Deck the Halls

MPAA Rating: Not yet rated
Released in Theaters: Nov. 17, 2006

Matthew Broderick plays Dr. Stephen, a typical dad who has an attractive wife (Kristin Davis), nice kids (Alia Shawkat and Dylan Blue), and a wonderful home in the peaceful town of Cloverdale. Steve is “Mr. Christmas,” choosing the perfect tree, putting up decorations, and planning everything from cards to caroling.

But that all ends when an obnoxious neighbor moves next door. Danny DeVito plays Buddy, a loud and disruptive guy. He also has a beautiful wife (Kristin Chenoweth) and two pretty daughters (twins Sabrina and Kelly Aldridge).

Buddy is upset when he discovers his house doesn’t show up on Internet satellite photos, so he decides to create the biggest Christmas light display ever. When he plugs in his high-wattage spectacle, all the other houses on the block go dim. But he doesn’t stop there. He brings in live camels and duct-tapes antlers on horses to make “reindeer”.

Steve isn’t pleased about this since he tells Buddy, “Around here, I’M the Christmas guy.” Buddy laughs this comment off. Egos get in the way and Steve sets out to sabotage Buddy’s display, but ends up inside the camel pen, getting slimed by green spume. He and Buddy have it out at a local carnival, wreaking havoc while their wives try to talk some sense into them (and the audience tries to find some glimmer of a holiday message in this mess of a movie).

Its one redeeming quality is pairing DeVito and Broderick. If only they’d had better material to work with. Unfortunately, this movie is destined to end up on the lists that also include Christmas With the Kranks and Surviving Christmas. Sad.