Official Movie Website Theatrical Release 11/22//06 Home Video 11/06/07 MPAA Rating Rated PG for some crude and suggestive humor, and for language Running Time 1 hour 35 minutes Genre Comedy Director John Whitesell Writer Don Rhymer Cast Danny DeVito, Matthew Broderick, Kristin Chenoweth, Kristin Davis, Alia Shawkat, Sabrina Aldridge, Kelly Aldridge Studio 20th Century Fox |
DECK THE HALLS
SYNOPSIS
DECK THE HALLS is a family comedy about one-
upsmanship, jealousy, clashing neighbors, home
decoration...and the true spirit of the holidays. For
Cloverdale, Massachusetts optometrist Steve Finch
(MATTHEW BRODERICK), no time of the year can
compare to the glory of the Christmas season. And,
for many years now, he's carried on a series of
heartfelt but hokey Yuletide traditions that his family
– wife Kelly (KRISTIN DAVIS), daughter Madison
(ALIA SHAWKAT), and son Carter (DYLAN BLUE) – at
this point, can barely tolerate. Despite his family's
exhausted protests, super-organized Steve has the
December calendar chock full with everything from
shooting the Finch's annual Christmas card photo, to
their ritual tree harvesting and neighborhood
caroling night. There's also scheduled time for
shopping, "personal reflection," and the town's
yearly Winterfest carnival, which Steve joyously
oversees.
But Steve's Christmas bliss is suddenly destroyed
when slippery car salesman Buddy Hall (DANNY
DeVITO) moves in next door and Steve finds himself
going toe-to-toe with his new neighbor. Buddy
quickly begins to undermine Steve's dominance as
the local "King of Christmas" when he sets out to
festoon his new house with enough glowing holiday
lights so it will be visible from outer space. We're
talking a lot of lights, here!
DECK THE HALLS is a family comedy about one-
upsmanship, jealousy, clashing neighbors, home
decoration...and the true spirit of the holidays. For
Cloverdale, Massachusetts optometrist Steve Finch
(MATTHEW BRODERICK), no time of the year can
compare to the glory of the Christmas season. And,
for many years now, he's carried on a series of
heartfelt but hokey Yuletide traditions that his family
– wife Kelly (KRISTIN DAVIS), daughter Madison
(ALIA SHAWKAT), and son Carter (DYLAN BLUE) – at
this point, can barely tolerate. Despite his family's
exhausted protests, super-organized Steve has the
December calendar chock full with everything from
shooting the Finch's annual Christmas card photo, to
their ritual tree harvesting and neighborhood
caroling night. There's also scheduled time for
shopping, "personal reflection," and the town's
yearly Winterfest carnival, which Steve joyously
oversees.
But Steve's Christmas bliss is suddenly destroyed
when slippery car salesman Buddy Hall (DANNY
DeVITO) moves in next door and Steve finds himself
going toe-to-toe with his new neighbor. Buddy
quickly begins to undermine Steve's dominance as
the local "King of Christmas" when he sets out to
festoon his new house with enough glowing holiday
lights so it will be visible from outer space. We're
talking a lot of lights, here!
© 2003 St. Louis Movie Review Weekly. All rights reserved, except where indicated.
All movie titles, pictures, etc...are the property of their respective studios.
All movie titles, pictures, etc...are the property of their respective studios.
| ST. LOUIS MOVIE REVIEW WEEKLY |
But why stop at lights? Motivated by the celebrity he's achieving with his dazzling, megawatt
decorations, Buddy adds a live manger scene complete with donkeys, cows, sheep, and an imported
camel, while continuing to wreak havoc on an infuriated Steve in a host of creatively twisted ways.
Though Steve is in meltdown mode over Buddy's holiday shenanigans (never mind that Buddy's tapping
into the Finches' electricity to power his décor!), wife Kelly has bonded with Buddy's brassy better-half
Tia (KRISTIN CHENOWETH), while Madison has buddied up to the Halls' sexy, dim-bulb twin daughters
Ashley and Emily (SABRINA & KELLY ALDRIDGE), who light up the life of younger Carter as well. Kelly
and Tia and the kids become increasingly impatient, though, with Steve and Buddy's escalating rivalry
and eventually threaten to pull the plug on the guys' entire Christmas season.
Can Steve and Buddy declare a ceasefire before the holidays are ruined altogether, or will they
continue their one-upsmanship until personal victory is achieved? In Deck the Halls, ‘tis the season
where just about anything is possible.
--© 20th Century Fox
decorations, Buddy adds a live manger scene complete with donkeys, cows, sheep, and an imported
camel, while continuing to wreak havoc on an infuriated Steve in a host of creatively twisted ways.
Though Steve is in meltdown mode over Buddy's holiday shenanigans (never mind that Buddy's tapping
into the Finches' electricity to power his décor!), wife Kelly has bonded with Buddy's brassy better-half
Tia (KRISTIN CHENOWETH), while Madison has buddied up to the Halls' sexy, dim-bulb twin daughters
Ashley and Emily (SABRINA & KELLY ALDRIDGE), who light up the life of younger Carter as well. Kelly
and Tia and the kids become increasingly impatient, though, with Steve and Buddy's escalating rivalry
and eventually threaten to pull the plug on the guys' entire Christmas season.
Can Steve and Buddy declare a ceasefire before the holidays are ruined altogether, or will they
continue their one-upsmanship until personal victory is achieved? In Deck the Halls, ‘tis the season
where just about anything is possible.
--© 20th Century Fox