Anxious teacher, Mr Donald Peterson, starts a new job at an under-achieving school and quickly finds himself struggling to cope with a wild classroom assistant, a group of under-performing kids and his own very pregnant wife. Things only take a turn for the worse when the assistant, Mr Poppy, enters them in the National 'Song for Christmas' Competition against the wishes of the headmistress and Mr Peterson. However, Mr Poppy decides to go anyway, alongside the majority of the class, whilst also kidnapping Mr Peterson, who comes to face his fears on the treacherous road trip. Following the incredible Nativity! (2009), we follow Mr Poppy's misadventures with the same class of talented children, now joined by some new students as well as a new teacher. Mr Maddens has unfortunately left as he went with his girlfriend Jennifer back to Hollywood. It at least gives them a happy ending but it was certainly a shame not to see him again, as he was one of the film's strongest points. Thankfully, we are graced with the phenomenal performance of David Tennant as teacher, Mr Peterson. He is probably best known for his role as the most iconic Doctor in Doctor Who: The Revival Era (TV Series 2005-2017), which is where I was first introduced to his brilliance and was so delighted to see him in this wacky adventure. This film, whilst nowhere near as good as the first, is still a fantastic bit of entertainment. It's one I continue to enjoy watching to this day, especially with my sister as a part of our tradition. With any good sequel, it is usually expected to up the stakes of the previous title and we certainly got just that with this perilous journey. With Mr Maddens gone, the headmistress, Mrs Bevan, searches high and low for a replacement teacher to fill the gap, but with Mr Poppy recking havoc with the students, no one stays long enough. Finally, however, Mrs Bevan convinces Mr Peterson to stay to help herald in a new age for the school by bringing discipline to the class. Mr Peterson was an instant highlight due to his relatability throughout the story in varying ways. You really feel for the guy as we are told of his troubled upbringing of a strict Dad who favours his brother and is under the stress of his first baby on the way. It is hysterical watching him get mad, shout, panic and scream at all the wrong goings of the trip, but you can still empathise with him. This is definitely the case in scenes like using the boats down a river where Mr Peterson falls in and gets irate. It is a hilarious sequence that only later gets a bit more meaning as we hear stories about his father throwing him in the deep end when going swimming and how it terrified him, unlike his brother. Mr Poppy continues to be his usual bizarre self and keeps up his streak of idiocy as he strands the group in the middle of nowhere. His antics know no end as he abducts a donkey, throws a baby in the air and essentially abuses Mr Peterson. The students continue to be their delightful selves with many returning from the previous film with some new notable additions who steal scenes with their cute and amusing ways. Also returning is rival teacher, Mr Shakespeare, and despite not having as prominent of a role, he throws himself into every scene giving his usual magnificent performance during some comical moments. However, taking the head of rival in this picture is Rodrick Peterson, Donald's twin brother (played by Tennant as well), who conducts a choir and goes to great lengths to win the contest, including cheating. One of the best aspects of this film was seeing Tennant play against himself delivering some truly emotional scenes, which in itself is pretty funny. The contest itself is surprisingly dull. Not a single one of the songs is enjoyable and was quite honestly cringe and downright awful. Some songs outright bash the entire meaning of Christmas in a Christmas song competition, which is simply stupid. Naturally, St Bernadette's songs were superb and extremely catchy, therefore winning the contest. Overall, Nativity 2 is an entertaining follow-up that even though isn't as good as the first, offers that laid-back amusement perfect for the whole family this Christmas. Also, check out the next instalment in Nativity 3: Dude, Where's My Donkey? (2014).
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