I appreciate that as we enter the New Year I have kind of missed the season where this movie would be most appreciated. I originally planned to watch it around the20th, with my other half saying "Don't watch this, it would be great for Christmas Day"; then looking like a slapped backside on the big day having realised that one of its main cast was Matthew Broderick. Being Matthew Broderick is not a crime, those old enough considered him a hero 21 years ago when Ferris Buellers Day Off became a teenage favourite.
Deck The Halls is not a new concept in film making, in fact it's a tale that we have all seen a hundred times before, it largely bases its story around neighbouring rivalry and bad feeling in the season of joy. Steve Finch (Matthew Broderick) the dentist and Mayer of a small snowbound town is preparing for that very special time of year, a time of year he looks forward too for eleven months. But things are not going to be quite the usual contained standard that Steve desires this
year; Buddy Hall (Danny DeVito) has just rented the house next door and about to turn this Christmas upside down.
Deck The Halls is far from viewing rocket science, its plot is simple its jokes repetitive and old. But what the movie does have is certain innocence for Christmas. It avoids near the knuckle humour never once even getting close to delivering risqué scene, or a swear word. And in a world where you can't switch on your TV without hearing a word that 20 years ago would have caused complaint. You can watch the movie as a family, or perch the kids in front of it without fear of them being introduced to a concept you never wanted them to know about for years.
The story has some big flaws in particular the main issue of the story The Halls (do you see the humorous reference here? Or at least attempted one) desire for their house to be seen on Google Earth. Anyone familiar with Google Earth will know that its satellite images are delayed sometimes up to two years out of date. As a result when Buddy does not see his increasingly illuminated house (which he adorns with Christmas lights) it fails to show up on Google Earth, it's almost a forgotten aspect of the story, and certainly a missed joke.
As strains between these two rival neighbours' strains each one goes out of their way to either perform a bigger and bolder stunt, or get a better revenge. Broderick's character more and more often on the losing side, even when initially he seems to be winning. Devito obviously has an initial disadvantage due to being the new guy in town, with Broderick being a popular character around town. It's not long before the townsfolk take a big shine to the Halls, and forget their long term popular town leader.
Matthew Broderick shines in a kind of old and crotchety way, sharing his house with Kelly, who is interestingly played by his real wife's work colleague Kristen Davis from Sex In The City. DeVito is more like he was back in the 80's a bit silly but fairly solid. The other supporting roles are relatively good, the kids of both families showing a reasonable amount of contempt for their parents especially Alia Shawcat who plays Broderick's disgusted daughter.
Deck The Halls is not a movie to write about in any real length, it is what it is, a simple and traditional seasonal movie. No major laughs for adults who will find it a bit silly most of the time, but the kids will undoubtedly take a shine to it laughing their socks off at all the silly old jokes. The film will most likely become the National Lampoons Christmas Vacation for the new generation; a reference which you cannot help but make if you have seen both movies as Deck The Halls borrows largely from Vacation. It is however nice to be able to sit down as a family and watch a movie together, while it might be tired it's certainly tolerable. If kids ae missing from your household however, this movie might prove to be a big mistake.
The DVD is released by Fox DVD with a Retail Price of around £10, sadly (or I guess not) it has no special features.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
very helpful by (100%):
