Deck The Halls Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
There glows the neighborhood
This holiday comedy is centered around two neighbors in a small New England town who go to war when one of them decides to decorate his house with a so many Christmas lights that they are visible from space. The neighborhood is turned upside down as the families try to discover the true meaning of Christmas.
| Danny DeVito | Buddy Hall |
| Matthew Broderick | Steve Finch |
| Kristin Davis | Kelly Finch |
| Kristin Chenoweth | Tia Hall |
| Alia Shawkat | Madison Finch |
| Dylan Blue | Carter Finch |
| Sabrina Aldridge | Ashley Hall |
| Kelly Aldridge | Emily Hall |
| Jorge Garcia | Wallace |
| Fred Armisen | Gustave |
| Gillian Vigman | Gerta |
| Ryan Devlin | Bob Murray |
| Sean O'Bryan | Mayor Young |
| SuChin Pak | Herself |
| Jackie Burroughs | Mrs. Ryor |
| John Whitesell |
4.40 out of 10 (1063 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Hearty fare for the Holidays
posted on 28 Aug 2009You see what you want to see most times in many instances. Some critics here say this is "heartless" but maybe that says more about them than about this movie. I was pleasantly surprised by this movie because it DOES show heart. Best of all, for Christians, it shows the REAL meaning of Christmas (as in the birth of Jesus Christ), subtly, not banging you over the head with a manger, but makes sure to use a creche scene, mention the birth of Jesus, and use Christian lyrics among the usual secular stuff. So for me, that made the movie all the more meaningful. I didn't catch any embarrassing language or actions. Any "violence" is over-the-top cartoon stuff. And the lighting effects ARE great.There are also some genuinely funny lines, but you need a sophisticated sense of humor to catch it, especially with the deadpan style of Broderick.It's a funny, fun, family film. I highly recommend it. (And don't pay attention to grinch critics who say otherwise! They don't see heart in this film because their hearts are "two sizes two small.") ;)
Excellent comedy!!!
posted on 20 Aug 2009This is a hilarious Christmas comedy...The story is about a car salesman, Buddy Hall, who makes a great effort to decorate his house in order to make it visible from space...It contains a lot of wonderful scenes that made me enjoy very much this movie...Danny De Vito is a great actor and in this film ,he proves this statement... The main idea behind this movie is that although things like presents and the Christmas tree, makes one enjoy the holiday a lot better, still most important is to spend these holidays with the family counting the blessings and having the Christmas spirit. I read some negative opinions on this movie and although there exists some predictability in this movie, still this is a great family movie. 9/10.
Not Worth Seeing
posted on 10 Aug 2009While this movie did offer a few short laughs, I really did not find it very funny. Many of the supposedly funny moments were simply too predictable. And those that weren't predictable, just were not funny. Throughout the film, I wondered whether anyone would think these scenes were actually considered comedy. The plot was also a little too thin to make the movie interesting and way too thin for a Christmas movie. I got to the point where I didn't really care what happened to the two families. I think that the plot was so thin, it was difficult for the actors to feel the emotions they were trying to portray. Overall, I was very disappointed.
Laugh-out-loud funny!
posted on 09 Aug 2009Don't go looking for brilliant drama and witty Algonquin Roundtable insights into society here. This is a tremendously silly Christmas movie that families will adore. There's a cast of loveable characters behaving badly because of a neighborhood rivalry over Christmas lights. As you can expect, Danny DeVito plays an over-compensating Napoleonic nemesis to Matthew Broderick's mild mannered but pushed-over-the-edge rival.
You can probably fill in the rest of the story yourself. However, those expected complications are played out so well by the excellent cast that you can't help but laugh out loud!
If you can enjoy entertainment on those simple terms, then this is a Christmas DVD you'll enjoy for years to come.
Couldn't they hire one decent writer?
posted on 06 Aug 2009Deck the Halls is such an unbelievably badly written movie that tries to be a Christmas theater of the absurd, but manages not to either be a good Christmas movie or a good outlandish comedy. The writing here is horrible, how can anybody think that two men thinking their daughters are sexy be funny? Furthermore I highly doubt that anyone would allow this kind of exotic dancing to be in a New England Christmas pageant, and they are teenagers after all, don't the writers realize that? This movie is just too unbelievable, it might help if the movie was actually funny, but it seems like this has been done, from the sleigh going out of control and crashing into a frozen pond, to Christmas lights that usurp all of the power from the rest of the town (sounds like Home Improvement to me.) This is a Hollywood movie through and through, a movie with such a predictable formula a five year old could write it.Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick, two established comedic actors lead this movie, and they are too good for this movie. If you want to establish a theater of the absurd kind of comedy you actually have to do something that 1) Is somewhat original, and 2) Is funny, this movie seems to accomplish neither. The ending is so MTV it kind of makes you think that N*Sync might have better been suited for it. Not only does an MTV anchor appear but they use cell phones to light up the area after the power goes out. The ending alone is right up there with It's a Wonderful Life, NOT! Stick with another Christmas movie like It's a Wonderful Life, or even Going My Way, well it's kind of a Christmas movie. This one should never have been made, I still can't believe that somebody spends 30 million on a movie or so and this is the best they can come up with, I'd throw another 5 million in if I could just get a decent script.
