Nativity! 2: Danger in the Manger

Dir: Debbie Isitt

2012

**

I wasn't a huge fan of Debbie Isitt's 2009 comedy Nativity! to say the least, so I've shocked myself by sitting down to watch her 2012 sequel but I’m pleased and shocked to report that it is slightly better than awful and marginally better than the first. Once again quality writing is absent (as is Martin Freeman who is replaced by David Tennant who like Freeman, should have known better), it's really not funny, the editing is of a shockingly poor quality and Marc Wootten remains the most annoying (and unfunny) man on the planet. The film is largely ad libbed by people who aren't very good at ad libbing, breaking the golden rule of ad libbing that is 'If you're going to ad lib, make sure you are not just good but brilliant at it'. The story is absurd but is silly enough to rise a smile now and again. Everything I hated about the first film is in this film, so why have I given it two stars rather than just one? Simple. The kids make it good. I think the kids were also given full rein to ad lib. While I'm sure plenty of footage didn't make the final cut (or did it?) the scenes that Isitt did leave in are a little bit irresistible. The kids are all pretty cute already but watching them audition for a song contests, giving them full freedom to change lyrics and dance about is rather lovely. Indeed, my favourite scene was actually one of the outtakes shown during the end credits whereby a little girl sings 'Jingle Bells Batman Smells, Robin ran away.....Santa got stuck in the chimney and....erm, his willy fell off'. That's comedy gold, unscripted, innocent and hilarious. Christmas films are usually awful affairs with Kids doing and saying all the sort of things kids never do or never say. It's quite refreshing seeing kids being kids and being all ordinary. Maybe from now on, get rid of Marc Wootten all just show the kids, or even better, get the kids to direct, write, edit and make the damn movie. Watch it for the sweet and funny kids, just try your best to ignore the stupid adults attempting (and failing miserably) to be funny.