If you want a filmmaker to turn a classic book into an excellent movie, get the guy who’s already adapted the bestselling book of all time—the Bible—for the screen.
A Timeless American Christmas
Jenkins got the idea for the film when his wife picked up Robinson’s book. The couple read it to their children, and found it was a story that ran the gamut of their emotions. “Just a few minutes into it, my wife and I were laughing out loud, and then we got emotional a couple times,” Jenkins said. “I got to the last chapter and I was weeping.”The story touched him and his wife so much that they had to pass the book back and forth to finish it. “As soon as I was done reading it, I said I have to make this movie,” Jenkins said.
Easier said than done, since there’s a little thing called intellectual property. In other words, someone else owned the movie rights to the book and wanted a major director to shoot the film. But Jenkins kept pursuing it, making frequent calls. Finally, he was able to acquire the rights when the owner forgot to renew them.
The result is an emotional film that is heavy on nostalgia and Americana, evoking the same good-old-days feeling experienced by those who watch the holiday classic “A Christmas Story.”
“We were drawing from the work of Norman Rockwell for primary inspiration,” Jenkins said. “When you watch the film, I would challenge you to identify the decade.” Viewers will notice things such as corded home telephones with the old-fashioned standard ring, along with cars that are definitely not modern. “It’s that moment in our past when we put aside the cellphones, put aside some of our bickering, so we can all unify around this Christmas season,” he said.
Still, Jenkins had to make sure he stayed true to the original book and did justice to the story. “It’s always challenging to capture the spirit and intentions of the source material,” he told The Epoch Times. “And anytime you’re adding something that’s not there, you want to really make sure it’s got the spirit and the heart of the original story. You want to make sure you’re not changing the truth of it.”
According to Jenkins, his own connection to the book ensured he’d be careful with the original tale. “When you love the book like I do, you’re going to honor it faithfully,” he said.
Jenkins is credited as one of four writers of the screenplay, and it turns out he’s responsible for some of the funniest lines in the movie delivered by Pete Holmes, who plays the dad. Holmes is also a stand-up comedian, and collaborated with Jenkins to add humor to the script. According to Jenkins, he and Holmes would get together and discuss how to add a little bit of wit to the lines. “Some of those jokes from the dad are things that I came up with,” Jenkins said.
The Spirit of the Story
Published in 1972, the holiday classic follows the six Herdman children, the neighborhood terrors who decide to perform in the local church Christmas pageant.While “The Chosen” is quite different from this movie, Jenkins’s goal for both is the same: He wants to give viewers something new to think about when it comes to familiar stories. “I think the line between ‘The Chosen’ and ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’ is telling the classic stories that we’ve heard many times from a new perspective,“ he said. “I’m not changing the truth of it, I’m not changing the heart of it. But I’m giving it to you through the eyes of someone who may be giving you a unique perspective, and bringing the story to life for you when you may have taken it for granted.”
Jenkins said he feels it’s important to consider different points of view, since the Herdman children don’t come from a traditional loving home and know little about the birth of Jesus. “This movie is also about church, and how sometimes church can miss the stories we take for granted,” he said. “Sometimes it takes people in poverty who might be closer to the heart of the story.” Jenkins knows about children in need, as he’s an adoptive parent.
The movie stars Judy Greer, along with a few familiar faces from “The Chosen” and some talented child actors. Lauren Graham (“Gilmore Girls”) serves as the narrator. Like the book, the movie will make you laugh, cry, and think. It will be released in theaters nationwide on Nov. 8, 2024.
