This holiday spectacle was released in theatres in 2006, but Hollywood waited a whole year to release “Deck the Halls” on DVD in time for the 2007 Christmas season. Perhaps the wait may have been so people would forget how uninspiring it is, and how much it lacks any holiday magic. Some of the most successful Christmas stories involve everything going wrong around the holidays, no matter how hard the main character tries to hold it together. “Deck the Halls” tries to continue with this common theme, but the movie itself goes horribly wrong.
The film stars Matthew Broderick (“The Producers”) and Danny DeVito (TV’s “Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) as warring neighbors who take the holidays a little too seriously. Broderick is Steve Finch, a dentist who is the neighborhood’s Christmas expert until Buddy Hall (DeVito) moves in next door.
Buddy is a man who tires easily of his situation, moving his family from place to place in trying to find something to spark his passion. He stumbles upon the idea of lighting up his home as brightly as possible with exterior lighting so that it can be seen from space. His uptight next-door neighbor must deal with the inevitable craziness this brings to the town, while trying to create the perfect Christmas for his own family.
Broderick looks uncomfortable for most of the film, as he’s restrained in his role as the bored, straight man to DeVito’s funny guy. The problem is DeVito’s character isn’t that funny. He vacillates between a depressed wretch and an abrasive jerk - gone is the playful sleaziness he exuded in his “Romancing the Stone” days.
The comedic set-ups are all retreads of gags that worked better in “Christmas Vacation” or “Home Alone.” There is some warmth, as the families must learn the true meaning of Christmas toward the end. However, even the ending is an uninspired homage to the passable 2004 seasonal entry, “Christmas with the Kranks.”
On the sliding scale of seasonal flicks, this film doesn’t pass muster. So instead of taking a risk on “Deck the Halls,” dust off your movie shelf and watch an oldie but goodie from your own Christmas collection.
Rated PG for some crude and suggestive humor, and for language.
