Candy Cane Lane Movie Review: Convenient writing pulls down novel premise

In a scene in Candy Cane Lane, Santa Claus literally appears out of the sky in what looks like a race car, and zooms on to the famous neighbourhood of El Segundo to take Chris Carver’s (Eddie Murphy) family by surprise. But when the initially surprised residents of El Segundo are shown to go back to their Christmas Decoration contest like nothing unreal has happened, it becomes clear how important it is for characters in a film to believe in the magical realism at play.

Cast: Eddie Murphy, Jillian Bill, Tracee Ellis Ross, Thaddeus J Mixson
Director: Reginald Hudling

Candy Cane Lane revolves around Chris, who is recently laid off and is desperate to win the 'Candy Cane Lane' decoration contest that comes with a prize of $100,000. When he purchases a 12 Days of Christmas carousel Christmas tree from a pop-up store called Kringle’s, little does he know he’s being tricked by an elf who will turn him into a porcelain doll if he fails the task. The premise is novel, but the logical loopholes, the unrealistic responses characters have towards magic, and the slightly convenient writing makes it all a bit tiring.

Directed by Reginald Hudling, Candy Cane Lane is quite quick to set its conflict in motion. Fifteen minutes into the film, we already find Chris ready to go to any extent to win this contest. For most of the first half, the film keeps us curious to know what’s next. The downside however is that the pacing soon hits a roadblock, and eventually starts progressing by inchmeal, making it a premise whose potential gets unfulfilled.

Take, for instance, the concept of the protagonist's family being named after important aspects of the season. Of course, Eddie is Chris, his children are Nick, Joy and Holly, and his wife is Carol. But barring a solitary comic scene, such asides aren't milked for their potential. The lack of surprises in the narrative acts as a dampener too. When we see Joy, a sprinter ‘coincidentally’ running into a college athletics coach in the climax, or when Carol messes up her promotion meeting and still ends up getting the job, we see these Christmas miracles coming even from Easter.

On the whole, the not-so-great Christmas films streak continues. Eddie Murphy fans have seen better performances of their icon, and this film seems like he just sleep-walked through it. Ultimately, Candy Cane Lane ends up as a Christmas gift you received from a friend without a receipt. You want to return it, but you can’t, so you act like you like it.