Judy Greer, Pete Holmes on their feel-good holiday film ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’

As the year winds down, celebrate the upcoming holiday season with The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, a new feel-good family film coming to theaters on Nov. 8.

Judy Greer and Pete Holmes star alongside a whole bunch of young actors in the movie, and they told ABC Audio their talent left them intimidated.

“It was pretty humbling,” Greer said. “I was like, ‘Wow, these kids are really good.’ And they all know their stuff, and they’re emotional and they’re funny, and they can ad-lib and improv. And I definitely had to step up my game.”

Holmes recalled all of the kids sobbing when the film wrapped.

“It was so sweet. It broke my heart. It was like the last day of camp,” Holmes said. “I do think that camaraderie comes through on the screen. These kids really liked each other, and we really liked them.”

As for the Christmas movies that inspired them, both Greer and Holmes looked toward Elf for inspiration. Somebody told Holmes his holiday-loving dad in the film reminded them of Clark Griswold in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and then, suddenly, it all clicked for him.

“I realized in that moment, I was like, ‘My God, that’s clearly what I was going for.’ I’m not saying I did it, but that was what I was reaching for. That’s my goal,” Holmes said.

Ultimately, Holmes said the movie captures what you’d want from a classic Christmas film.

“It’s exactly what you want, and it captures that Christmas spirit,” Holmes said. 

Tickets for The Best Christmas Pageant Ever are available now. For a limited time, a child’s ticket to see the movie is free when you buy an adult ticket through ATOM tickets with code CHRISTMASGIFT on Nov. 2.