Candy Cane Lane (I) (2023) User Reviews

Eddie Murphy Christmas Movie

[johnnyhbtvs27 · 5/10 · 1 December 2023]

Candy Cane Lane is on the less offensive side of Christmas movie releases but suffers from being far too long at an energy draining two hours. Just when it starts wrapping up another 30 minutes come from nowhere.

Eddie Murphy carries the movie and helps to push it over the line. It is a step up from his previous Amazon Original, Coming 2 America. Jillian Bell is annoying as always but fits in better in this zany christmas movie.

It may not be everyone's cup of tea but Candy Cane Lane passes the time and is at least better than the 50 Hallmark exclusive movies which are soon coming down the pike.

Dash of Cheer, a Pinch of Symbolism, and a Sprinkle of Cringe

[Entertainmentsparadise · 5/10 · 3 December 2023]

Candy Cane Lane delivers a festive punch with its spirited competition for the title of the best-decorated house, adding a touch of homey charm to the holiday tale. The unexpected twist involving a mischievous elf banishment brings a hint of symbolism, though I might be delving too deep into it. Nevertheless, the Christmas magic is palpable, complete with 'Parents Just Don't Understand' vibes, vibrant colors, and whimsical decor.

While the humor occasionally falls short in delivery, with jokes teetering on the edge of laughter, the movie brings forth chuckles and witty lines like "You elf'in kidding me." Admittedly, it felt like a subtle ad campaign for Jeep, El Segundo's Candy Cane Lane, and USC-Fight on, I suppose. Despite the cheesy and slightly cringy Christmas love, it's a worthwhile watch during the holiday season. I'd give it a festive 2.5/5 stars - because, after all, 'tis the season for a bit of Christmas movie magic!

A Fun PG Eddie Murphy Film!

[rocketwoods · 7/10 · 2 December 2023]

We might like to see Eddie Murphy do adult comedy, but this was surprisingly funny and very entertaining. The humor is a mix of adult and young adult and it's actually pretty nice to see Eddie Murphy do something than R rated comedy. Tracee Ellis Ross also compliments his character very well, she hits with the humor right on time and is used very well and not just a (background) wife. The figurines are hilarious as well! Whenever they hit the screen, I at least smiled and chuckled, the CGI was perfect too! Loved every bit of the premise as well. Could Jillian Bell do better as a villian? Yes. Could they have gotten a better actress for that? Maybe. She doesn't take away from the movie but ties it up in the end for what it was. Enjoy this holiday special, i did and you will!

What a mess...

[Shazam1303 · 3/10 · 1 December 2023]

Wow... So Eddie Murphy delivers his second Amazon Movie and his first Christmas themed movie and as a huge Fan of his I can say I'm absolutely disappointed.

The movie starts of promising and seems to build up to original ideas, but only goes downhill as soon as the story starts to evolve. Sadly it's a absolute mess and they tried to cram so much into the movie that it's hard to keep track sometimes. The movie lacks depth and characters fight just to reconcile 1 minute later. The movie jumps from scene to scene and every moment of depth conflict or drama is resolved within a max of 3 minutes. There's not one scene that really made me laugh and the movie is so exhausting at times that i really struggled not to turn it off. I don't know what Eddie was thinking but this feels soulless and you can see it on the actors faces and their energy. Everyone seems bored, the dialogue's are hideous and nothing clicks... this is really disappointing and falls in the category of the Eddie Murphy movies that will be forgotten sooner than later.

What a sad waste of Eddie Murphy's great talents . . .

[SceneByScene · 10 December 2023]

Oh dear, oh dear. Largely a perfect example of how NOT to make a Christmas movie!

Effectively a diatribe on the wonder & magic of the Christmas spirit. No fun, no levity, and little delight to make it worthwhile viewing in any way.

Fortunately a few elements make it as least likeable in parts. There are a few excellent one-liner jokes - so funny they actually made me laugh out loud. I like to think these particular scriptlines may be the result of the Saturday Night Live influence on the movie. So, kudos to the writing team for these winning quips. But other than that, the movie is a waste of 2 hours of the viewer's life.

Such a pity. There are some past Christmas movies that really hit the mark, made by a variety of film stars over the decades. These all have their place in Hollywood history. So, for the great Eddie Murphy to bother to make one of his own, after decades of being in Hollywood, this film really should have been well put together. But it wasn't. If it had been edited and fine-tuned till it worked, the movie might have - well - worked!

So, shame to see this opportunity so badly wasted.

The premise is hardly new to film. Here in the UK a similar plot of neighbours competing over Christmas lights - and the moral of overdoing the in-fighting - was done to perfection by Robson Green & Mark Benton back in the Noughties. That was 'Christmas Lights' (2004). And numerous other offerings have done the same tale well enough in other countries and other decades.

This film just ruins the plot concept. Everything in the movie is overdone: it's frenetic, unevenly paced, out of control, and predictably (and badly) scripted. Like many poorly made films it is either edited to too brief a runtime, or as in this case rambles on endlessly. The children are the usual stereotypes, ditto the wife, and the same with the neighbours. Not to mention Murphy's character as the dad & husband. There is no originality in the film where it is needed, and too much invention - to a chaotic level - just where it isn't required. And the longer the film goes on, the more convoluted it gets.

There are parts that shouldn't have been put in, eg an anti-Christian 'joke' that goes widely off-mark. The barbed remark is frankly offensive to Christmas itself . . . The film is, after all, supposed to be a Christmas movie, and although Christmas covers far more than one thing for many people - family celebrations, the season before the warmth of spring, partying & togetherness, the end of the calendar year, pagan festivities of old, and a variety of other purposes - it also of course covers Christianity. I consider that 'joke' insulting to the very purpose of Christmas: both the Christ-related part and the more encompassing general spirit of kindness. It is gross . . . And unfunny.

The film doesn't appear to have any clear purpose: it doesn't know what it wants to say, or how to say it. And there is too much of everything. Although the animation characters of the '12 Days' is new and clever, it seems not to fit in with the rest of the film. (Though in fact the rest of the film doesn't seem to fit into the rest of the film . . . !) The set of live-miniatures of Christmas Village characters - more animation - are amusing, but again do not seem to segue into the rest of the story. And one set of animation characters in this film would have sufficed.

Then there is more confusion added to the mix: competing presenters of seasonal TV, teen troubles, an evil elf, current bosses to impress, 10 lords a-leaping turning up at school sports day, and yet more . . . All this needs to be digested by the viewer. Not to mention the task the family have to complete, of finding the gold rings before the clock chimes on Christmas Eve . . . Then 'Santa Claus' suddenly turns up, swooping in on a sleigh! Oh dear. Just because you CAN say or do something in a film, doesn't mean you should. Less is normally a case of more . . .

There are a few excellent moments: when Murphy's character is appalled to see Valentine's Day goods on sale at the market at the same time as Christmas goodies. And a lovely disagreement amongst the Dickensian 'figurines' about the old argument as to whether 'Die Hard' is a Christmas movie. Lovely!

But there are not enough laughs throughout the movie . . . And not enough cohesion in the storyline to even work out what this film is all about. Clarity is all-important in most film plots, but we don't see it here. Halfway through the film I still couldn't work out what exactly I was watching . . . (Harrumph!)

No, for a good Christmas movie I shall continue to watch from the roster of great Hollywood & UK seasonal films. One of my favourite Christmas movies simply has to be Frank Capra's 'It's a Wonderful Life'. It covers the 'ups' & 'downs' parts of Christmas to perfection, and is as relevant today as it was decades ago.

And for a good Murphy movie, I will delve back into his past greatness. There is plenty there to choose from. Need I mention, for example, the superlative 'Trading Places' . . .

Candy Cane Lane Is At Times Lame . . . .

[sundayatdusk-97859 · 6/10 · 4 December 2023]

I'm surprised some reviewers thought this movie was vulgar. I thought it was the first movie I've seen in a long time, directed towards children, that did not have crude remarks and events. (Adam Sandler obviously had nothing to do with making it.) Yes, it does have some obscene words and a few inuendos, but nothing like most movies these days.

The movie's main strength lies in the relationships between the very likable family members. Two of the three kids are teenagers wanting to do their own thing, while the parents, especially Dad, think they know what's best for them. Thankfully, there are no gender issues or other politically correct stuff stuffed into this film. A pleasant surprise for an Amazon movie!

The kids are normal, the parents are normal, family life is normal, until it is not. There's lots of amusing lines and events in the film, but the humor is not that consistant. That's the biggest fault of the story. The evil elf is also neither funny nor scary most of the time. She is mostly irritating. The Christmas breakfast was an anticlimatic ending, too, and we really could have done without the "lady mallard".

In fact, that poor duck, as well as having all the birds in the film as villians, made me take off a couple stars. The Santa in the movie was one of the fun parts, but the funniest line involving him was not in the film itself. When the credits run, watch out for scenes not in the story, the funniest one being what Eddie Murphy says to the Santa.

Wanted to give it a higher rating...

[compmend-60164 · 3/10 · 1 December 2023]

I have been a long time fan of Eddie Murphy and although I haven't always found him as funny as I hoped, his roles have always been charming enough to satiate my expectations.

I started this movie with bridled expectations. The camera work and lighting in this movie is really nice, the effects were also quite well done, and I enjoyed some of the music, though I did notice that some of the music sounded like generic loops from Garage Band were used.

Where this movie fell apart was the story and delivery. The story felt forced, where it needed more fleshing out and new characters seemed to drop from the sky and clash with the story instead of interweaving.

The characters were also annoying, with some just being outright vulgar and some screaming their lines as if screaming somehow validated their dialogue.

Eddie Murphy and his family seemed disconnected from each other, as if there had been a miscast of the actors. Their dialogue was shallow and the most disappointing thing was that it wasn't delivered with convincing tone and body language.

The movie had all the trappings of all of the common commercialized Christmas movies that are being released now days, case in point there were two prominent cans of brand-name paint on display in one of the first scenes of the movie.

This will not be a movie that I add to my yearly watch list by no means.

CC no eye-catching

[cjonesas · 6/10 · 8 December 2023]

A beautifully average Christmas movie with heart and compassion, but laced with too incomprehensible plots, too crowded of a cast, supporting cast and mumbo jumbo chickens and cows. Even Eddie Murphy is not himself here, seems lost, at times disinterested and grumpy in his heart, not showing his awesome funny smile and comedic capabilities (though the film screenplay nearly doesn't help with those either). Believe it or not, Jillian Bell (Pepper) had the best acting out there.

The visuals are beautiful and at times stunning, but visuals get destroyed when the script and to some levels the acting + the score are not on par. That's not a goofy police procedural where you can walk gray-colored in brightly colored comedy photography and filming. Nevertheless, that's exactly what happened, uncompelling characters as a whole with so so acting (-50%) blended with a (+15%) score in a colorful filming environment (+75%) and the result is around 38% at best.

That's what the director Reginald Hudlin needs to take into account in her next comedy project!

• Screenplay/storyline/plots: 5
• Development: 7.5
• Realism: 5.5
• Entertainment: 5.5
• Acting: 6
• Filming/photography/cinematography: 8
• VFX / CGI: 7.5
• Music/score/sound: 6
• Depth: 6
• Logic: 5
• Flow: 5.5
• Comedy/family/fantasy: 5.5
• Ending: 5.

Total disappointment, a confused movie

[eiffelphotoworks · 1/10 · 4 December 2023]

I always see a Christmas movie is a go-to because it is usually have an easy, magical and have strong storyline and message. But this movie is not only far from those, I don't even get what they're trying to deliver here. The plot is all over the place. The movie confuse me in the first 30 mins and even when I tried to move forward towards the end, I still don't get it what they're trying to say and what this movie is about. The characters were not engaging to each other, they're overly excited and angry over things that are unnecessary, and the movie was executed poorly. Christmas movies usually make me happy, this made me angry and frustrated. Esp when they mocked religion in it. The only good thing about it is the Christmas decorations. If you look forward for a good time watching a movie for a Christmas, it's really a wrong choice to choose this movie.

Liked It a Lot!

[jeepgirl22 · 7/10 · 3 December 2023]

I wasn't sure what to expect with this movie seeing that Eddie Murphy's comedy tends to be on the crude and vulgar side more often than not, but this movie was pretty clean, content-wise. My husband and I laughed quite a bit. I loved the main couple's conversation of how their marriage viwis meant that they were a team and they always had each other's backs. That is how marriage should be. They're family had normal parent/child drama but there was still the sense of love and respect in the family. The story was unique and I loved the twist at the end. My favorite part was the ornament figurine characters. They were very funny and the CGI animation of these characters was truly just beautiful work! I was truly amazed at how lovely they were and liked the sound they made when the walked. I've never seen CGI portray something as porcelain or ceramic before, and this was really well done. I just loved watching them speak and move. I can't believe I actually saw CGI done that I admired! I usually find it an annoying or just really bad and cheap-looking. So someone should get an award for the work they did here. This movie was very enjoyable. It was a fun watch. I think it will go into my routine of holiday movies.

Absolute garbage.

[calciu · 1/10 · 18 December 2023]

The only thing Christmas about this was basically nothing. This is more of an anti-christmas movie. So many good actors and their talent was wasted on a worthless script. The characters were not well developed at all and none were relatable. All of Eddie Murphy's talent and charisma were lost in a weak plot with more holes than swiss cheese. It felt like a patch quilt of activities stitched together in an almost random pattern to arrive to the end of the story. What a disappointment. We can all hope this goes straight to the bottom of the video pile and never again sees the light of day. Now go see something better (basically anything, at this point).

Delightful!

[Gilmoregirl-59340 · 8/10 · 10 December 2023]

Why the low ratings? This is such a fun family holiday movie. Don't sleep on the adorable end credit scene. This was such an original movie-not like the cookie cutter predictable ones we are all used to. Eddie Murphy is a delight and tracee Ellis Ross is wonderful. I thought it was entertaining and enjoyable. If you want a comedic, colorful Christmas movie, you'll enjoy this. I also enjoyed the representation and inclusion aspect of the movie as well. All around, really lovely family movie. Definitely worth the watch. Much better than family switch on Netflix-woof! Happy holidays, everyone! And a happy new year.

Fun loving and a breath of fresh air

[skylarkgalayda · 7/10 · 20 December 2023]

"Candy cane lane" has Eddie Murphy at the star of the show. Every other character falls short in my opinion and can be "cringe" at times, but I have to remind myself this is a PG holiday movie, I'm not expecting an Oscar worthy performance by any means. It had me laughing at Murphys one liners and it's refreshing to see him back in the saddle acting again, even if it's just a holiday movie. I can see myself putting this in the rotation of an every year December movie to throw on, which is rare these days for these types of movies. The VFX are incredible and really is what put this movie in the 7 category for me.

Horribly Acted, Horribly Written

[dvolk429 · 1/10 · 5 December 2023]

This was a complete waste of time. I can't believe Eddie Murphy took this gig. Didn't he read the script first? Bad jokes and over-acting by a third rate supporting cast, and Murphy honestly seemed to not care. Either that, or there was only so much he could do with his pathetic lines. He seemed to be phoning it in. I really like him, and hope he gets something better to work with.

Special effects were awkward. Lines ended nowhere with a thud. Also, a very objectionable anti-Christian joke.

I was wondering whether this movie was written by a relative or something. There had to be some reason to put this poor excuse for entertainment on Prime.

Very Cute Christmas Movie! 🎄

[severtsonc · 7/10 · 1 December 2023]

I thought it was very cute! If you are looking for a deep Christmas movie this is not for you. But if you want to watch something fun with your children then this is a good pick for you and your family. As usual, Eddie Murphy is a delight to watch and so fun in this movie too. I enjoyed the supporting characters in their roles as well. I thought the young lady who played the girl who Eddie Murphy's youngest daughter was just adorable! The premise of the show was not overly complicated for the young children and had just enough comedy to keep the parents from falling asleep beside them. I think you will enjoy this silly and in the spirit Xmas movie!

Total Disappointment!

[taraledel · 1/10 · 8 December 2023]

Wow, where to begin. Even though I am a long time Eddie Murphy fan, sadly not even he could carry this movie. The story was long, boring & lacking in any character or storyline development to draw the audience in to connect with the characters. The interaction between actors felt forced with no emotional development with an emphasis more on satisfying identity politics than on choosing the best actor for the role. The dialogue felt forced, lazy & was often loud, vulgar & superficial. There was also a point in the movie that was outright bigoted towards Christians demonstrating Hollywood's disdain towards those with religious beliefs. Sadly, the humor was totally absent with not one scene where I found myself laughing out loud. I have no idea what Eddie Murphy was thinking when he took this role. I struggled to make it through to the end finding myself wishing that the movie would just end already. It's as if they just threw this movie together hoping that Eddie Murphy's presence would be enough to win over the audience. Sadly, this is not the case. Hollywood has gotten lazy with total lack of creativity. Don't waste your time on this mess. Better to break out the classics.

Enjoyable holiday movie with an unusual premise

[jenalbhogan · 7/10 · 3 December 2023]

Without reading anything about the plot beforehand, this movie went in an unexpected direction that was fun to watch unfold. It definitely surpasses the average Christmas movie offering, largely due to: likability of the characters, quality acting (cheers, Tracee Ellis Ross), the surprising quirkiness of Jillian Bell's character, the antics of the figurines, good production value, and keeping the cheesiness (which typically overflows in TV X-mas movies) to a level that felt natural in a supportive, fun-loving family.

I was not rolling with laughter in the same way I was on seeing Elf or Spirited for the first time, but I was still laughing aloud and rewound several times to watch a scene over again. Overall, it was a feel-good, upbeat holiday treat. I'd definitely watch again!

Disappointing and not appropriate at times

[andyrfjones · 1/10 · 10 December 2023]

It wasn't that funny, it had a story that didn't flow and there were lines that were quite offensive and dismissive. Truly disappointed - didn't get us in the Christmas mood at all.

The child actors were great however. Well done in this awful movie. Won't be rushing out to watch it again.

It was quite long for a movie that didn't really do much. There wasn't enough explanation of why the elf character was doing what she was doing.

What an utter waste of time. The movie was offensively dismissive of faith and had a shallowness of plot, characters, wachabiltiy.

Not the Christmas classic I'd hoped for. Awful awful awful.

I enjoyed it.

[tampaaries · 7/10 · 3 December 2023]

I personally thought this was a decent Christmas movie, wasn't the best Christmas movie but it was still enjoyable to watch. Eddie Murphy wasn't his usual over the top funny but I understand it's a PG rated family type movie. I thought D. C young fly was funny as the news reporter lol, Jillian Bell did a good job as pepper, the little statue people were funny. The whole plot of the movie was entertaining finding the gold rings. This movie did have its funny moments, boring moments and entertaining moments. I would say it's entertaining enough for a one time watch atleast. Maybe young kids would enjoy it much more.

NOT a family movie

[balancedbooksfv · 1/10 · 8 December 2023]

They felt the need to take the full name of the reason for Christmas season in vain. I'm not sure why I expected anything different, but it's definitely not something I would want to watch. I was hoping for something more family oriented, like Haunted mansion.

