Candy Cane Lane
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jillian Bell, Genneya Walton, Thaddeus J. Mixson, Madison Thomas, Nick Offerman, Chris Redd, Robin Thede, David Alan Grier, Ken Marino, Anjela Johnson Reyes
Director: Reginald Hudlin
Rating: 2/5
Runtime: 108 mins

 
From Reggie Hammond in ‘48 Hrs’ to Chris Carver in ‘Candy Cane Lane,’ Eddie Murphy has come a long way - but it’s not all to the good. Of late, his career hasn’t been hitting the right notes and his most recent outing, an all-out Christmas season effort, may not be all bad but it certainly doesn’t ring any bells. At 62 years, he looks decades younger but the zingy comic timing and fast-talking effervescence isn’t working any magic anymore.

'Candy Cane Lane', one of a three-picture deal that Murphy has signed with Amazon, marks a reunion for Murphy and director Reginald Hudlin, whose 'Boomerang' (1992) brought Murphy out of one of the frequent dumps he has been in over the years. 'Candy Cane Lane' has an obvious Christmas celebration written into it but it’s not the entertaining, joyous engagement we all were expecting.