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{{For|2005 made-for-television Christmas film|Deck the Halls (2005 film)}} {{Short description|2006 American Christmas comedy film}}
{{Infobox film {{Infobox film
| name = Deck the Halls | name = Deck the Halls
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| gross = $47.2 million<ref name=numbers>{{cite web |url=http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Deck-the-Halls#tab=summary |title=Deck the Halls (2016) |website=The Numbers |access-date=December 21, 2016}}</ref> | gross = $47.2 million<ref name=numbers>{{cite web |url=http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Deck-the-Halls#tab=summary |title=Deck the Halls (2016) |website=The Numbers |access-date=December 21, 2016}}</ref>
}} }}
'''''Deck the Halls''''' is a 2006 American ] ] directed by ], written by Matt Corman, Chris Ord, and ], and starring ], ], ], and ]. The film was released on November 22, 2006. The film was released by ] on ] on November 6, 2007. '''''Deck the Halls''''' is a 2006 American ] ] directed by ], written by Matt Corman, Chris Ord, and ], and starring ], ], ], and ]. It tells the story of an optometrist who ends up in a Christmas competition with his new neighbor. The film was released on November 22, 2006, by ] on ] on November 6, 2007. It was a critical and ].


== Plot == == Plot ==
In the fictional town of Cloverdale, ], ] and self-proclaimed ] expert Steve Finch wants his family to have a great Christmas, filled with traditions such as using an ], taking Christmas card pictures in matching sweaters, and buying a large ]. In the fictional town of Cloverdale, ], ] and self-proclaimed ] expert Steve Finch wants his family, consisting of wife Kelly, daughter Madison, and son Carter, to have a great Christmas, filled with traditions such as using an ], taking Christmas card pictures in matching sweaters, and buying a perfect, large ].


In the middle of the night on December 1, new neighbors move in across the street: ] and electrical engineer Buddy Hall and his ] Tia, both whom Steve and his wife Kelly meet the next morning. Later that day, Kelly and her daughter Madison and son Carter go to the Hall house, where they meet the Halls’ teenage twin daughters, Ashley and Emily. Tia and Kelly immediately become friends, as do Ashley, Emily, and Madison. In the middle of the night on December 1, new neighbors move in across the street: ] and electrical engineer Buddy Hall and his ] Tia, both of whom Steve and Kelly meet the next morning. Later that day, Kelly goes with Madison and Carter to the Hall house, where they meet the Halls’ teenage twin daughters, Ashley and Emily. Tia and Kelly immediately become friends, as do Ashley, Emily, and Madison.


Buddy goes to work as a used car salesman, where he manages to sell a car to the owner of the ], giving him a ]. That night, Buddy complains to Tia that while he can sell anything, he gets bored easily. After discovering that the neighborhood can be seen on ]s via a website called MyEarth (seemingly a ] of ]), but that his house is not visible, Buddy decides to make it visible using Christmas lights. As his display grows bigger, including live animals, it gets Buddy known around town, angering Steve and threatening his position as the “Christmas guy.” Buddy goes to work as a used car salesman, where he sells a car to the owner of the ], giving him a ]. That night, Tia complains to him that while he can sell anything he soon gets bored. She is fed up with always moving on, to which Buddy responds he wants to achieve something greater than selling cars or copiers.


After discovering that the neighborhood can be seen on ]s, but that his house is not visible, Buddy decides to make it visible using Christmas lights. As his display grows bigger, including live animals, it gets him known around town, angering Steve and threatening his position as the “Christmas guy.”
⚫ Steve’s envy towards Buddy increases; in various incidents, Steve's Christmas-card photo is ruined when two of Buddy's ] ] get startled by the sleigh bells and take Steve for a wild ride, his car doors are ripped off during one of Buddy's ], and his private Christmas-tree lot is destroyed by a ] when Buddy accidentally spills ] with his ]. Eventually, Buddy's house is completely lit, and even synchronized to music. Steve manages to sabotage Buddy’s lights by filling his fusebox with snow, but a backup generator foils his plan. Buddy discovers the sabotage and retaliates by stealing the town's Christmas tree, putting it in Steve's house, and "buying" him a car.


