Deck the Halls (PG, 2006)

Steve Finch (Matthew Broderick) is a nice-guy optometrist, living in the picturesque town of Cloverdale, Mass., with his loving wife Kelly (Kristin Davis), rebellious teen daughter Madison (Alia Shawkat), and 10-year-old son, Carter (Dylan Blue). Steve's known as "The Christmas Guy". He loves the holiday and goes all out every year -- decorating, caroling, tree-trimming, and organizing the annual family photo (with matching sweaters, of course). Everything is peachy-keen in Steve's neat, organized world, complete with a wall calendar to keep things on track. Then Buddy Hall (Danny DeVito) moves into the house across the street with his lovely wife Tia (Kristin Chenoweth) and shapely daughters Ashley and Emily (real-life twins Sabrina and Kelly Aldridge of 8th and Ocean). Buddy's a likeable guy, but he feels invisible, which makes him want to put up a mammoth Christmas display bright enough to see from outer space. It's his chance to be somebody. So up go thousands of lights, giant Santas, snowmen, synchronized music, and even live animals -- including a donkey, camel, cow, and sheep. It's all too much for Steve, who feels threatened and fights back, enlisting help from his son to thwart Buddy's efforts.

There's no doubt that Broderick and DeVito are formidable actors, but they aren't given much to work with here. The movie deteriorates into a farce of slapstick humor and crude humor, as Steve and Buddy's competitive nature comes to a head in a predictable finale about discovering the true meaning of Christmas, blah blah blah. On the "why bother?" holiday movie scale, it ranks right down there with Surviving Christmas.

Studio: Twentieth Century Fox
Director: John Whitesell
Cast: Danny DeVito, Kristin Davis, Matthew Broderick
Genre: Comedy
Run time: 99 minutes
Theatrical release: November 21, 2006
DVD release: November 6, 2007
MPAA Rating: PG
MPAA explanation: some crude and suggestive humor, and for language.