Deck the Halls (2006)

Director:

John Whitesell

Writers (WGA):

Matt Corman (written by) &
Chris Ord (written by) ...

Release Date:

22 November 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family

Tagline:

There glows the neighborhood

Plot:

Two neighbors have it out after one of them decorates his house for the holidays so brightly that it can be seen from space.

Plot Keywords:

Holiday | Neighbor | Christmas | Light | Christmas Lights

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Danny DeVito	...	Buddy Hall
Matthew Broderick	...	Steve Finch
Kristin Davis	...	Kelly Finch
Kristin Chenoweth	...	Tia Hall
Alia Shawkat	...	Madison Finch
Dylan Blue	...	Carter Finch
Kelly Aldridge	...	Ashley Hall
Sabrina Aldridge	...	Emily Hall
Jorge Garcia	...	Wallace
Fred Armisen	...	Gustave
Gillian Vigman	...	Gerta
Ryan Devlin	...	Bob Murray
Sean O'Bryan	...	Mayor Young
SuChin Pak	...	Herself
Jackie Burroughs	...	Mrs. Ryor

Also Known As:

All Lit Up (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for some crude and suggestive humor, and for language.

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Ireland:PG | Singapore:PG | Philippines:G (MTRCB) | Australia:PG | Sweden:Btl | USA:PG (certificate #42974) | Portugal:M/6 | Germany:o.Al. | Finland:K-3 | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Netherlands:6

Filming Locations:

Holy Trinity Cathedral - 514 Carnarvon Street, New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Regency Enterprises

Trivia:

DeVito's house used LED lights to provide remarkable displays not possible with traditional Christmas lights. Otherwise, the lighting could only be done by special effect computers. The lights, from Boston-based Color Kinetics, formed a "digital skin" around DeVito's house, acting like pixels on a TV screen. At one point, the roof of DeVito's house turned into a live video display of DeVito's face. At maximum intensity, the 14,300 LED nodes used just 7,150 watts of energy, the equivalent of four average hair dryers. Wrapping the house with conventional exterior string lights would have used approximately 100,100 watts, 14 times more than the LED installation, and without the capability for programmable effects. The entire LED installation used a total of 126 amps, about as much as 1.3 average households. Conventional exterior string lights would have used 812 amps, the equivalent of 8 houses' worth of power.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Steve takes out Buddies power with the snow ball all the lights go out. There should still be some lights as we know that Buddy is stealing part of his power via extension cord from Steve's house.

Quotes:

Tia Hall: This is the most clothes they have worn in years!

Movie Connections:

Features Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Soundtrack:

Deck the Halls

Feuding neighbours provide light-hearted entertainment

Film Review: Deck the Halls Cast: Danny DeVito, Mathew Broderick, Kristin Davis and Kristin Chenoweth

It's the festive season and there's a new neighbour in town. Danny DeVito plays the part of Buddy Hall, a cunning family man desperately in need of settling down. It's not easy establishing a home in a new neighbourhood as the Hall family soon finds out, especially with a neighbour like Steve Finch, played by Mathew Broderick.

Finch is a man set in his ways. His desire to control everything around him borders on obsessive-compulsive. At best he is anally retentive; at worst seriously unstable. As the self proclaimed chairman of the Town's Christmas celebrations, Finch feels completely threatened by the arrival of Hall.

Their families get along like a house on fire, but these two alpha males can't see eye to eye on anything. They become fiercely competitive and unwittingly puerile, as each tries to outdo the other. Buddy Hall gets a bizarre notion into his head about adorning his house with sufficient lighting so that it can be viewed from space. He is prepared to do this even if it means arousing the wrath of the Finch family.

This is a weird and wacky tale about Christmas cheer and reconciliation. Naturally there is that inevitable chemistry between DeVito and Broderick. From rivalry to cooperation, this is their story told in the true spirit of the festive season.