⚫ Steve's envy towards Buddy increases; in various incidents, Steve's Christmas-card photo is ruined when two of Buddy's ] ] get startled by the sleigh bells and take Steve for a wild ride which ends with him falling into a frozen lake, his car doors are ripped off during one of Buddy's ], and his private Christmas-tree lot is destroyed by a ] when Buddy accidentally spills ] with his ].
⚫ Buddy and Steve make a bet: if Steve beats Buddy in the WinterFest ] race, then Buddy removes the lights, and if Buddy beats Steve, Steve pays for the car. Buddy wins, causing Steve to yell at Buddy for being a nobody, since his house is still not visible from space. Hurt, Buddy compensates by buying a huge amount of programmable LED lights, which he pays for by hocking Tia's expensive ] ], and Tia and the girls depart.


Eventually, Buddy's house is completely lit, and even synchronized to music. Steve manages to sabotage his lights by filling his fusebox with snowballs, but a backup generator foils his plan. Buddy discovers the sabotage and retaliates by stealing the town's Christmas tree, putting it in Steve's house, and "buying" him a car.
⚫ Having had enough, Steve buys various ]s including The Atomic Warlord, a large, illegal, ]-grade ] from a ] and tries to destroy the Hall house. The rocket misfires, setting the town Christmas tree on fire, and Steve's family leaves, but not before Kelly scolds Steve for ignoring his children to focus on Buddy.


⚫ Buddy and Steve make a bet: if Steve beats him in the WinterFest ] race, then Buddy removes the lights, and if Buddy wins, Steve pays for the car. When Buddy wins, Steve yells at him, calling him a nobody as his house is still not visible from space.
⚫ Steve discovers Buddy has been stealing the former’s power for the latter’s lights. However, after seeing Buddy taking down his lights, a remorseful Steve forgives Buddy. The two forget their rivalry and build a winter wonderland with all of Buddy's lights. They lure Tia, Kelly, and the kids home and all sit down to a nice meal made by both Steve and Buddy.


Hurt, Buddy compensates by buying a huge amount of programmable LED lights. He pays for by hocking Tia's valuable ] ], so she and the girls depart. Buddy's obsession with the lights also causes him to lose his job.
⚫ Soon, the whole town arrives at Buddy’s house to help put Buddy's lights back up in time for a story about them on ]. They do not work, and everyone sings ]s and uses their ]s as flashlights. As they sing, Steve accepts Buddy’s offer to be his friend, and Carter notices that the lights did not work because one of the plugs is not plugged in properly. He tightly plugs it in, causing the lights to shine brightly through the night. ], doing the MTV report, gets confirmation from MyEarth that the house is indeed visible from space, and the crowd celebrates.

⚫ Having had enough, Steve buys various ]s including The Atomic Warlord, a large, illegal, ]-grade ] from a ] and tries to destroy the Hall house. The rocket misfires, setting the town Christmas tree on fire, so Steve's family leaves, but not before Kelly scolds Steve for ignoring his children to focus on Buddy.

⚫ Steve discovers Buddy has been stealing his power for the lights. However, after seeing him taking down his lights, a remorseful Steve forgives him. The two forget their rivalry and build a winter wonderland with all of Buddy's lights. They lure Tia, Kelly, and the kids home and all sit down to a nice meal made by both men.

⚫ Soon, the whole town arrives at Buddy's house to help put his lights back up, in time for a story about them on ]. At first, they do not work, so everyone sings ]s and uses their ]s as flashlights. As they sing, Steve accepts Buddy's offer to be his friend, and Carter notices that the lights did not work because one of the plugs is not plugged in properly. He tightly plugs it in, causing the lights to shine brightly through the night. ], doing the MTV report, gets confirmation from MyEarth that the house is indeed visible from space, and the crowd celebrates.


==Cast== ==Cast==
Line 58: Line 64:
*] as Sheriff Dave *] as Sheriff Dave
*] as Mackenzie *] as Mackenzie
*] as Amit Sayid *] as Amit Sayid, Director of Infosystems Tech, MyEarth
*] as Madison's Date *] as Madison's Date
*] as Fireworks Dealer *] as Fireworks Dealer
*] as Herself *] as herself
*] as Herself *] as herself
{{div col end}} {{div col end}}


== Production notes == ==Production==
===Filming===
The film was originally entitled ''All Lit Up'', and while it was set in the ], it was shot in ], ], and other locations throughout ]. The film was originally entitled ''All Lit Up'', and while it was set in the ], it was shot in ], ], and other locations throughout ].