Funnier Then Christmas With The Kranks
posted on 29 Jul 2009At least Matthew Broderick and Danny Devito didn't appear to be trying way to hard to be funny, they both seem to hit there mark just right. Some of whats in this movie does not make it a Christmas for the the whole family, unless your kids can look over the adult jokes, and enjoy the slapstick's humor that this movie seems to dish out. It starts with too neighbors named Doug(Matthew Broderick) and Buddy(Danny Devito) who start out as friendly, but soon become competitive on who is better at being Mr. Christmas, soon the season does not seem to jolly anymore, much of the dismay and annoyance of there families. I wouldn't call this film the greatest, if I were to compare it with ELF(2003), I 'd say ELF would win that round, but if I were to compare it Christmas With The Kranks(2004), I'd say Deck The Halls wins by a long shot.
You Know
posted on 08 Jul 2009I wouldn't have minded this dumb little movie so much if it were at least original. Every gag in the movie has already been done to death in other holiday movies. Matthew and Danny do what they can in their roles. They are exactly what you would expect. Matthew is the uptight orderly neighbor and Danny is the abrasive chaotic new guy next door. Fill in lots of pretty bad comedy in the middle and wasting the talents of the wives, and in the end both guys learn a lesson on getting along and learn to be more like the other guy to enjoy life. This one is okay to watch if you have kids, but it is a rental only. Not a good one for the collection.
We wish you a dreary Christmas
posted on 05 Jul 2009Some movies are so bad that you may swear off Christmas movies.This Christmas stars Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick as New England neighbours who spark a feud when one of them goes overboard with the Christmas decorations. DeVito plays Buddy who wants his house to be seen from "My Earth" (You know Goggle Earth?) and outer space. Two credible actors have just reached a low time in their careers."Oh honey, Christmas is THE most important day in the year." Give me a break. The acting was so bad that it is so unnatural, lame and cringe-worthy.Nasty neighbours fight but realise that Christmas is all about sharing. Family resolves conflicts and gets together for a meal, decorating the house with lights. The whole town goes in merry making, and ends by singing "Oh Holy Night". How contrived, pretentious and hypocritical can a Christmas movie get? It's Christmas, so please at least be sincere and realistic about it.The CG was so badly done. The scriptwriters forgot that their audience is actually sophisticated. As if we all know the 'true spirit' of Christmas is about being together with our family and neighbours. The whole town singing Christmas carols waving lighted hand phones was the last straw.Please… (Submitted by BanBan: http://themovieclub.blogspot.com)
When do we see the final cut?
posted on 23 Jun 2009WOW! This movie was a total waste of my money and my time. Some parts were forcefully funny, but all in all it felt like I was watching a bunch of rough sketches linked together. It felt very choppy and the storyline skipped around. I was hoping that this movie would live up to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, but it didn't even come close. Maybe next time the creators can work on character development and drawing the audience into the story. A great movie is one that the audience doesn't want to end. This one definitely had me wishing that I hadn't even bothered to come out and see it at the movies. It's not even worth buying on DVD...too bad.
Christmas Vacation meets Married With Children
posted on 15 Jun 2009Everybody has a favorite holiday classic they can sit down and enjoy with the family . i doubt Deck The Halls will make that short list . Steve Finch ( Matthew Broderick ) is the biggest dumb oaf in town who believes having a million lights and decorations on his house is the best way to enjoy the holidays . ( for a minute i thought i was watching Christmas Vacation 2, which happens to be one of my very favorite holiday movies ). When Buddy Hall, (Danny DeVito) and his floozy wife Tia move in next door the competition for " Fool of the Year " really heats up . the rest of the movie revolves around who can out do the other with more lights and junk . i don't know why the town's folks didn't grab torches and burn both houses down early on in the movie . this entire film could have been done on a one half hour episode of Married with Children . unfortunately, it's dragged out for a very long and boring 93 minutes . Impish Danny DeVito is OK for his part, but Matthew Broderick gives a wooden and unconvincing performance . i think he would do better by waiting for a sequel to Godzilla or the Stepford Wives . Danny DeVito is no chick magnet yet they matched him up with Kristen Chenoweth who is 24 years his junior and very attractive,( in a Peg Bundy way that is ). but unlike Al Bundy having a dumb son and cute but trashy daughter, Buddy Hall has a pair of amazingly red hot twins played by Kelly and Sabrina Aldridge, both 5'9" . i wonder how that happened ? Deck the Halls could have been much better or to put it another way, couldn't be any worse . i gave it a 2 because of Danny DeVito and his hot chick twins . Deck The Halls is another movie that should have gone straight to DVD . fast forward this one. it's Not Hot .....
