For years, an online shop named Super Yaki has been selling T-shirts and hats with the message “Judy Greer should’ve been the lead.” This showcases just how beloved Greer is among audiences, despite her often being cast as a sidekick rather than the main character. This month, a significant change occurred: The 49-year-old actress finally received top billing in a movie that premiered on over 3,000 screens. But there’s a catch – her lead role is in a Christian family movie from the son of the co-writer of the Left Behind books. And it’s debatable whether it truly is a lead role.

Greer’s Journey to Lead

Greer plays a mother in “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” directed by Dallas Jenkins. This isn't her first lead role; she had previously headlined the short-lived FX comedy “Married” in 2014 alongside Nat Faxon. Some critics also considered her 2022 turn in the Hulu sitcom “Reboot” a lead. Just last year, she starred in the sci-fi film “Aporia.” However, those movies were either small-budget or not widely seen. Even so, the perception of Greer has long been that she’s a reliable second fiddle, playing various supporting roles like the best friend, the deliverer of bitchy asides, and the wacky comic relief. This was a quality she often discussed in interviews and used as a basis for her 2014 memoir, “I Don’t Know What You Know Me From: My Life as a Co-Star.”Fans of Greer have been longing for more significant roles for a long time. In 2015, Scott Meslow wrote about the “Judy Greer effect” – how as her career progressed, she was cast in bigger movies but with smaller parts. That year alone, she appeared in four major movies like “Ant-Man” and “Jurassic World,” but her parts were often unimportant or thankless. She was often stuck in so-called personal roles, playing the wives and mothers of the main characters.Nearly a decade later, the situation remains somewhat the same. Greer has stayed busy with over 160 credits on her IMDb page. But it’s arguable that she still hasn’t been given the showcase her abilities deserve. The best approximation might be the Hollywood satire “Reboot,” which was canceled after one season, a decision that Greer seemed particularly disappointed about. She has also stepped behind the camera, directing her own film in 2018.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

In “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” Greer plays Grace, a stay-at-home mother of two. Her family lives in a small town where the annual church Christmas pageant is a big event. This year is the 75th anniversary, making it more important than ever. When the usual director gets sick, Grace volunteers, despite the doubts of her family and other town mothers. Problems arise when the Herdmans, six misbehaving siblings, show up to participate.The Herdmans are the real focus of the movie. Greer is only the lead by default as the six siblings share the attention. Grace spends most of the movie trying to civilize the Herdmans and protect them from the judgmental townfolk. Greer radiates kindness in the role, mostly succeeding without being condescending. But there’s little room for the quirk and wit that fans are used to seeing in her best performances. Playing a sweet, guileless mother doesn’t give her much to work with. The movie has a cartoonish Christmas special feel to it. It’s not the lead performance that those T-shirts had envisioned for her. So, Greerios, we must keep hoping for better. Yes, Judy Greer should have been the lead – of a great movie.