We’re in the process of getting snowed in by flimsy festive fodder, most of which is indistinguishable – cheaply made, poorly written, floating on the assumed Christmas spirit of those watching – but there are moments when it’s easy to get naively hopeful. Seeing the involvement of Eddie Murphy in Amazon’s Candy Cane Lane is one such moment, the actor not only a key reason why Trading Places remains a December staple but a star who brightens whatever film he’s in, regardless of the season. It might have been a while since he’s been at his shiniest (2019’s Dolemite Is My Name being a fine example of what he can and will do) but at a time when star power as a whole is depressingly diminished, his presence remains a gift.
It’s then a shame that even he isn’t able to save this confused, convoluted little confection, clumsily crafted and increasingly, maddeningly hard to follow, a film that’s primed for kids yet will barely be understood by parents. It starts out in simple, familiar territory, a cross between 2006’s Deck the Halls and 2004’s ITV hit Christmas Lights. ’Tis the season and family man Chris (Murphy) is almost ready, engaging in his street’s annual competition to see which house can boast the most impressive decorations. When Chris is made redundant by his younger boss (a bizarre one-scene cameo from Moonlight’s Trevante Rhodes, an actor who deserves far, far better), and it’s revealed that this year’s competition comes with a $100,000 prize, the stakes are suddenly made sky-high.
