Nativity!

I don't get the level of hate this series of films seem to get, they're lighthearted, and make me laugh out loud.

Yes, you have to be in the mood for a bit of daftness, but let yourself go and have a bit of fun!

The first one in particular is really good, with a superb cast (it's like a who's who of British actors!), and Marc Wootton's Mr Poppy is a great comedy character. It's very, very British in tone which I love.

As for the kids, I don't find them annoying, which is unusual for me, so a big plus there!

Give the films a go, you might be pleasantly surprised.

What a delightful film! I watched it on a recent flight, thinking I'd go for something light that would keep me awake, not expecting too much really, and then I was absolutely delighted by this feel-good movie! Great and very convincing performance by Martin Freeman. And "Mr. Poppy" (Marc Wootton) is an absolute joy to watch. But it's definitely the children that make this film so special. Some of them are absolutely hilarious.

Great soundtrack, too. Songs that stick in ones mind even long after watching the film.

This is truly one of the best, most heartwarming and most enjoyable Christmas films I've ever seen, and it goes to show that a director doesn't need a huge budget to put together a film that is a joy to watch for everyone - children and adults alike!

Saw Nativity! at a preview screening with my kids and it is a complete delight! It's a rare example of a film for kids that delivers laughs and emotion and hits all the right buttons, but in a fresh and original way that also has a lot for adults to enjoy. I was surprised to be so drawn in by a film that is clearly aimed at children and I'm not ashamed to say I had lump in my throat by the end.

The kids in the film are natural - and hilarious - and the original songs are terrific - we'll be tracking down the soundtrack album! Kids, Christmas, a love story and a musical all rolled into one - what more do you want for some great holiday entertainment? I wouldn't be surprised if this becomes a great 'British Classic' for many Christmases to come - it certainly deserves to be.

Part of Nativity's charm is that it looks like an average TV drama, especially initially with its TV actors and production values, but as the film goes on you start to realise that this is so much better than a TV comedy drama Christmas special on BBC2. "Nativity!" is a Christmas classic, it's something adults and children can equally find funny with it's charming characters and uplifting spirit.

Martin Freeman plays a likably grumpy teacher who doesn't think much to Christmas after his girlfriend left him to be a Hollywood producer on Christmas day. Enter the star of the show Mr.Poppy! The amazingly hilarious dim-witted teaching assistant who plays a classic comedy character who you can't help but love. Mr.Shakespeare is also a brilliant panto villain who leads his fairly accurate, if not belated, private school to win 5 star reviews. That is until Mr.Poppy blurts out to everyone Martin Freeman's lie that a Hollywood producer is coming to film their pathetic attempt of a nativity.

From here on it's a fight to put on the best nativity play the world has ever seen and try to attract Hollywood to come and see them. "Nativity!" is so sickly you need a bucket ready at the end of the film, as you're stomach starts to dance around. But is also so amazingly uplifting that you can't help but love it! It's completely over the top nonsense with plenty of "as if!" moments but that's all part of the charm. Alan Carr also plays a brilliant nativity critic.

You'll be lucky to find a more jolly, funny and charming Christmas film than this. It's brilliant British comedy with a fantastic cast that will have you howling with laughter. The final 20 minutes feature incredibly catchy songs and hundreds of health and safety knock-outs. Some might say that it gets a bit too much, but for me it was pure charming escapism. "Nativity!" isn't perfect but I think that's the message of the film, nothing's perfect, just take things for what they are.

He's a failed actor, his girlfriend has left him and gone to make it big in America, and now, school teacher Paul Maddens has to direct the Nativity play. Worse still, after a little white bragging lie to an old rival, Maddens finds things escalating out of his control.

Ah, the Christmas movie, a piece of work aimed at a certain market at a certain time of year. Many movies of Christmas past have been excruciatingly bad, either by losing sight of the holiday heart, or by going for a different angle at a season which is meant to be jolly. In the main then, the Crimble picture has been blighted by a train of thinking akin to damned if you do, damned if you don't. Debbie Isitt's Nativity! will not achieve any reviews proclaiming it to be refreshingly new, rightly so since it's a standard seasonal fare based story. What hopefully will be said is how utterly beguiling and warming the film is, so yeah! Basically a Christmas picture doing its job.

Chiefly in its favour is that it has a naturalness to it that keeps its charm grounded. There's no miracle in the offering here, no boink over the head with a sledgehammer to enforce its message. Isitt is happy letting the film and its delightful characters go with the flow, the result ending up as being a fully involving experience. It helps too that the army of children (plucked from local auditions by Issitt) are adorable and funny in equal measure. Not that the adults come up short either. Martin Freeman (Maddens) gives a wonderfully controlled performance as the central character, while Marc Wooton as Mr. Poppy, a character showing the child in all us adults, almost steals the movie from the delightful moppet squad. It has its faults, such as a trip to America that quickly loses momentum, and if we are honest then surely the actual Nativity finale goes on a touch too long. But such missteps are easily forgiven given the impact as a whole.

My cinema visiting group at Xmas 2009 consisted of 4 adults and 4 teenagers. As we filed out, there was a mixture of wet eyes and beaming smiles. So yeah! Job done for sure. 8/10

Footnotes: Xmas 2013. With a sequel hitting the theatres this Christmas I thought it time to revisit this film. Delighted to report that it still manages to warm the old cockles of my Xmas heart and remains a seasonal picture that I urge more folk to seek out.

Xmas 2015. Rewatched, still lovely.