Board Thread:Pitches/@comment-25375217-20150804192251

(it's actually called "The Worst Best Christmas Pageant Ever", but I can't do strikethru in titles I don't think. So.)

"The Herdmans were absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world. They lied, they stole, they smoked cigars (even the girls!), they talked dirty, they hit little kids, and they even set fire to old Fred the shoemaker's workhouse."

We don't have any movies scheduled for December so I thought a Christmas movie would be nice, and what's better than one based on a semi-classic Christmas story?

A movie for it was made before, but it was 1989 and... not very good, so a more modern version would be nice.

Basically, the movie is about these six kids, the Herdmans. They're awful. They lie, stole, smoked, swore, hit kids, set fires, etc. (well, you read the quote probably). Beth and Charlie Bradley have learned to avoid them, and the church is considered a safe place from them. But then they somehow find out about the church and stop in, and are more than excited to join (and create chaos in) the Christmas pageant, which, of course, horrifies Beth and Charlie. However, Mrs. Bradley, who is directing the pageant, realizes that the Herdmans may not be as bad as everyone thinks, and Beth starts to realize that maybe all they needed was a little love and something to believe in. In the end, the Herdmans end up making the Christmas pageant the best one the church had ever had.

The characters: So, what do you think? 
 * Beth Bradley - The main character and narrator. The story is seen through her eyes as a bystander and the daughter of the director. She's somewhere around 9 or 10 in the book, but I think I can age her up to 16.
 * Imogene Herdman - The second oldest Herdman. She somehow gets cast as Mary in the pageant, which, of course, horrifies everyone. She's vicious and enjoys bullying Beth, but has a soft spot and is the first Herdman to show a sign of good. She's also 9 or 10 in the book, but, again, I think she can easily be 16.
 * Ralph Herdman - The oldest Herdman. He's definitely more brawn than brains and the only reason he's ever passed a class is because every teacher is afraid of being stuck with him again. He's somewhere around 10 or 11, but I'm going to age him up to 17/18.
 * Leroy Herdman - The third oldest Herdman. Leroy is a massive jerk and takes whatever he wants, and is usually found bullying Beth's younger brother Charlie. He was originally 8 or 9, but I'm going to age him up to 14.
 * Claude Herdman - The third youngest Herdman. Claude is a schemer and a troublemaker, but doesn't usually pick fights, unlike the rest of his family. He was originally 7 or 8, but I'm going to age him up to 12.
 * Ollie Herdman - The second youngest Herdman. Ollie is a bag of flesh filled with nothing but energy and can hardly sit still. He was originally 6 or 7, but I'm going to age him up to 11.
 * Gladys Herdman - The youngest Herdman, and described by Charlie (and basically everyone else) as the worst of all, likely because her parent figures were Ralph and Imogene, as their parents had stopped caring for them or flat-out left by the time Gladys was born. She was originally 5 or 6, but I'm going to age her up to 10.
 * Charlie Bradley - Beth's younger brother. Charlie has learned from his experiences with the younger Herdmans to stay out of their way as much as possible, particularly Leroy and Gladys, and very rarely gets to eat his own lunch at school. In the book, he's 8 or 9, but I'm going to put him at 14.
 * Alice (she has a last name, but i can't find my book to check) - Alice is the queen of the school, and is admired by all of her subjects- at least, that's what she thinks. Most people actually see her as snobby and stuck-up. However, she's the closest think Beth has to a best friend. She has been Mary in every Christmas pageant, and is absolutely furious when the likes of Imogene Herdman tries to steal her role. She was originally 9 or 10, but I'm going to age her up to 16.
 * Mrs. Bradley (like Alice, I can't find my copy of the book to figure out her first name) - Beth and Charlie's mother, Mrs. Bradley is thrown into the role of the director of the Christmas pageant when the usual director breaks practically every bone in her body and everyone else is too busy or otherwise disinterested. She sees goodness deep in the Herdmans, and places them in lead roles in the play to try to farm it and give them some love- however, this may be more difficult than she thinks.