Line 73: Line 80:


==Reception == ==Reception ==
⚫ ===Box office===
⚫ The film grossed $35.1 million in North America and $12.1 million in other territories for a total of $47.2 million, against a budget of $51 million, making it a box office failure where it only earned back 91.8% of its total budget.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=deckthehalls.htm |title=Deck the Halls |publisher=] |access-date=March 7, 2009}}</ref>

⚫ The film grossed $12 million in its opening weekend, finishing fourth at the box office.


===Critical response=== ===Critical response===
On ], the film has an approval rating of {{RT data|score}} based on {{RT data|count}} reviews with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. The site's critical consensus reads, "Relying on flat humor and a preposterous plot, ''Deck the Halls'' is an unnecessarily mean-spirited holiday movie that does little to put viewers in a holiday mood."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deck_the_halls|title=Deck the Halls (2006)|website=]|publisher=]|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}}{{RT data|edit}}</ref> This was the third-worst reviewed Christmas movie on the site, after ] and ], respectively.<ref>{{cite web | url= https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/worst-christmas-movies/ | title= The Worst of Christmas Movies| work=] |access-date= December 23, 2020}}</ref> On ], the film has a score of 28 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/deck-the-halls|title=Deck the Halls Reviews|work=]}}</ref> Audiences polled by ] gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale.<ref name="CinemaScore">{{cite web|url=https://m.cinemascore.com |title=CinemaScore |work=cinemascore.com}}</ref> ''Deck the Halls'' was panned by critics. On ], the film has an approval rating of {{RT data|score}} based on {{RT data|count}} reviews with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. The site's critical consensus reads, "Relying on flat humor and a preposterous plot, ''Deck the Halls'' is an unnecessarily mean-spirited holiday movie that does little to put viewers in a holiday mood."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deck_the_halls|title=Deck the Halls (2006)|website=]|publisher=]|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}}{{RT data|edit}}</ref> This was the third-worst reviewed Christmas movie on the site, after '']'' and '']'', respectively.<ref>{{cite web | url= https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/worst-christmas-movies/ | title= The Worst of Christmas Movies| work=] |access-date= December 23, 2020}}</ref> On ], the film has a score of 28 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/deck-the-halls|title=Deck the Halls Reviews|work=]}}</ref> Audiences polled by ] gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale.<ref name="CinemaScore">{{cite web|url=https://m.cinemascore.com |title=CinemaScore |work=cinemascore.com}}</ref>


Roger Moore of the '']'' named it "A leaden slice of fruitcake, with about as much nutritional value," and concluding that "it's not worth working up a good hate over". ] remarked "I literally didn't count a single laugh in the whole aimless schlep," and suggested that the film should've been named ''Dreck the Halls'' instead. ] named it the "Worst Movie of 2006." Finally, ], co-host of the television show '']'', wrote: Roger Moore of the '']'' named it "A leaden slice of fruitcake, with about as much nutritional value," and concluding that "it's not worth working up a good hate over". ] remarked "I literally didn't count a single laugh in the whole aimless schlep," and suggested that the film should have been named ''Dreck the Halls'' instead. ] named it the "Worst Movie of 2006." Finally, ], co-host of the television show '']'', wrote:


<blockquote>"You can't believe how excruciatingly awful this movie is. It is bad in a way that will cause unfortunate viewers to huddle in the lobby afterward, hugging in small groups, consoling one another with the knowledge that it's over, it's over -- thank God, it's over. Compared to the honest hard labor performed by tens of millions of Americans every day, a film critic's job is like a winning lottery ticket. But there IS work involved, and it can be painful -- and the next time someone tells me I have the best job in the world, I'm going to grab them by the ear, fourth-grade-teacher-in-1966-style, and drag them to see ''Deck the Halls''." <blockquote>"You can't believe how excruciatingly awful this movie is. It is bad in a way that will cause unfortunate viewers to huddle in the lobby afterward, hugging in small groups, consoling one another with the knowledge that it's over, it's over -- thank God, it's over. Compared to the honest hard labor performed by tens of millions of Americans every day, a film critic's job is like a winning lottery ticket. But there IS work involved, and it can be painful -- and the next time someone tells me I have the best job in the world, I'm going to grab them by the ear, fourth-grade-teacher-in-1966-style, and drag them to see ''Deck the Halls''."
</blockquote> </blockquote>


===Accolades===
The film was nominated for three ]: The film was nominated for three ]:
* ] * ]
* ] (Danny DeVito) * ] (Danny DeVito)
* ] (Kristin Chenoweth). * ] (Kristin Chenoweth).

