It’s the most wonderful time of the year again, and with the start of the holiday season it should come as no surprise that we’re getting a flood of Christmas themed trailers. Today’s latest, Candy Cane Lane, gives us one of my favorite brands of Eddie Murphy. I know I’ll get some hate for this but I really love “Dad mode” Eddie, obviously 80s Axel Foley Murphy will always be the pinnacle form for the legendary comic but I almost always enjoy movies where he plays the dad, I’m not even 100% sure why.
Candy Cane Lane seems like a pretty standard holiday film at first. Murphy is out to make sure he has the best decorated house on the block, it becomes apparent very quickly that this isn’t going to stay down the road you are expecting. After signing off on a Christmas decoration package at a specialty store he quickly realizes he signed a deal with an elf. Sure, it doesn’t sound as bad as a deal with the devil, but once you realize this elf turns people into tiny figurines to include in Christmas displays it becomes more more sinister.
The film features Murphy and Tracee Ellis Ross as the parents of the central family and Jillian Bell (who I’m really hit or miss on) as Pepper, the mischievous elf out to imprison Eddie. With a supporting cast featuring the likes of Nick Offerman and Ken Marino it’s hard for me to imagine this film not being a good way to spend 90 minutes of your holiday season.
Candy Cane Lane debuts on Prime Video December 1st, 2023
Official Synopsis:
A man is determined to win the neighborhood’s annual Christmas decorating contest. He makes a pact with an elf to help him win–and the elf casts a spell that brings the 12 days of Christmas to life, which brings unexpected chaos to town.
