Jenni Mortimer, Lifestyle and Travel Editor (audience) for New Zealand's Herald, is passionate about telling stories and providing a place to escape for kiwis in amongst the hard news.
Legendary comedian Eddie Murphy is back with his new film Candy Cane Lane, just in time for the silly season.
But with a trailer as busy as a Westfield mall on Christmas Eve and a plot line you might need a map to navigate, could the perfectly bedazzled film be too silly, even for this season? Or is a healthy helping of festive cheer just what the doctor ordered?
Let’s start with the premise; having just lost his job, Murphy’s character Chris Carver – who, you guessed it, has an affinity for carving wood, finds himself obsessed with the Candy Cane Lane Christmas decorating contest with $100,000 on the line.
Carver finds himself in a hidden toy shop purchasing decorations which turn out to be cursed by an evil elf named Pepper, played by Jillian Bell who casts a magic spell that brings the 12 days of Christmas to life.
Pepper will turn Carver into a tiny, living, breathing ornamental doll – like she’s done before – should he not collect all the golden rings and break the curse before the clock strikes midnight on Christmas Eve. Should he find them, he gets his wish granted and therefore wins the prize money.
His family and pre-cursed wooden toys – people from deals gone wrong in the past – all dig in and help Carver defeat the evil Pepper, the milk-shooting cow, the CGI geese shooting eggs out their rear ends, the furious French hens, turtle doves, swans in the pool and phone calls from birds. Did I mention there were a lot of birds in this film?
But Pepper is a naughty wee elf indeed (and honestly a bit of a vibe) and so when Santa returns to check in on things, she just goes right ahead and kicks Santa in the crotch as chaos ensues.
The $100,000 prize turns out to be in voucher and taco form (probably how I would spend the money myself) and the victorious ending is spoilt with a twist which is nearly as frustrating as the end of the Heartbreak Kid. But fear not, there’s another twist, a turn and a zinger and the credits roll.
As for the cast, it’s absolutely stacked with the likes of Parks and Recreation’s Nick Offermann, Party Down’s Ken Marino, and Black-ish actress Tracee Ellis Ross, who plays the festively named Carol Carver and wife of Chris.
Ellis Ross is truly brilliant with her own fair share of one-liners to rival that of the still very funny Murphy’s. Wherever Eddie takes a scene, you can’t help but go with him.
Eddie Murphy stars as Chris Carver in Candy Cane Lane. Photo / Claudette Barius, Amazon Content Services
The surprise stars of the one-liner show however come in the form of Timothy Simons and Danielle Pinnock who play newscasters Emerson and Kit. Their dynamic is a delight to watch and full of passive aggression which could rival that of your extended family sitting down for Christmas dinner.
And sure, that festive plotline was tricky to ride with at times, but as a Christmas movie connoisseur who cannot cope with another image of a male in a half-zip and a woman in a red dress gracing a movie poster – I found myself festively enchanted.
It’s got the lights, the feel, the sounds and the magic of Christmas, but it’s also a tiny bit dark, which nicely juxtaposes the cheese.
Speaking of cheese, you’ll find that in there too through the many product placements.
Shoutout to Tostito’s cheese dip, Ruffles chips, Hydro Flasks that save lives, Apple, Walmart, Costco and Target. Though I saw the commercialisation before my very eyes, I also found myself googling “New Zealand Tostitos stockists” in an effort to join the American festive fun. So touche product placers.
The truth is, America really doesn’t do Christmas by halves and this movie is no exception – nor should it be. The plot line is busy, there are so many big characters and every small detail isn’t really small at all. If there was a Costco of movies, this would be it. In fact, this might be the one place you can find more birds than the Costco rotisserie.
But is it a great option for a family movie to watch on Christmas? Yes. Are there enough utterly brilliant one-liners to get a chuckle out of the grumpiest relative? Also, yes. And does Eddie Murphy still leave a little piece of comedy gold on everything he touches? Absolutely.
Someone pass me the Tostito dip.
Jenni Mortimer is the New Zealand Herald’s lifestyle and entertainment editor. Jenni started at the Herald in 2017 and previously worked as an education publication editor. She’s also the host of the Herald’s parenting podcast One Day You’ll Thank Me, mum to Knox and thinks Michael Scott is the greatest motivator of our generation.
