It is nice to haveEddie Murphyback making movies consistently again. There aren’t many comics left making movies, especially not on the big screen.Kevin Hartis still around,Adam Sandlerischurning out movies for Netflix, andWill Ferrellwill headline the occasional comedy. However, those likeSeth Rogenseem to have shifted away from making comedies and tend to work more on the producing side of things. Since the success and acclaim ofDolemite is My Name, Murphy has made himself comfortable leading comedies again for streamers like Netflix and Prime Video.
Candy Cane Laneis being marketed as the icon’s first Christmas movie (althoughTrading Placesbegs to differ), and it also marks the first film to fall under the comedian’s three-picture deal with Amazon. While Murphy’s movie career has had some major successes, such asBeverly Hills Cop,Coming To America,Dreamgirls, andShrek,he has also been no stranger to starring in family-friendly fare. While some of us may claim that his takes onDoctor DolittleandThe Haunted Mansionare guilty pleasures, they also seemed to throw the comedian into a box, that it took going into semi-retirement to break out of. On the surface,Candy Cane Lanelooks like it would fall right in line with those kinds of movies rather than something like48 Hrs. It is also not a bad career move, Christmas movies are usually a guaranteed success for streaming services, regardless of their actual quality.
Candy Cane Lane
A family moves to a town renowned for its spectacular Christmas displays and quickly becomes embroiled in the neighborhood’s intense holiday decorating contest. As they strive to create the most impressive display on Candy Cane Lane, they face off with competitive neighbors and discover the deeper values of community and holiday spirit.
What Is ‘Candy Cane Lane’ About?
Desperate to win, Chris and his youngest daughter Holly (Madison Thomas) stumble upon a mysterious Christmas pop-up shop run by the eccentric Pepper (Jillian Bell). Chris makes a deal with the mysterious stranger that he hopes will lead to him winning the contest, but unbeknownst to him, Pepper just so happens to be a mischievous runaway elf. The next day,Pepper casts a magical spell on Chris' holiday decorations that bring the 12 Days of Christmas to life. Now, in a race against time, the Carver family must attempt to break the spell, or else Chris will become a holiday decoration himself.
‘Candy Cane Lane’ Is Exactly What You’d Expect
The best way to describeCandy Cane Laneis like if you took the originalJumanjimovie and covered it with tinsel and Christmas ornaments. It’s mildly clever, but not to the level that it thinks it is. If you’ve seen the trailers or any of the marketing forCandy Cane Lane, you should know exactly what you are getting into.Reginald Hudlin, who directed Murphy inBoomerang31 years ago, does a nice job at creating a cozy atmosphere that you would want and expect out of a Christmas movie, but there is not much else there outside some funky-looking CGI birds and TikTok references that feel dead on arrival.
It’s not thatCandy Cane Laneis completely devoid of any laughs;Danielle PinnockandTimothy Simonshave some great one-liners as the hosts of a local news program, withD.C. Young Flyalso getting some laughs as Pinnock’s influencer nephew. That being said,this is a movie that is headlined by one of the funniest men to ever grace the screen, yet the film never plays to Murphy’s greatest strengths as a performer. He is still effortlessly charming and has some excellent chemistry with Ross, Thomas,Genneya Walton, andThaddeus J. Mixson, but the film never really knows what it wants to do with him. He’s not quite the straight man to the holly jolly hullabaloo, but he’s also not as zany and fast-talking either. Murphy is just there.
‘Candy Cane Lane’ Has Enough Cheer To Carry Itself Across the Finish Line
Candy Cane Laneis not a particularly bad movie either. Kelly Younger’s script has a lot of warmth to it, and while some of the familial drama at the center of the film doesn’t feel necessary, there is rarely a cynical moment in the film. Although Ross' character does work at a package distribution center, the name “Amazon” is never uttered, so the movie never feels too shameless or like an ad to use Prime to order Christmas gifts. Everybody in the cast looks to be enjoying themselves, and who are we to stomp on their fun? It’s Christmas after all.
Oftentimes, viewers will grade their Christmas movies on a scale, whether it’s fair or not; setting a movie during the holiday season is usually a safe bet to make audiences feel happy and comfortable. There are those all-time greats likeIt’s A Wonderful LifeandA Christmas Story, but there are also those amusing but forgettable recent entries likeThe Christmas ChroniclesorOffice Christmas Party.Candy Cane Laneisn’t going to become a new Christmas staple that you’ll be adding to your annual holiday movie marathon, but it also isn’t nearly as bad as something likeFred ClausorHome Sweet Home Alone. It is perfectly average, and the movie doesn’t seem to see any problem with that either. If you are looking for a light and fluffy holiday movie that you can stream with the whole family while sipping on some spiked eggnog, you can do a whole lot worse thanCandy Cane Lane.
Candy Cane Laneis available to stream on Prime Video in the U.S. starting December 1.
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