Candy Cane Lane (2023)

Film and Plot 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 and inadvertently makes a deal with a mischievous elf that brings the 12 Days of Christmas to life. Also stars Tracee Ellis Ross, Jillian Bell, Nick Offerman, Chris Redd, and David Alan Grier. (Courtesy of Amazon Prime)

‘Candy Cane Lane’ Movie Summary

Chris Carver (Eddie Murphy) is huge fan of decorating for Christmas. He lives in the perfect neighborhood as well for his interest as each house in his neighborhood makes extravagant Christmas displays. However, Chris likes to craft his own decorations rather than relying on prefabricated light and inflatable displays as some of his neighbors do. The neighborhood puts on a yearly competition for best Christmas display, and despite Chris’ best efforts, he has never won.

Shortly before Christmas, Chris is laid off from his job. Chris and his wife Carol (Tracee Ellis Ross) worry about the loss of income for the family, which puts more pressure on Carol to get a job that she has been trying to acquire. However, Chris sees the potential for a financial lifeline when a local television station announces that the winner of the year’s Christmas contest will be awarded $100,000.00. Chris throws all his time and effort into improving the Carver family display.

Chris and his youngest daughter Holly (Madison Thomas) go out in search of more supplies and stumble across a mysterious Christmas shop built underneath a busy freeway. The shop is free from any customers but does contain beautifully elaborate decorations and figurines. The shop’s owner and sole employee, Pepper (Jillian Bell), offers to help Chris improve his display and sells him a large display that is themed in conjunction with the 12 Days of Christmas. Pepper is very mysterious and seems weirdly fixated on people who are naughty and nice. Chris is presented with a lengthy receipt and fails to read the fine print on the document before signing it. Chris and Holly take the display home and set it up. The new display is breath taking and impresses many people judging the competition.

However, the next day, the decorations all disappear from the display. Chris suspects that some of his neighbors, specifically 4-time winner Bruce (Ken Marino), may have sabotaged his display to win the contest. Not long after, Chris finds live geese in his backyard who attack him when he approaches them. Later that day, Carol is also attacked by some birds who begin bombing her with eggs outside her job. The entire Carver family, including Chris’ other children Joy (Genneya Wilson) and Nick (Thaddeus J. Mixson), also continue to have interactions with other 12 Days of Christmas type characters.

Why are you all dressed like Prince?!? Chris Carver (Eddie Murphy)

Chris returns to Pepper’s shop looking for more ornaments. He and Holly learn that the elaborate figurine display is filled with life people who have been miniaturized by Pepper. Some of the characters – Pip (Nick Offerman), Cordelia (Robin Thede), and Gary (Chris Redd) – explain that Pepper is an evil Christmas elf who used her magic to shrink them down to toy size after they each failed to live up to an agreement that they entered into with Pepper. They are now cursed to live inside Pepper’s store until someone uses their magic to restore them. They inform Chris that he entered into the same type of agreement when he bought the Christmas display from Pepper. Chris is told by the figurine people that he must obtain five golden rings which are held by the missing decorations by 8:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve or else Chris will turn into a figurine himself. Chris and Holly decide to rescue the figurines from Pepper’s store after they offer to help Chris find the rings and beat Pepper.

Once Chris and Holly return home with the figurine people, Chris informs everyone else of about the magical Christmas display and Pepper’s contract, although he fails to tell them about what will happen to him if he fails. The family decides to work together to beat Pepper, but to also stay together to protect each other. The Carvers go to Joy’s track meet where a college scout is expected to be at. Nick sneaks away to practice his music undisturbed. Pepper has a group of decorations attack the family. They each defend themselves against their respective attacks and ultimately retrieve four of the five rings. Unfortunately, the Carvers learn that the college scout has no interest in Joy as an athlete and that Nick is also failing math at school.

Believing that they are near their goal, the Carvers work with the figurine people to lure Pepper into a trap to acquire the last ring as they ascertain that she has it on her person. The figurine people warn Chris that Pepper will cheat to win the contest. Ultimately, Pepper shows up on the final night of the contest and Chris gets, what he believes, is the last ring. However, Pepper reveals that there are more than five rings as the song repeats that verse eight times when sung. The Carvers realize that they need to collect forty rings and they have only ten minutes to do it.

Santa Claus (David Alan Grier) arrives and lectures Pepper for her mischief. Unfortunately, Santa informs the Carvers that Chris is bound by the contract. Pepper unleashes the remaining decorations upon the entire neighborhood. The Carvers, their neighbors, and the figurines work together to collect as many rings as they can. At the same time, Pepper cheats by turning the clock forward five minutes. Everyone working together collects thirty-eight rings, but Chris turns into a figurine five minutes before the deadline. The family appeals to Santa who reminds the family that the agreement said forty gold rings in their hands. Chris and Carol realize that each of their wedding rings are gold, and as a result, the curse is broken. Chris reverts to normal. Holly asks about the figurine people. Santa informs her that the agreement did not apply to them but reminds her that he has magical powers as well. Holly tells Santa that her Christmas wish is for everyone to be returned to normal. Santa turns the figurine people back to normal. Pepper protests Santa’s actions, but he dismisses her complaints. He does offer to take her back to his workshop with him, which she agrees to.

In the aftermath, the television hosts of the Christmas decorating contest (Timothy Simons and Danielle Pinnock) announce Chris’s house as the winner of the contest. They also reveal that the prize is not $100,000 in cash, but $100,000 in Taco coupons. Nevertheless, it is revealed that Carol got the job she was seeking, Nick continued playing his music, Joy got a track scholarship to North Carolina, and Chris took ownership of Pepper’s old shop.

In a mid-credits scene, Pepper has been reduced to a figurine by Santa Claus as punishment for deeds. Santa informs her that if she behaves herself that he may consider letting her clean out the reindeer stalls