⚫ === Box office ===
⚫ The film grossed $35.1 million in North America and $12.1 million in other territories for a total of $47.2 million, against a budget of $51 million, making it a box office failure where it only earned back 91.8% of its total budget.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=deckthehalls.htm |title=Deck the Halls |publisher=] |access-date=March 7, 2009}}</ref>

⚫ The film grossed $12 million in its opening weekend, finishing fourth at the box office.


==See also== ==See also==
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{{wikiquote|Deck the Halls}} {{wikiquote|Deck the Halls}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0790604|title=Deck the Halls}} * {{IMDb title|id=0790604|title=Deck the Halls}}
* {{Amg movie|349033|title=Deck the Halls}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|id=deck_the_halls|title=Deck the Halls}} * {{rotten-tomatoes|id=deck_the_halls|title=Deck the Halls}}


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] ]
] ]
]
] ]
] ]
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] ]
] ]
]

Latest revision as of 17:01, 25 December 2024

2006 American Christmas comedy film
Deck the Halls
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJohn Whitesell
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMark Irwin
Edited byPaul Hirsch
Music byGeorge S. Clinton
Production
company		Regency Enterprises
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date
  • November 22, 2006 (2006-11-22)
Running time93 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$51 million
Box office$47.2 million

Deck the Halls is a 2006 American Christmas comedy film directed by John Whitesell, written by Matt Corman, Chris Ord, and Don Rhymer, and starring Danny DeVito, Matthew Broderick, Kristin Davis, and Kristin Chenoweth. It tells the story of an optometrist who ends up in a Christmas competition with his new neighbor. The film was released on November 22, 2006, by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on DVD on November 6, 2007. It was a critical and commercial failure.

Plot

In the fictional town of Cloverdale, Massachusetts, optometrist and self-proclaimed Christmas expert Steve Finch wants his family, consisting of wife Kelly, daughter Madison, and son Carter, to have a great Christmas, filled with traditions such as using an Advent calendar, taking Christmas card pictures in matching sweaters, and buying a perfect, large tree.

In the middle of the night on December 1, new neighbors move in across the street: car salesman and electrical engineer Buddy Hall and his trophy wife Tia, both of whom Steve and Kelly meet the next morning. Later that day, Kelly goes with Madison and Carter to the Hall house, where they meet the Halls’ teenage twin daughters, Ashley and Emily. Tia and Kelly immediately become friends, as do Ashley, Emily, and Madison.

Buddy goes to work as a used car salesman, where he sells a car to the owner of the dealership, giving him a promotion. That night, Tia complains to him that while he can sell anything he soon gets bored. She is fed up with always moving on, to which Buddy responds he wants to achieve something greater than selling cars or copiers.

After discovering that the neighborhood can be seen on satellite photos, but that his house is not visible, Buddy decides to make it visible using Christmas lights. As his display grows bigger, including live animals, it gets him known around town, angering Steve and threatening his position as the “Christmas guy.”

Steve's envy towards Buddy increases; in various incidents, Steve's Christmas-card photo is ruined when two of Buddy's phonophobic feral horses get startled by the sleigh bells and take Steve for a wild ride which ends with him falling into a frozen lake, his car doors are ripped off during one of Buddy's light shows, and his private Christmas-tree lot is destroyed by a fire when Buddy accidentally spills gasoline with his chainsaw.

Eventually, Buddy's house is completely lit, and even synchronized to music. Steve manages to sabotage his lights by filling his fusebox with snowballs, but a backup generator foils his plan. Buddy discovers the sabotage and retaliates by stealing the town's Christmas tree, putting it in Steve's house, and "buying" him a car.

