Determined to unseat Steve Finch's reign as the town's holiday season king, Buddy Hall plasters his house with so many decorative lights that it'll be visible from space! When their wives bond, and their kids follow suit, the two men only escalate their rivalry - and their decorating.
There is something about the holiday season that brings lazy filmmakers to pitch meetings with Frank Capra knockoffs clutched in their sweaty paws.
– Ella Taylor,
L.A. Weekly,
23 Nov 2006
rotten:
I love the Christmas season, but there are times when I wish it would go away if only to save audiences from horrific experiences like this.
– James Berardinelli,
ReelViews,
24 Nov 2006
rotten:
[Deck the Halls] wants to be both naughty and nice, but just ends up feeling deeply confused.
– Nathan Rabin,
AV Club,
2 Dec 2006
rotten:
This one follows the depressing pattern of Surviving Christmas and Christmas With the Kranks: enforced holiday cheer gives way to bilious hatred, then hollow forgiveness.
– J. R. Jones,
Chicago Reader,
26 Dec 2006
rotten:
Laden with false climaxes, the overstuffed plot leaves you exhausted well before the movie ends, and the amiable actors sleepwalk through their uninspired roles.