Candy Cane Lane Review: Genre-Blending Adventure Is A Christmas Guilty Pleasure

After 30 years since their original collaboration in Boomerang, Eddie Murphy, Reginald Hudlin, and Brian Grazer reunited for a holiday comedy adventure for this year’s Christmas season. The film, Candy Cane Lane, is inspired by the real-life hub for Christmas displays in El Segundo, California. Given the impressive nature of the event, which draws in many people who simply want to catch a glimpse of decorated properties, the film had to measure up to the Christmas magic and holiday spirit. Starring Murphy, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Jillian Bell, Candy Cane Lane takes on its real-life inspiration with creativity and glee. This family-friendly feature captures the magic of Christmas with fun and spirit thanks to a fantastic cast and crew.

For the first time in their careers, Murphy and Ross star in a film together — they play Chris and Carol Carver, respectively. Over the years, the Carvers have built a great life for themselves and their three children, Joy (Genneya Walton), Nick (Thaddeus J. Mixson), and Holly (Madison Thomas). But while Carol is up for promotion at her job, Chris has unfortunately just been laid off. Determined to still provide for his family, Chris sets his sights on the grand prize of $100,000 from the neighborhood’s annual Christmas decoration competition. To win, Chris seeks the help of Pepper (Jillian Bell), a mischievous elf who has her own plans for the Carvers.

Candy Cane Lane is a creative Christmas surprise full of magic and spirit sprinkled over a script that is relatable and fun from start to finish. Through the Carvers, screenwriter Kelly Younger celebrates family and showcases the value of spending time with loved ones during the holiday season. While this isn’t a new message by any means, it’s comforting to watch a film that goes all in on the value of family and friends, especially as Christmas doesn’t feel the same as we get older. The emphasis of these basic concepts is what will really bring you into the story and make you reflect on your own holiday season in adulthood.

Director Reginald Hudlin created a special holiday film that I could easily see becoming my guilty Christmas pleasure. Specifically, the action-adventure feel to the film sets it apart from its genre counterparts. What’s even more impressive is the originality of the script. Given the long history of ”The Twelve Days of Christmas,” it’s difficult to imagine how this feature is the first of its kind. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Hudlin and company brought the song to life, but the team behind Candy Cane Lane does so with a fun style that is sure to generate smiles, laughs, and good old-fashioned fun.

While all the jokes don’t land in the film, Candy Cane Lane contains such a natural blend of genres to the point where they don’t have to. There are sweet familial moments, a few laugh-out-loud instances, as well as jump scares. Traditionally, genre-blending (and bending) rarely works. But Candy Cane Lane learned a valuable lesson from last year’s Christmas hit, Violent Night. If you throw a great cast together and mix that with a simple yet fun story that reminds us of the spirit of Christmas, anything is possible. This has been done more frequently recently, and these creative features have become the films we didn’t know we needed.

A holiday film full of creativity, family, and fun, Hudlin’s Candy Cane Lane is a Christmas gift worth watching. Led by a talented leading duo, this adventure could be your next guilty pleasure. While the cast stands out as the prime reason to watch, especially thanks to a committed performance from Bell, the script and Hudlin’s clever directional choices make the film special. If you ever wanted to see a visual representation of “The 12 Days of Christmas” mixed with chaos and fun, this film is for you. But hold on tight, because this epic holiday adventure is full of wonder and a side of welcomed silliness.