The Pet Sematary director opens up about her work on Netflix's "Best. Christmas Ever." — and why the continued conversation around Madonna's "Like a Prayer" video, which she also directed, is "extremely gratifying."
Mary Lambert cut her teeth directing some of Madonna’s most iconic — and, in one case, controversial — music videos, before tackling horror with the first two Pet Sematary films.
But while her latest movie, Netflix’s holiday film Best. Christmas. Ever., holds little in common with those other gigs on her resume, Lambert says working on the comedy with Heather Graham, Brandy Norwood and Jason Biggs wasn’t all that different from directing a film about zombified loved ones returning from the grave.
With the Christmas film debuting at #1 on Top 10 films on the streamer in the US and #2 globally, behind only David Fincher’s The Killer, TooFab caught up with Lambert to discuss working on the feel-good flick, as well as the controversy surrounding one of her most popular — and polarizing — videos, Madonna’s ‘Like a Prayer’.
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How does it feel that the movie opened at number one on in the US?
What do you think? It felt really good. I had a similar success with my previous Netflix film and you wanna do as good or better. You don’t wanna go backwards. But I’ve always had confidence that people were gonna relate to this story and to these characters. That’s what drew me to the script.
I’ve done so many different things in my career and for me it’s not so much about like, do I direct horror movies? Do I direct holiday movies? Do I direct music videos? It’s whether I’m doing something that I enjoy and that I believe in, and am I working with material that I connect with?
And this was a story that I really connected with, the story of Charlotte (Graham) who has vulnerabilities and insecurities and is feeling a little insecure and vulnerable about Christmas. And then she ends up at the house of Jackie (Norwood), who I also love, because she just embodies his sense of joy and belief that one would hope that Christmas would be about, no matter what your religious beliefs of Christmas. It’s still a time of coming together and celebrating the fact that the darkest moment of the winter is over and spring will come again, and we all get together and have fellowship.
Then there’s the fun of the kind of conflict between the two women. It’s not really conflict, but there is a conflict there with Charlotte’s jealousy and mistrust and feelings of inadequacy. And Jackie, trying to embrace her and move through this, and then something happens — I’m not gonna say what it is — that’s a big emotional kind of moment that that really brings the two of them together. I love that. I love that it could be funny and silly and edgy and every once in a while, kind slightly magical, and yet still have this real emotional heart.
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Can you talk a little bit about working with the cast on striking that balance between the physical comedy, moments of camp and the more touching moments sprinkled throughout. Just what were the conversations like with the cast on how to get that right?
It’s very subtle. We were always working towards a sense of the reality of the emotions and still being aware that there were certain aspects of the story that verge on fantasy. When something is funny, it’s funny because it goes a little further than it ever really would in real life or it touches up, it just takes you a little further than you usually get to in reality. For me, that’s when something’s funny, is when it pushes a boundary and opens up a laugh.
So we were just always experimenting with that. It was exciting. I mean, you know, Jason is an amazing kinetic actor. And the kids just, the kids loved it. We would do little ad libs and improvs and there’s never enough time to rehearse, but we did some rehearsals with the kids and treated them just like actors ’cause they are actors. And they all did the work of actors. The cast was really fun and everybody was really different and had their own strengths.
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Are there different challenges when you’re doing something like this, like a comedy or a Christmas movie, compared to your horror and music video past?
For me, it’s about respecting the material and respecting your actors and, and finding the truth of the material. And also always asking yourself, what am I saying, what is the story I’m telling to the audience?
The audience is always there, you know you’re doing this for an audience. You’re not doing this for yourself. There were some moments where we were having a really good time, but still, it’s not a carnival ride that you’re on, not an a amusement park ride that, when it’s over, you’re the one who got to take the ride. You’re creating something and you have to always keep in mind.
It’s the same process no matter what you’re doing. But it’s a different result. Just be aware of what the result is and always know who your audience is. I wanted [Best. Christmas. Ever.] to play for families and younger people, but there’s a little bit of edgy adult humor in the movie. And I didn’t wanna lose that, ’cause I think that’s what makes this script special.
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We’re all very familiar with your past work, including horror films like Pet Sematary and its sequel, as well as your many music videos with Madonna, including Like a Prayer. This year, Pepsi finally released the ad they pulled back in 1989 in response to backlash over the video and Madonna wrote a whole post celebrating your work together. Obviously fans have always loved the video, but do you think there’s a new appreciation for it now?
I’ve been really gratified because I knew when I was making that video that it was important. I was unprepared for how controversial it was gonna be. I knew it was going to be controversial, but I was really gratified that the things that I wanted to say and that Madonna wanted to say about ecstasy and and racism and love, just hit such a chord with so many people.
The fact that still has a life and people still appreciate and that, every so often, it comes around and gets a fresh look is extremely gratifying to me.
We also wanted to thank you for your work with Pet Sematary movies. After the second film didn’t fare as well as the first, do you feel like you were ever put in “director jail” after? It still feels like women directors aren’t given the same chances after a movie doesn’t succeed as some of their male counterparts.
Well, you said it [laughs]. Unfortunately it’s true, but at the same time, I have been given a lot of opportunities. Yeah. I’m grateful for those.
The In Crowd was another fun one that maybe didn’t find its audience at the time.
Working with an ensemble group of characters, I love that, I wish that I had had more of that in my career. And it’s not over yet, so that’s what I’m aiming for now is more of that, working with an ensemble like in Best Christmas ever. Creating relationships and saying something about humanity in that way.
Fingers crossed we get a Halloween movie from you for Netflix soon as well.
Ooooh! Who knows. I’m just excited about whatever the next project’s gonna be!
Best. Christmas. Ever. is streaming now on Netflix
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