Deck the HallsMovie Reviews

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Avg. Critic Score: 28 out of 100 Generally unfavorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
8 Iffy for 8+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 42
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    In this year's lump of coal, Matthew Broderick is the control freak who lives for toasty yuletide cheer, and Danny DeVito is the vulgar pest who wants his holiday lights seen from space. The dueling-neighbor crankfest is blah. Read full review

  • 40
    Los Angeles Times |

    Like a fatally snarled string of Christmas lights, Deck the Halls promises holiday cheer but delivers only frustration. Read full review

  • 40
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    Mr. Broderick and Mr. DeVito look tired and out of sorts, and you can hardly blame them, given the picture's inept, curdled mixture of sappiness and crude humor. Read full review

  • 38
    New York Daily News | Elizabeth Weitzman

    Broderick is uptight; DeVito is obnoxious; and, somewhere, Nathan Lane is thanking his lucky stars he didn't get roped into this dreck. Read full review

  • 30
    Washington Post | Stephen Hunter

    I literally did not count a single laugh in the whole aimless schlep, except for the hucksters who made it, on their way to the bank. Read full review

  • 30
    Variety | Brian Lowry

    A lifeless, workmanlike comedy conceived to provide holiday shoppers an inoffensive respite from the mall. Read full review

  • 25
    Philadelphia Inquirer | David Hiltbrand

    Can be described as whatever is the opposite of a Christmas classic. Read full review

  • 25
    Boston Globe | Ty Burr

    The saddest part is that "Deck" wastes four comic talents ranging from the near-genius (Matthew Broderick, Danny DeVito) to the inspired (Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth ) to the charming (Kristin Davis of "Sex and the City"). Read full review

  • 20
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    The sheer nastiness of the jealous one-upmanship and angry sabotage puts a damper on the yuletide comedy. You're much better off watching a DVD of "Bad Santa." Read full review

  • 0
    San Francisco Chronicle | Walter Addiego

    Belongs in the holiday hall of shame. Read full review

View more reviews for Deck the Halls on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 8+ Makes us miss those Home Alone days...
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that kids may actually be the only ones interested in seeing this predictable, mean-spirited, slapstick-heavy Christmas movie. It's filled with sexual innuendo, bad behavior, and grown-ups acting like kids (worse than kids, actually). With so many other, better options out there, don't bother.
  • Families can talk about what's important during the holidays -- spending time with friends and family, or trying to outdo the neighbors. If Buddy felt "invisible," what could Steve have done to make him feel better? Likewise, what better choice could Buddy have made to be "somebody"? Who are the real grown-ups in this movie? Why do so many Christmas movies focus on themes like competition and materialism? Does that accurately reflect society's perspective on the holiday?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Rivalry between neighbors completely negates the spirit of the season. A dad enlists his son's help to sabotage the neighbors' display; a teenage daughter is rebellious.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence and scariness: Rife with mean-spirited slapstick humor: an older woman gets hit with a snowball, knocking her over; a rocket backfires, setting a Christmas tree on fire in a living room; a gas can tips over and sets a Christmas tree lot on fire; a sleigh crashes through an ice-covered pond.
  • sex false0 Sexy stuff: Women dressed in skimpy elf costumes shake their booties (one ends up being Steve's daughter -- which he finds out after he yells a sexually tinged remark at her); a 10-year-old boy ogles his sexy teen neighbors; two naked men end up in a sleeping bag together.
  • language false3 Language: Pretty mild: "Ass," "damn."
  • consumerism false3 Consumerism: Chrysler, Troy-Bilt chain saw.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false0 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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