In a scene in Candy Cane Lane, Santa Claus appears out of the sky in what looks like a race car. Zooming over the neighbourhood of El Segundo, he takes the residents by surprise, but only momentarily. In no time, they go back to their Christmas decoration contest like nothing unreal happened.
In Christmas films, for magic realism to be effective, conviction is key. For the audience to believe it, the characters have to believe it too. The lack of it is why this film doesn’t work, not even as a sappy feel-good flick.
At the centre of the tale is Chris Carver (Eddy Murphy), who has been recently laid off and is desperate to win the ‘Candy Cane Lane’ decoration contest, which comes with a prize of $100,000. When he purchases a ‘12 Days of Christmas’ carousel tree from a pop-up store called Kringle’s, little does he know that he’s being tricked by an elf, who will turn him into a porcelain doll if he fails the tasks. The premise is novel, but logical loopholes, unrealistic responses characters have towards magic and disappointingly convenient writing makes it all a bit tiring.
Directed by Reginald Hudling, Candy Cane Lane is quick to set its conflicts in motion. Fifteen minutes into the film, we already see Chris ready to go to any extent to win the contest. For most of the first half, the film keeps us curious about what’s next. But soon the pace hits a roadblock, with the narrative eventually progressing by inchmeal.
For instance, the concept of the protagonist’s family being named after important aspects of the season—Chris’s children are Nick, Joy and Holly, and his wife is Carol—is barely milked for potential. The lack of surprises acts as a dampener too. Christmas miracles such as Joy, a sprinter ‘coincidentally’ running into a college athletics coach in the climax, or Carol getting a promotion despite messing up an important meeting, were as predictable as snow on Christmas.
Candy Cane Lane is a disappointment for Eddie Murphy fans, who have much better performances by the actor to cherish him; he seems to have simply sleep-walked through this one. The two hours, spent watching the film, are akin to getting an unwanted Christmas gift without a receipt. You want to return it, but you can’t.
Candy Cane Lane
Director: Reginald Hudling
Genre: Romantic comedy
Platform: Netflix
Language: English
Rating: 2/5