Buddy and Steve make a bet: if Steve beats him in the WinterFest speedskating race, then Buddy removes the lights, and if Buddy wins, Steve pays for the car. When Buddy wins, Steve yells at him, calling him a nobody as his house is still not visible from space.

Hurt, Buddy compensates by buying a huge amount of programmable LED lights. He pays for by hocking Tia's valuable heirloom vase, so she and the girls depart. Buddy's obsession with the lights also causes him to lose his job.

Having had enough, Steve buys various fireworks including The Atomic Warlord, a large, illegal, military-grade rocket from a gangster and tries to destroy the Hall house. The rocket misfires, setting the town Christmas tree on fire, so Steve's family leaves, but not before Kelly scolds Steve for ignoring his children to focus on Buddy.

Steve discovers Buddy has been stealing his power for the lights. However, after seeing him taking down his lights, a remorseful Steve forgives him. The two forget their rivalry and build a winter wonderland with all of Buddy's lights. They lure Tia, Kelly, and the kids home and all sit down to a nice meal made by both men.

Soon, the whole town arrives at Buddy's house to help put his lights back up, in time for a story about them on MTV. At first, they do not work, so everyone sings carols and uses their cell phones as flashlights. As they sing, Steve accepts Buddy's offer to be his friend, and Carter notices that the lights did not work because one of the plugs is not plugged in properly. He tightly plugs it in, causing the lights to shine brightly through the night. SuChin Pak, doing the MTV report, gets confirmation from MyEarth that the house is indeed visible from space, and the crowd celebrates.

Cast

Production

Filming

The film was originally entitled All Lit Up, and while it was set in the United States, it was shot in Cloverdale, Surrey, Ocean Park, Surrey, and other locations throughout Metro Vancouver.

In the scene in which Steve and Buddy are in a speedskating race, Matthew Broderick had to train with a real Olympic speed skater trainer for a few weeks before he could film that scene. He trained at Chelsea Piers in New York.

Reception

Box office

The film grossed $35.1 million in North America and $12.1 million in other territories for a total of $47.2 million, against a budget of $51 million, making it a box office failure where it only earned back 91.8% of its total budget.

The film grossed $12 million in its opening weekend, finishing fourth at the box office.

Critical response

Deck the Halls was panned by critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 6% based on 85 reviews with an average rating of 3/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Relying on flat humor and a preposterous plot, Deck the Halls is an unnecessarily mean-spirited holiday movie that does little to put viewers in a holiday mood." This was the third-worst reviewed Christmas movie on the site, after The Nutcracker in 3D and Christmas with the Kranks, respectively. On Metacritic, the film has a score of 28 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale.

Roger Moore of the Orlando Sentinel named it "A leaden slice of fruitcake, with about as much nutritional value," and concluding that "it's not worth working up a good hate over". Stephen Hunter remarked "I literally didn't count a single laugh in the whole aimless schlep," and suggested that the film should have been named Dreck the Halls instead. Michael Medved named it the "Worst Movie of 2006." Finally, Richard Roeper, co-host of the television show Ebert & Roeper, wrote:

"You can't believe how excruciatingly awful this movie is. It is bad in a way that will cause unfortunate viewers to huddle in the lobby afterward, hugging in small groups, consoling one another with the knowledge that it's over, it's over -- thank God, it's over. Compared to the honest hard labor performed by tens of millions of Americans every day, a film critic's job is like a winning lottery ticket. But there IS work involved, and it can be painful -- and the next time someone tells me I have the best job in the world, I'm going to grab them by the ear, fourth-grade-teacher-in-1966-style, and drag them to see Deck the Halls."

Accolades

The film was nominated for three Golden Raspberry Awards:

See also

References

  1. ^ "Deck the Halls (2016)". The Numbers. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  2. "Matthew Broderick Talks Deck the Halls". 22 November 2006.
  3. "Deck the Halls". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 7, 2009.
  4. "Deck the Halls (2006)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 6, 2021. Edit this at Wikidata
  5. "The Worst of Christmas Movies". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  6. "Deck the Halls Reviews". Metacritic.
  7. "CinemaScore". cinemascore.com.

External links

Films directed by John Whitesell
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