Primary school teacher Paul Maddens is charged with producing the school's nativity play.
Competing against the posh rival school for the honour of best reviewed show in town, the stakes are raised when Paul boasts that his ex-girlfriend Jennifer, a Hollywood Producer, is coming to see his show with a view to turning it into a film.
With assistant Mr Poppy fuelling his lie, Maddens suddenly finds himself a local celebrity and at the centre of parents and over-excited children desperate for fame and fortune.
Maddens' only hope is to get back in touch with Jennifer and lure Hollywood to town....
To be honest, the poster for this movie put me right off. I make a rule of not seeing a film where the star is surrounded by kids looking slightly perplexed, see also Daddy Day Care.
But my daughter dragged me to see the sequel, and that wasn't too bad, so I thought 'why not'.
And to be fair, it's a really fun film, not a Christmas classic by any means, but clever, and funny.
And kudos to the makers, if there is any truth to the fact that the majority of this was improvised.
Freeman is as good as always, if being a little too much like Tim from the office, but he has great chemistry with the children, and they are endearing also.
It's predictable, but who cares, it's a Christmas movie and it does its job of making you feel gooey inside and happy with the world for at least five minutes after the film has finished.
Competing against the posh rival school for the honour of best reviewed show in town, the stakes are raised when Paul boasts that his ex-girlfriend Jennifer, a Hollywood Producer, is coming to see his show with a view to turning it into a film.
With assistant Mr Poppy fuelling his lie, Maddens suddenly finds himself a local celebrity and at the centre of parents and over-excited children desperate for fame and fortune.
Maddens' only hope is to get back in touch with Jennifer and lure Hollywood to town....
To be honest, the poster for this movie put me right off. I make a rule of not seeing a film where the star is surrounded by kids looking slightly perplexed, see also Daddy Day Care.
But my daughter dragged me to see the sequel, and that wasn't too bad, so I thought 'why not'.
And to be fair, it's a really fun film, not a Christmas classic by any means, but clever, and funny.
And kudos to the makers, if there is any truth to the fact that the majority of this was improvised.
Freeman is as good as always, if being a little too much like Tim from the office, but he has great chemistry with the children, and they are endearing also.
It's predictable, but who cares, it's a Christmas movie and it does its job of making you feel gooey inside and happy with the world for at least five minutes after the film has finished.