From Candy Cane Lane to Family Switch, Should You Add These To Your Watchlist?
From a holiday home decorating competition to a Christmas genie to a North Pole heist, here’s all the movies you should watch this week… and the ones you can skip. The writers of Pop Culture Planet have you covered this holiday season.
A Biltmore Christmas!
In A Biltmore Christmas!, a magical hourglass sends a modern-day screenwriter to the set of the 1947 holiday classic His Merry Wife!, which she happens to be working on a reboot of. But something goes wrong that threatens to alter the future forever.
Starring Bethany Joy Lenz and Kristoffer Polaha, A Biltmore Christmas! seamlessly weaves the glamour of old Hollywood into the world of Hallmark. The Biltmore Estate is a stunning backdrop, while the time travel aspect gives this film a wonderful balance of freshness and nostalgia. While the end is a bit abrupt, this is definitely a stand out of the Hallmark holiday slate. I’d love to see a version of their black and white classic His Merry Wife! next!
A Biltmore Christmas! is airing on the Hallmark Channel.
- Kristen Maldonado
Candy Cane Lane
After losing his job, Chris (Eddie Murphy) sets his sights on the $100,000 prize for his neighborhood’s televised holiday home decorating contest. When he meets Pepper (Jillian Bell), a mischievous elf, his fortune seems to take a positive turn until his 12 days of Christmas decor disappears. In an effort to claim top prize and keep his misfortunes from his family, a competition of holiday chaos ensues on Candy Cane Lane. Tracee Ellis Ross, Chris Redd, Nick Offerman, and Pentatonix also join in on the festive fun.
Candy Cane Lane is a fresh take on the Christmas genre being set in California and is a celebration of the untraditional west coast holiday. There were great comedic moments, action sequences, a fantastic soundtrack, incredibly detailed sets, and heartfelt family fun throughout. The premise of the film gets a bit convoluted about halfway through and attempts to packs in too many elements including car chases and action sequences. The logic doesn’t really follow, but that’s the magic of movies and Christmas. Not sure if it’s worthy of an annual rewatch, but it was a fun, modern, and unique angle on holiday traditions.
Candy Cane Lane is streaming on Prime Video.
- Jordan Bohan
Family Switch
In Family Switch, the Walkers are an over-scheduled bunch with workaholic mother Jess (Jennifer Garner), soccer prodigy CC (Emma Myers), science brainiac Wyatt (Brady Noon), and still dreaming about the glory days Bill (Ed Helms). However, when they witness a cosmic planetary event, the parents switch into the bodies of their teenage children and the same goes for them. They catch on pretty quick to the cause, but hit a road block when it takes a hyper specific lens to fix the telescope they broke during the event.
Family Switch is a cliche film with predictable events, but the main and supporting casts personalities — including Rita Moreno, Matthias Schweighofer, and Ilia Isorelys Paulino — make up for it. It invites you to enjoy their chaotic ventures as Christmas fastly approaches. Baby Miles and family dog Pickles switch bodies as well which throws you off with the CGI. While it’s not the best Christmas movie ever, the film centers a message on the importance of a supportive, loving family.
Family Switch is streaming now on Netflix.
- Paola Cardenas
Genie
With his life unravelling around him, Bernard dusts off a jewelry box and unintentionally releases a magical genie who might just be able to help him. This film is a remake of the 1991 British television film Bernard and the Genie, which is in turn an adaptation of One Thousand and One Nights, a collection of Middle Eastern folktales that also inspired the story of Disney’s Aladdin.
Genie starts a little slow and ends too abruptly as it brings together Paapa Essiedu and Melissa McCarthy for a different kind of Christmas movie with a genie at the center. There are some fun fish-out-of-water moments for McCarthy who’s character has been locked in a jewelry box for 2000 years. It ultimately has a nice message about being present and putting your loved ones first, but Bernard’s journey feels like it is missing some depth. Genie is a pleasant, albeit forgettable, holiday movie.
Genie is streaming on Peacock.
- Kristen Maldonado
The Naughty Nine
In a unique North Pole adventure, Andy (Winslow Fegley) finds out he’s been put on Santa’s “naughty list.” Together with a group of other “naughty list” kids, they plan a heist to get the presents they think they deserve.
While The Naughty Nine brings a fun Ocean’s Eleven energy to the holidays, it feels like a prequel to something bigger. Perhaps another heist movie where the kids work to help Santa in a bind. The young cast brings a lot of charisma to their roles, but I wish they tapped into Andy’s conflicting feels about getting his “good list” sister involved more. It feels like a throwaway bit that was added to the end, which ultimately made the adventure feel rushed.
The Naughty Nine is streaming on Disney+.
- Kristen Maldonado
