Deck the Halls

The reviews and the comments were quite harsh, so I decided to take the gamble and go see it. Glad I made that decision. I laughed and so did my wife and 13 year old daughter. The 11 year old boy didn't spend nearly as much time laughing.

Some of the funniest scenes are in the trailers, as with the majority of movies, but there were a number of surprises.

It starts out great and does slide downhill just a bit. Maybe they ran out of good material towards the end... Or possibly they wanted to actually make a statement, about the seriousness of Christmas. Either way, I would not pay to see it again, but I would rent it or watch it on TV.

Merry Christmas...

To put it briefly, this was an entertaining movie, gave me a number of laughs and was also extremely stupid and insulting to anyone's intelligence. But, if you look at it strictly as a farce, it will do for a 90-minute diversion. Just don't take any of the characters seriously and try not to get annoyed - which isn't easy - at the typical comedy clichés that are in this movie. And - as some others have pointed out - do not watch this with your kids; it's not "family fare."

Many of the dumb "Hollywood stereotypes" you've endured in comedies the last few decades are in this film. A few examples: the obnoxious kids who say clever things; the typical family story where the men are made to look stupid while the women are smart and sensible; one guy who is a total crook is pictured as sympathetic; things happen in minutes that would take days to occur, unnecessary sex jokes, on and on. Yet, through it all, there are some funny lines of dialog and the Christmas lights on Danny DeVito's house are great fun to see.

This comedy also reminded me a lot of "What, About Bob?" as DeVito slowly drives neighbor Matthew Broderick almost crazy as Bill Murray did to Richard Dreyfuss. I'm told it also was like the National Lampoon's Christmas Story but I never saw that.

What was very interesting were two five-minute featurettes which came with the DVD. In it, is explained and shown how the movie makers built the two houses from scratch, put in all the incredible lights and light show and how it was made to look dark. The story takes place in a mythical town in Massachusetts (where nobody in the film, by the way, has an accent!) but was filmed in Vancouver in July where they were only getting six hours of darkness per night. Most of the film takes place at night so they also built as 60-foot high ark-like building over the two big houses! Incredible!

"Deck the Halls" is actually a fun and enjoyable Christmas comedy. Of course it doesn't match the 1989 "Christmas Vacation". However, I will say that "Deck the Halls" is noteworthy and does compliment the genre well enough.

It is much in the same League as "Christmas Vacation", as it is the Holiday feud of two neighbors competing to have the role of the local Christmas guy - the guy who is the heart of the Christmas season. And things quickly escalates out of control in no time.

Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick actually were great in their roles in this 2006 movie. But especially Broderick surprised with his performance in "Deck the Halls".

The movie is fun and entertaining for the whole family, and there are some good laughs throughout the movie. It was just a shame that there weren't more funny scenes though, because it would have lifted the movie further up.

If you want a fun movie for the Christmas holidays and want an alternative to "Christmas Vacation" then give "Deck the Halls" a chance. I have seen it for the past two Christmas holidays now, and believe that it will become a holiday tradition for me, just as "Christmas Vacation" is.

While this movie is not laugh out loud funny, I still found it cute and entertaining. I especially liked the unique and bright light display. I don't know if most of those lights were just computer generated or if they decorated a real house, but it sure looked amazing.

In the movie, Buddy hall and his family moves across the street from the Finch's. He comes up with the idea of making his house bright enough to be seen from outer space. All the lights and traffic begin to aggravate Steve Finch. He makes an attempt to sabotage Buddy's lights, but his attempt isn't very successful. He competes with Buddy in the town speed skating contest. Steve's wife gets along with Buddy's and she and kids begin doing things different. Steve wants everything done the same as in the same "family traditions." Buddy and Steve learn a lesson in the end and what it means to be good neighbors.

FINAL VERDICT: Entertaining. 12 year olds should like this as well as adults.

Steve Finch (Matthew Broderick) is smallish Cloverdale, Massachusetts's town optometrist. He also is determined to create great holiday memories at Christmastime for, as he explains, he was an army brat and moved too often to experience a traditional Xmas. Therefore, Steve has his family on a schedule that includes hanging wreaths and singing carols. He is also a big supporter for the town's winterfest celebrations. Enter Buddy Hall (Danny Devito). He and his wife have just purchased the house next door and Buddy has got the holiday spirit, too, in a big way. He wants enough lights on his house to assure it can be spotted from outer space! Buddy and Steve get off on the wrong foot from the start, with Buddy's light-and-music show giving Steve insomnia and stress. Can these two get into the true holiday spirit of forgiveness and harmony? This is a nice addition to the holiday movie repertoire. Broderick and Devito are fine as the quarreling neighbors, with Devito turning down his manic comedy just a bit, with welcome results. The rest of the cast is well chosen, too. The look of the film is arresting and the costumes and scenery quite appealing. Near the end of the flick, there is a sweet moment when the lights go out and the lovely song, O Holy Night, is resonating. What a great way to remind everyone for the true reason for the holiday, amid the humorous chaos of the rest of the picture. If you want to see something new this holiday or in the future, this one will do nicely for a family gathering. It has some laughs and messages that will get everyone in the mood for the annual holiday experiences.