movie review
Deck the Halls
Broderick and DeVito Hit Rock Bottom
I think we can all agree that suburban life is hard. On TV, we’ve got mobsters, moms selling weed, and men with multiple wives. Not to mention all those desperate housewives. This movie continues the suburban-angst theme with two guys who don’t have a clue when to quit.
Matthew Broderick plays Dr. Stephen Finch, a typical dad, blessed with an attractive wife (Kristin Davis), nice kids (Alia Shawkat and Dylan Blue), and a wonderful home in the peaceful town of Cloverdale. Steve is the ultimate “Mr. Christmas,” choosing the perfect tree, putting up decorations, and planning everything from cards to caroling right down to the minute.
But all that ends when an obnoxious neighbor moves in next door. Danny DeVito plays Buddy Hall, a guy who’s the polar opposite of Steve. He’s loud and raucous and has big dreams, which have yet to materialize. He also has a beautiful wife (Kristin Chenoweth) and two shapely daughters (twins Sabrina and Kelly Aldridge).
Buddy is crestfallen 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. Oh no, he brings in real live camels and duct-tapes antlers on horses to make “reindeer”.
Steve is none too happy about any of this. “Around here, I’M the Christmas guy,” he tells Buddy, who just laughs and continues his misguided quest.
Things deteriorate into a testosterone-fueled contest of one-upmanship. 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).
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