmas film on television without the sickly syrup of the American Christmas films. The one-upmanship between the two school rivals keeps the story going.

This movie is playing on Showtime, and I've been laid up in bed with nothing much to do but read, surf the web and watch TV, so thank god for Showtime!! This movie initially was something I avoided, since I usually really hate kid movies. But strike that; I learned that I really hated *American* kid movies; British kiddie films (and romcoms) are so much better and much more fun. Although Brit humour is right up front, these movies tend not to be dripping with the kind of bottomless cynicism and coy promotion of greedy materialism that lies at the heart of most American movies aimed at the rated G set.For example, in Nativity!, all the kids come from decidedly the underprivileged and underdog working classes, and their chief rival is a posh upper-class school. In an American film, the gold at the heart of the rainbow would have been literally that: gold. The kids would somehow end up fabulously rich at the end, and their poor, belabored working class parents would now able to buy them everything they could possibly want at Christmastime--the true American dream. In Nativity!, all they really want to do is put on a wicked good holiday show and maybe get their depressed teacher back with his girl. Christmas is not nearly as commercialized and monetized in Europe and the UK, and this aspect is very refreshing whilst watching a movie about the one season that American has utterly and completely ruined. I'm usually quite the grinch about our holiday season, but watching this movie made me happy that all the world is not American. (I'm waiting for someone to call me un-American and a Euro Socialist, hee hee) The musical scene at the end; the Nativity play in all its glory, is stupendous. Simply put, the songs are so catchy that I actually had to buy the soundtrack, which will be a neat from-leftfield addition to the usual hackneyed Christmas music selection. (Note to Americans: in general, the Brits have it all over us in the Xmas music department. They have a yearly holiday music competition, and some pretty great songs have come out of it. Whenever I play my Brit Xmas CDs, everyone is instantly singing along to songs they've heard for the first time, and asking me who it is.) The staging of the kids and the way they handled modernizing the nativity theme for the 7-13 set was really quite amazing. For instance, all of the kids want to please their parents who've never had a chance at anything grest, and want to play the Mary or Joseph role. So, the teacher devises a way in which they ALL can individually be Mary and Joseph in the staging of one of the central musical numbers. Great costumes and sets, and I liked that the kids were NOT too-cutesy, been-there-done-that Hollywood kid pros, as would have been the case in anything American. (One reviewer expressed relief in being able to take her pre-teen girl to see something fun that didn't feature Hanna Montana and shopping: too true!) Some of the kids really can sing, and the ones who are just OK make up for it in pure enjoyment of what they're doing. As others have mentioned, I LOVED the little sprite who played Bob, with his funny strong country accent and rock-n-roll attitude. I imagine I'll be seeing more of that kid; he's too cute and full of a natural energy to slip through the cracks.

Christmas was coming around the corner again, just a month away, so naturally I wanted to cheer myself up with a seasonal film, so I picked this one, from director Debbie Isitt (Confetti). Basically often frustrated primary school teacher Paul Maddens (Martin Freeman) has hated Christmas ever since his girlfriend Jennifer Watkins (Ashley Jensen) left him on the festive night in question. He is charged and forced by the headmistress Mrs. Bevan (Pam Ferris) of St. Bernadette's primary school, in Coventry, into making this year's nativity play for, and he has his new classroom assistant Mr. Desmond Poppy (Marc Wootton) to help. Paul is competing against the near posh private school with Gordon Shakespeare (Being Human's Jason Watkins), and Paul lies to his rival that his ex-girlfriend, now working in Hollywood, is coming to the show, and the eccentric Mr. Poppy overhears. With Mr. Poppy spreading rumours, the Headmistress, parents and children of the school are mistaken into believing that people from Hollywood are coming to see a big production of the nativity. Now becoming somewhat of a celebrity in the town, this "little white lie" is getting increasingly more hard to get rid of, especially with Mr. Poppy fuelling his enthusiasm to create a spectacular show. Obviously Paul does tell Mr. Poppy the truth, and the nativity play plans may have just gloated away, but Paul doesn't want to shatter the hopes of everyone, so he makes the hasty decision to go and find Jennifer. Paul finds her in Beverly Hills, Califorinia, she is not the Hollywood producer he expected her to have become, she is just a secretary, and she refuses an invitation to come back with him to see this nativity, even with two children accompanying him. The Headmistress also finds out the truth about the Hollywood lie, she cancels the show, and Mr. Poppy also goes away feeling dampened, but Paul assures him that they can still do a play. So all the children are ready to go, all the parents, the Headmistress, a Critic (Alan Carr) and the Mayor (Ricky Tomlinson) have been brought together, and the show goes on. There is a point where Mr. Shakespeare tries to spoil everything with the Hollywood revelation, but Jennifer arrives with her Hollywood colleague in a helicopter, they join the audience and the show continues. In the end, the show is a big hit against grizzly rival Shakespeare, whose show flopped, everyone is happy to join in with a song and dance, and Paul and Jennifer get back together for a happy Christmas. Also starring John Sessions as Mr. Lore, Britain's Got Talent's Jake Pratt as Olly, Britain's Got Talent Cheeky Monkeys member Krista Hyatt, Britain's Got Talent Cheeky Monkeys member Charlie Dixon and Britain's Got Talent's Bessie Cursons. Freeman makes a good hassled teacher, Ferris is brief but good, Carr was amusing in his time, Jensen was nice, and Wootton steals most of the show as the unusual and childish teaching assistant. I agree with the critics that the kids were natural talents on screen, it was nice to spot some familiar faces amongst them too, it is a little predictable throughout, but it is a still a fun family comedy film for the festivities. Worth watching!