The characters and story up to that point were interesting, and I loved that the daughter wanted to go to Notre Dame (go Irish!), but that was really the best part of the story up to that point. When Murphy gets to the magical elf shop, the story was already taking a downward turn with the elf's abrasive and annoying personality, but when she cursed Christ's name, I turned it off. So not necessary, but clearly, I'm not the target audience for this film.

Bit of a guilty pleasure yet so worth it!

[UniqueParticle · 8/10 · 2 December 2023]

I'm surprised to see the 5.3 rating especially on the day 1 release, this movie is magnificent! I love most anything with Eddie Murphy some isn't as good but most projects are great. Candy Cane Lane is a unique wonderful holiday film a nice way to prepare for the spirit of everything even if its cheesy I love it quite a bit although I should say I have autism I enjoy different things than most. Very much reminds me of a Matthew Broderick and Danny Devito film called Deck the Halls that's a fun one that's very similar one without as much special effects. I admire Eddie he's done a lot of offbeat ones and iconic projects, I'm sure he's great to be around.

It is sadly quite lacklustre

[r96sk · 6/10 · 12 December 2023]

I didn't actually mind 'Candy Cane Lane', but I can't exactly say it's a good movie though.

Many positives I do not have for this 2023 release, a perfect word for it all really is simply: meh. Eddie Murphy is fine (if nowhere near top form), his onscreen family are alright, the comedy is average, the Xmas vibes are OK, the concept is solid enough. It just doesn't excite. The 2hr run time is damaging, this is a 90 minute story all day long.

The bits with the animated miniature characters are this film's best moments, but even then that feature isn't utilised the best - Nick Offerman feels wasted in his role there, likewise with David Alan Grier near the end to be honest. Timothy Simons and Danielle Pinnock as Emerson & Kit are satisfactory in relatively small parts, even if they do feel like a knock-off version of Cotton & Pepper... iykyk.

A snappier length and a more energetically told/acted story and I'd have enjoyed this, without that it is sadly quite lacklustre.

Openly dismisses Christ from Christmas

[roseandjoy · 1/10 · 11 December 2023]

I don't believe every movie has to preach, however this movie didn't have to outwardly deny that Christmas is a religious holiday. The line was delivered as if to intentionally make a mockery of the religious reasons for the season. They could've just left that out but since they did not, it has lost its charm. We will not be watching the rest of the movie. I was looking forward to Eddie Murphy bringing the fun, however I was left sadly disappointed. Christmas is a time of family and fun, but I just don't think it was necessary to include anti-Christian references. Also, the script was slow and seemed to have unnecessary fillers.

A Heartwarming Surprise

[bluepink · 7/10 · 29 December 2023]

I'm glad I ignored the reviews and gave this movie a shot over Christmas. It turned out to be the ideal family-friendly film that was enjoyable for everyone. It hits that sweet spot of not being too childish and also isn't violent. It also has straightforward and easily understandable storytelling and dialogue, which was great for my non-native English-speaking parents who are difficult to please when it comes to movies. They really enjoyed it.

The pacing is spot-on, and the storyline is well-structured with a good dose of humor. It isn't laugh out loud funny, but I had a few chuckles - that's fine for me as I don't need to roll on the floor laughing to enjoy myself. The characters are all great. Some scenes are a little cringy, due to the clichéd direction they take, but that's fine for these types of movies.

My only criticism is there was one scene with the Elf making reference to Christmas not being about Jesus, she was a bad elf, but IMO it's best not to include offensive things like that.

Overall it's a wholesome, feel-good movie.

Disappointed.

[alixfree · 3/10 · 1 December 2023]

Being a serious Christmas fan meant I was very excited to check this movie out. Unfortunately it didn't deliver. There is absolutely no need for a festive, silly Christmas film to be 2 hours long. Eventually I was just struggling to keep my eyes on the screen. Every time I thought it was over, it just kept going. Eventually I just got lost and didn't really know what was going on.

There were some laughs along the way which I did enjoy and to be honest I think that was the only reason I persevered with it and saw it to the end.

Fantastic cast but a busy, drawn out storyline. I wont watch it again.