Each year around Christmas, I like to watch some new holiday movies; I’m always on the hunt for a new classic.
I feel like one of the last movies to really have any significant staying power was 2004’s “The Polar Express.” There are, of course, always a few new contenders each year and some that resonate with certain groups, but in terms of mass appeal, new classics can be hard to find.
This year, I turned my sights on Reginald Hudlin’s “Candy Cane Lane,” currently streaming on Prime Video.
Nick (Eddie Murphy) loses his job right before the holidays and is scrambling to figure out how to make up for that. When his neighborhood announces that there will be a $100,000 prize for the best-decorated house, he decides to forgo his usual handmade decorations and visits a pop-up shop run by the very intense Pepper (Jillian Bell). She sells him a Christmas tree based on the song “The 12 Days of Christmas.” But this sure-fire win comes with a price. Now, Nick and his family have to work together to figure out how to save Christmas in more ways than one.
This movie is a mess, but I still found it to be an enjoyable mess. Murphy’s comedic chops continue to hold up, and I don’t think I will ever tire of his work. The family dynamic he builds with Tracee Ellis Ross as his wife and the three kids works well for this movie. The whole cast is well constructed, and I enjoyed all of the characters, particularly at the end of the film, when the humor in the movie is at its zenith. The premise is unique enough to feel fresh, even though it is a play on more worn tropes.
The story is scattered, at times leaving me wondering what the focus was. The movie makes a big deal about Nick’s dedication to handmade decorations at the beginning of the film, but by the end, that feels completely abandoned. There are some nice “follow your own path” moments with the kids; I just wish that thread had been followed with his decorating choices.
Visually, I very much enjoyed this movie. There are some small animated characters (including the a capella group Pentatonix), and I absolutely love their aesthetic. There were also some exciting visuals surrounding the magical Christmas tree, which I found well done. One action scene involving the Lord a’leaping was a lot of fun.
At its heart, this is a movie about a family learning to trust each other, even if they don’t always understand one another. I think that is what allowed me to overlook some of the flaws in this movie. When tensions run high because of a lack of communication and listening, it was nice to watch a film about people making an effort to know each other better.
I don’t know if this will make it into the annals of Christmas classics, but there are worse ways to spend a couple hours as we close out 2023.
ALISE CHAFFINS is a Morgantown writer who loves movies and sharing her opinions. She reviews a movie from a streaming service every Saturday and one newly in theaters every Sunday. Find more at MacGuffin or Meaning on Substack.