Adding to my Christmas movie tradition
posted on 14 Jun 2009I am very surprised at all the negative reviews this movie has received! But I guess everyone has their own opinion. When I saw this movie, I thought it was hilarious and the ending is very sweet. I thought this movie was great and want to purchase it to make it part of my Christmas movie tradition. Some of the other movies that are part of my Christmas tradtion are "Christmas Vacation" (Chevy Chase), "The Santa Clause" series (Tim Allen), "Elf" (Will Farrell), "Scrooged" (Bill Murray), "Trapped in Paradise" (Nicolas Cage), "Jingle All The Way" (Arnold Schwartzenegger), and "March of the Wooden Soldiers" (Laurel and Hardy). I only list them so you can get an idea of the kinds of movies I like, and if you like the same movies, well, then it's a good guess you will probably like this movie as well! Just seeing how they light up this house in the movie is worth the watch - it looks like he has a tv screen on his roof - it's very cool!
Definitely the brightest ...but not the best Christmas comedy...
posted on 30 May 2009Danny DeVito has been in some pretty outrageous comedies, "Ruthless People", "Tin Men", among others. The problem with "Deck the Halls", is it simply isn't outrageous enough. I'm sure it's due to the PG rating, as R rated Christmas films are undoubtedly a tough sell to the studio. There are other problems, including Matthew Broderick's mummified performance. The film would have benefited from DeVito playing off a character you really sympathized with, which is not the case with Broderick. What you are left with is a tepid comedy, which is certainly no "Christmas Vacation", but still enjoyable. If Christopher Walken had played Matthew Broderick's part, and it was PG13 or R rated, "Deck the Halls" might have been a Christmas classic. - MERK
This movie is packed with brilliant surprises!
posted on 30 May 2009I found Deck the Halls to be a very enjoyable Christmas motion picture. The story here is somewhat interesting and the principal cast members are all very sophisticated. Many of the scenes included herein made me glow with happiness. I was extremely amazed by just about everything that this movie depicted. The film-makers really outdid themselves!Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick play Buddy Hall and Steve Finch, respectively. Hall is Finch's new neighbor and their families are met with mixed reactions. After a series of discoveries, Hall decides to decorate his house with an intense amount of Christmas lights and other holiday material. Finch gets jealous because his new neighbor is now the talk of the town. As a result, Finch tries to ruin everything for Hall. Eventually, their families become infuriated when the argument goes to far. After some apologies and reconciliation, the two families establish a strong friendship. Everyone has a happy holiday!My favorite scene was the one where Finch was dragged all over the city in the sleigh that Hall picked up from a local retailer. In addition, he found a couple of horses and decided to spice it all up. The horses had fake antlers taped on their heads to make them look like reindeer. The animals went crazy while Finch was sitting in the sleigh; they got active and Finch received the ride of his life.Also, I was delighted when I saw that DeVito's offspring here were portrayed by a set of beautiful twin teenage girls. My eyes got big every time these characters (Ashley and Emily) were on the screen. Seriously, these two cute gals really had me captivated! THEY WERE SO HOT!Highly recommended!
Plot less? Check. Clichéd? Check. Stupid? Check. Boring? Check. Okay boys, bring it to the big screen!
posted on 24 May 2009I can't believe I'm even offering this movie more of my precious time than the 93 minutes I already gave it. I must have checked my watch ten times and I considered walking out not once but twice. Everything other haters said is true in my book. Every joke was old, clichéd, and lame. There was no creativity in this movie WHATSOEVER. Many parts of the movie made no sense and the whole thing just generally...well, never mind. Of course, we couldn't go on without the disgusting potty humor--the falling into camel s*** and then getting puked on by said camel--and, oh, look, there are the fathers being stupid again. How come in every one of these movies the father is always the one being selfish and stupid? And I'm not a father saying this, I am a sixteen-year-old GIRL. But seriously. I have both a father and a stepfather and neither one is inconsiderate or selfish or stupid. And don't even get me started on the "message". It's really pathetic how these producers try to put heartwarming "messages" into their pieces of garbage. You wanna make me cry? Throw out another Titanic. Or some equally dramatic TEARJERKER. Not a shallow comedy about a couple of rich guys fighting over who's King of Christmas. Movies like this are supposed to be shallow; they're supposed to make you laugh; they shouldn't try to make you cry and say "oh, how deep" because it NEVER works. And with this movie being just a bunch of cods wallop thrown into a ninety-minute roll of film, any "deep" issues thrown in were just as sudden, random, and uncreative as their solutions. Generic, generic, generic. Cheap, cheap, cheap. Save your money. Use it to rent--no, buy--Elf instead.
