YMMV / Nativity!

• Jerkass Woobie:
  • Paul Maddens. His girlfriend Jennifer left him at Christmas, just when he was about to propose to her and his previous attempt at directing the school's nativity play received a toxic review from the critic Patrick Burns.
  • Donald Peterson in the first sequel. He has spent his whole life living with being overshadowed by his twin brother Roderick and his father's constant Disappointed in You attitude towards him and generally being The Un-Favourite. All this has turned him into a Nervous Wreck who's concerned he'll be a bad father.
• Moe:
  • The St. Bernadette's students and the Oakmoor students too when Gordon Shakespeare isn't pushing them around.
  • Lauren Shepherd in the second sequel.
  • Doru and Barnaby in Nativity Rocks!.
• Retroactive Recognition: There's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance by Martha Howe-Douglas as one of the Oakmoor parents.
• The Scrappy: The Manchild that is Desmond Poppy, for reasons outlined below.
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic:
  • Desmond Poppy in the first film. While it is treated as a sad moment when Mrs Bevan fires him and Maddens lays into him with "The Reason You Suck" Speech, every word both characters say to him is completely true. Poppy, who only got the position of teaching assistant out of Nepotism in the first place, is the one who blew the story about the Hollywood production company out of proportion, in addition to which he encouraged a "rumble" between primary school children and grown men (a deleted scene also depicts him defending Mr Maddens by fighting the irate father of one of his students), kidnapped two children (and made Maddens take them to Hollywood with him, without telling either the head mistress or their parents), and even forged permission papers, not to mention stealing farm animals. The rest of the school has every reason to be angry at his irresponsible behaviour.
  • Mr Poppy is also rather like this in the sequel. Mr Peterson is presented as being in the wrong for constantly shouting at Mr Poppy, but Desmond has essentially abducted a whole class full of children and their teacher, has led them into the middle of nowhere and even destroys Peterson’s phone, which he needs to check on his heavily pregnant wife. Though we’re meant to sympathise with Mr Poppy when he calls out Mr Peterson as sounding like his father, it comes off less as an innocent man telling off a well-meaning but grumpy teacher but more like Mr Poppy using Mr Peterson’s uncomfortable past to get him to shut up and stop rightfully complaining.

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