Candy Cane Lane

It seems every frame of Candy Cane Lane is filled with lights, carols, and frenzied holiday mayhem, but very little of it feels merry.

As it strains to put a fresh twist on seasonal cinematic tropes, this innocuous comedy conveys familiar lessons about the value of giving and family over commercialism and superficiality.

However, this high-spirited magical journey isn’t destined to join the ranks of perennial holiday favorites. Overdosing on visual effects and cheesy cuteness, it seems to re-gift some gags from movies of Christmas past.

It also tests your tolerance for “The 12 Days of Christmas,” a literal interpretation of which inspires much of the story. It starts with Chris Carver (Eddie Murphy) preparing to engage rival neighbors on his suburban street in an annual December battle for decorative supremacy.

Then he’s laid off from his corporate sales job just as his wife (Tracee Ellis Ross) is chasing a promotion and his oldest daughter (Genneya Walton) is preparing for college.

Amid that turmoil, a sponsor has fortunately agreed to sponsor the yard décor contest this year, with television coverage and a lucrative cash prize that his family now needs. But Chris has just a few days to pull everything together.

In a panic, he travels with his youngest daughter (Madison Thomas) to a mysterious pop-up shop operated by a rogue elf (Jillian Bell) with cloudy motives. Caught between reality and fantasy, suddenly their tinsel and trees carry a much higher cost, and winning the contest is the least of their concerns. Most importantly, it forces Chris to reprioritize.

Reuniting with veteran filmmaker Reginald Hudlin (Boomerang), Murphy still knows how to deliver some acerbic zingers with underlying warmth. As a whole, the performances are endearing enough, but the contrived subplots never enable the Carvers to resemble an authentic family.

The film pokes fun at holiday traditions with style and attitude, although the random chaos rarely is grounded. Perhaps rookie screenwriter Kelly Younger deserves credit for switching up the template in a crowded genre. And at least the film rises above cheap Hallmark-level sentimentality.

Still, the peculiar result is only intermittently amusing or charming. Despite some scattered laughs, Candy Cane Lane is more forced than clever. It doesn’t bring enough joy to the world.

Rated PG, 117 minutes.