this is rock bottom...
posted on 08 May 2009I think this has to be the very worst movie i have ever seen..it has nothing..no spirit..no screenplay..no acting.. i don't even know how anybody can watch it 'till the end..for me it was an actual fight..i just wanted to see how much bad lines and bad acting can i see in one movie.. the producers,the actors..they must have no shame releasing this movie..if i was in their shoes i think i would have to apologize to the public ant the ones that paid the tickets. please don't ever do this or anything close to this ever again..it is the absolute rock bottom of Christmas movie..or any kind of movie for that matter.. I am confident that Danny and Broderick can act..i have seen them doing much much better..i really hope that they are able to learn and never repeat this..maybe their agents should learn better and really do their job as advisers..or get fired..
Beyond abysmal family movie that I have to wonder why I even bothered watching
posted on 30 Apr 2009STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning This is the part of the review where I provide the plot summary. I've become accustomed to using it to start the review off, to give an idea of what the film is about and describe it in as detailed a way as I can. But I really think detail just doesn't describe the plot to Deck the Halls. It's about as detailed as this: Danny De Vito's character wants to use tacky Christmas decorations to make his house so bright it can be seen from space and his neighbour (Matthew Broderick) tries to stop him. Wow. If that sounds like a great plot to you, I'm sure you'll love Deck the Halls. For more demanding viewers though, it's a bit too thin and whimsical to stand the duration of a movie, even if it is under an hour and a half. The lead stars, both fading actors who haven't had a hit for a while, only seem to add to the problems, Broderick apathetic and lazy in his role, while De Vito goes through the motions doing his usual loud, obnoxious American act. You might force a chuckle here and there but overall your lasting thought will be less a feeling of festive cheer and more an insult that rhymes with the title. *
where are the laughs?,
posted on 30 Apr 2009the certainly aren't in this movie.i did not laugh once,nor did i even smile.this is one of the most unfunny comedies i have ever seen.not only did i find it unfunny,i also found it non-entertaining.it's 88 minutes,without the closing credits,and in this case,it's 88 minutes too long.plus,the movie seems very formulaic to me,with nothing new.i hate to say it,but with this movie,they hit rock bottom,and kept digging.i didn't like Danny Devito or Mattthew Broderick in this thing.Kristen Davis was OK,but not great.the lone bright spot for me,in this movie,was Kristin Chenoweth.i thought she was pretty good as Devito's character's wife.otherwise,i don't think this movie was worth watching.for me, Deck the Halls is a 2/10
This Christmas movie is no gift!
posted on 28 Aug 20092 of 2 people found the following review helpful: At least it was a Green X-ma$ for Broderick and DeVito!, October 28, 2008 I really like watching Christmas movies. In part because I like Christmas, but also because I like to see how Christmas and our celebration of it is portrayed over time. It's gone from a reverential celebration of religion and family to a funny(or not) analysis of modern obsessive behavior and over-consumption. Then there are movies like these, which are just time killers. This is Christmas as Product. It has a few watchable moments. Kristin Chenowith is plenty hot as always and gets to sing a teeny little bit and Kristin Davis is the most adorable lil mannequin come-to-life since her SATC partner originated that act years ago. There is one bit in particular which made me laugh. It's horrible and if you're a father you should hope it never happens to you. I won't ruin it for you but I will say in the next scene DeVito and Broderick are in a church washing their eyes out with holy water, with good reason. It's one of the few scenes that show any signs of life, which is too bad because this thing could have used many more. Mostly though the movie is lackluster. It doesn't have the manic energy of a Christmas Vacation or the heart warming nostalgia of Christmas Story or the black, outrageous humor of Bad Santa or the child-like joy and goofiness of Elf. It has a few badly paced jokes and more than its share of sleep walking actors. The pace and performances were so slow and half hearted that I felt like I was watching the entire movie through a Valium induced haze. The movie has no real heart or message, or insight and it's not very funny. It's a place holder, the studio needed to put out something for the Christmas movie-going audience so they cranked up the Eszterhas 3000, set it for "HOLIDAY" and extruded this....."movie". Pretend it's a Christmas stocking folks, and STUFF IT!