Susan Granger’s review of “Deck the Halls” (20th Century-Fox)
It’s December 1st in Cloverdale, Massachusetts, the precise date when optometrist Steve Finch (Matthew Broderick) begins his meticulously organized preparations for the town’s annual Winterfest carnival, much to the chagrin of his long-suffering wife Kelly (Kristin Davis), sullen daughter (Alia Shawkat) and 10 year-old son (Dylan Blue) who is suffering a mid-life crisis.
That’s also the date that a sleazy car salesman , Buddy Hall (Danny DeVito), his blowsy, outspoken wife Tia (Kristin Chenoweth) and their sexy, dim-witted teenage twins (Sabrina & Kelly Aldridge) move in next door.
“How bad can it be?” burbles Kelly. Pretty bad.
Desperate for recognition, Buddy impetuously decides to put up enough dazzling, megawatt decorations so that his house can be seen from outer space. In addition to this visual extravaganza, there’s holiday music and a live manger scene with cows, sheep, donkey and camel.
Predictably, Matthew Broderick plays the uptight stiff, Danny DeVito is the weasel and Kirsten Davis (“Sex and the City”) is the compliant wife. Kristen Chenoweth (Broadway’s “Wicked,” TV’s “West Wing”) adds spark, and the only surprise is glimpsing Jorge Garcia from TV’s “Lost.”
The mean-spirited rivalry between this bore and boob to be the local King of Christmas includes the willful destruction of property, which isn’t funny, and an oddly manipulative conclusion. Writers Matt Corman, Chris Ord and Don Rhymer pile clichŽ upon clichŽ, while director John Whitesell telegraphs each twist and turn before it occurs.
But in the background on TV, there are glimpses of Judy Garland in “Meet Me in St. Louis” and Edmund Gwenn in “Miracle on 34th Street,” two Christmas films you’d be better off renting. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Deck the Halls” is a flimsy, fumbling 4. Bah humbug!
