It’s Christmas magic! Only this time that magic comes from an elf who swindles Eddie Murphy into a less-than-ideal bargain where he’ll win his neighborhood’s house decorating contest, but then have to turn his life over to Santa’s opportunistic little helper.
That’s the premise laid out in the trailer for Candy Cane Lane, Murphy’s first holiday film that might be quite charming, if what we see in this clip is any indication.
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Here’s the official synopsis:
Eddie Murphy stars in this holiday comedy adventure about a man on a mission to win his neighborhood’s annual Christmas home decoration contest. After Chris (Eddie Murphy) inadvertently makes a deal with a mischievous elf named Pepper (Jillian Bell) to better his chances of winning, she casts a magic spell that brings the 12 Days of Christmas to life, and wreaks havoc on the whole town. At the risk of ruining the holidays for his family, Chris, his wife Carol (Tracee Ellis Ross), and their three children must race against the clock to break Pepper’s spell, battle deviously magical characters, and save Christmas for everyone.
The movie comes to us from writer Kelly Younger (Muppets Haunted Mansion), who based the tale on his own experiences on Candy Cane Lane in El Segundo, California. It’s also the first time that Murphy, director Reginald Hudlin, and producer Brian Grazer have worked together since 1992’s Boomerang, which—now here’s something to make you feel old—came out over thirty years ago.
In addition to Murphy, Bell, and Ross, the film stars Thaddeus J. Mixson, Ken Marino, Nick Offerman, Robin Thede, Chris Redd, Genneya Walton, Madison Thomas, Anjelah Johnson-Reyes, Lombardo Boyar, D.C. Young Fly, Danielle Pinnock, Timothy Simons, Riki Lindhome, and Stephen Tobolowsky.
You can catch this PG-rated holiday comedy on Prime Video when it premieres there on December 1, 2023. Here’s a poster in the meantime to fill you with festive cheer:
