Mild-mannered optometrist Steve Finch (Matthew Broderick) loves Christmas. He lives with his wife (Kristin Davis) and kids (Alia Shawkat, Dylan Blue). He plans his Christmas starting from December first. He organizes Winterfest for his town of Cloverdale, Massachusetts. Buddy Hall (Danny DeVito), his wife (Kristin Chenoweth) and their hot twin daughters move in across the street. Buddy is a new car salesman who is able to sell a car to the dealership's owner. However he can't stick to one thing. He puts up his Christmas lights to be seen from space. Steve starts getting annoyed with Buddy.I didn't laugh once and I'm not sure exactly why. Matthew Broderick plays it like a lesser Jim McAllister from Election. Danny DeVito play it a bit normal. Neither is likable. I don't care about them. I don't care about Steve and his passive aggressive issues. The wives aren't that compelling. The kids do a couple of things but nothing funny. The whole movie feels flat. I'm not annoyed or angry. I just feel nothing for this movie.

Deck the Halls is a below average film with a storyline that dosen't really go anywhere and while it myth interest children under the age of seven,everyone else would be smart enough to understand this movie is terribly written and just not funny.While there is good chemistry between Mathew Broderick and Danny DeVito,two comedy actors I really enjoy, it dosen't make up for the poor dialogue and the complete lack of Christmas magic.I would not recommend Deck the Halls to anyone,certainly not as a movie to watch with the family at Christmas time,avoid this movie.A family man's peaceful Christmas plans with his family are ruined when their new neighbours intend on their Christmas lights to be literally visible from space.

'Deck the Halls' is A Decent Watch! It has some funny moments & energetic performances working for it. Time-Pass!'Deck the Halls' Synopsis: Two neighbors have it out after one of them decorates his house for the holidays so brightly that it can be seen from space.'Deck the Halls' is flawed, but funny nonetheless. Sure, some jokes are lame, but I did laugh at some places. Matt Corman, Chris Ord & Don Rhymer's Screenplay could've been funnier, but there is something funny about it. John Whitesell's Direction is lively. Cinematography & Editing are very ordinary.Performance-Wise: Danny DeVito & Matthew Broderick are splendid actors & they are a joy to watch. As feuding neighbors, they both deliver wonderfully. Kristin Davis & Kristin Chenoweth are adequate. Kal Penn appears in a cameo. On the whole, 'Deck the Halls' is funny in parts.

From a production design that screams "L.A. soundstage" to a script clearly cobbled together on the fly to one stillborn gag after another, the generically named "Deck the Halls" disappoints at every turn. Beyond being unfunny, Devito's Fred or Frank (who cares?) Hall character is more psychotic torturer to Matthew Broderick's (you actually feel badly that a decent comedic performer got himself involved in this mess unlike Devito who should pretty much take whatever work he can get)prim and proper character rather than comedic foil. Of course, to complain about the performances is somewhat unfair as even Jim Carrey before he went nuts couldn't have saved a schizophrenic and rushed script - clearly the three listed writers had different visions for the film. The script forces the two main characters to alternatively like and hate one another and tries to portray the obsessive narcissist Devito character as the good guy despite being too mentally unbalanced to hold down a job or provide any parental direction to his slutty daughters. In short, others have suffered through this mess so you won't have to - see the Chevy Chase Christmas movie instead.