Nativity

Martin Freeman is a teacher of the young people and is a miserable git at that. He doesn't like Christmas because his bitch of a girlfriend left him at Christmas. His boss tasks him with running this years nativity play and gives him an assistant in the form of an oversized moron. Between the two of them they somehow end up lying and convince people Hollywood want to come and film their play. Some kids then act, sing and dance their little cotton socks off in order to impress some american dude.

Now on paper this film seems god awful. A bunch of school kids have to put on a play designed by The Hobbit and some guy called Mr Poppy and they do it all whilst keeping hold of the U certificate. I thought I would absolutely hate this rubbish but put it on as it was Christmas and this is the only time of year my ice cold heart thaws a little and honestly I really enjoyed it. Martin Freeman is a great leading man and is the real heart of this film. Mr Poppy is frankly annoying as hell but is reigned in somewhat by Martin and the absolutely charming kids. I'm not a massive fan of kids in general, they're noisy and they smell, but the ones in this film are genuinely funny and keep the entertainment at a high level. The story is a bit of nonsense but it doesn't really matter as the content is good enough to keep you interested and rooting for all concerned. I have heard dreadful things about the sequels but this first instalment is well worth a watch. Surprisingly good.

Verdict: 3.5/5