‘Tis the time of year for families to gather around the TV with their hot chocolate, and let the holiday films flow. There is a veritable cornucopia of movies about the seasons, and streaming services seem to pump a few dozen in every year now. While many of these films probably put their creators on Santa’s naughty list, Candy Cane Lane has enough laughs, love, and holiday spirit to earn some of St. Nick’s good graces.
Eddie Murphy plays Chris, who needs a win – and the opportunity he seeks comes in the form of his neighborhood’s annual Christmas home decoration contest. Desperate to get a leg up on his neighbors, Murphy inadvertently makes a deal with a mischievous elf named Pepper (Jillian Bell), whose spell brings the 12 Days of Christmas to life – and chaos runs amok across the whole town. Murphy is joined by Tracee Ellis Ross, who plays his wife Carol, and their three children, who all must race to break Pepper’s spell in order to save Christmas for everyone.
There are many ghosts from Christmas movies in this film. The light decorating competition is part of Ron Howard’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and the center of the conflict between Matthew Broderick and Danny Devito in Deck the Halls. Ken Marino plays Murphy’s main competition. His yard is full of inflatables, which leads to some funny back-and-forth between the two guys early in the film.
Of course, an elf with an agenda has been seen in a variety of Christmas movies. The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two features such a character played by Julian Dennison, and even Hermey in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer rebels because he wants to be a dentist rather than make toys. Bell is perfectly cast to be the slightly deranged and bitter elf, Pepper. She is equal parts sugar and spice, bringing the right tone to the quirky family comedy.
The characters that will make or break the film for most audiences are the Carver family. Murphy and Ross start a little dry…but as the movie goes on, their charm comes across. The three kids – Genneya Walton as Joy, Thaddeus J. Mixson as Nick, and Madison Thomas as Holly – bring their own style to the film. Each character has something they are working through, and it’s only through the relationships between the family that any of them can achieve resolution. It’s that warm-hearted storytelling that often gets eye-rolls during the year, but feels right at home in a Christmas film.
Candy Cane Lane is a little clunky with the plot, and is definitely is an amalgamation of many other holiday films. However, it’s quite charming, and Murphy’s performance reminds us why he has been a leading man in comedies for over 40 years. Fans of Christmas movies will want to ensure to add this one to the watchlist.
Candy Cane Lane will be on Prime Video on December 1.
Rating: Not Quite Golden, Ponyboy
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