Candy Cane Lane is a new holiday comedy film starring Eddie Murphy, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jillian Bell, and other talented actors. The film is directed by Reginald Hudlin, who previously worked with Murphy on Boomerang. The film is inspired by the writer Kelly Younger’s childhood holiday experiences on Candy Cane Lane in El Segundo, California. The film follows a man who makes a deal with a mischievous elf to win a Christmas home decoration contest, but ends up unleashing chaos on his neighborhood.
In this exclusive interview, we talk to director Reginald Hudlin about his vision for the film, his collaboration with Eddie Murphy, the challenges of making a holiday movie, and the magic of Candy Cane Lane. Read on to find out more about this festive and hilarious film that will surely make you laugh and warm your heart.
THH: So this is your first movie with Eddie Murphy since 1992 with Boomerang. How was working with him again and how did you approach to him to work on this movie.
RH: Well it was easy. You know, we worked together in that movie. I know how Eddie Murphy works. My job is to direct and make a very comfortable environment for him to do his work. You know, we had a really tight schedule but we had fun everyday.
THH: What inspired you to make a Christmas movie after working on other genres like comedy and drama?
RH: I love Christmas movie. You know, I grew up watching ‘Rudolph: The Red-Nosed Reindeer’ and ‘Snoopy and Charlie Brown’. I couldn’t wait to play in that world. So I’m really happy I had a chance to do one. You know, my kids, when I was making ‘Django: Unchained’ asked me: “When are you going to make a movie for us?!” So I’m glad I finally got to make that movie.
THH: What I really liked about this movie is that it feels really unique and refreshing, different from some Christmas movies I’ve seen recently. I loved how it has so many references like Die Hard (which is a christmas movie). Is there any holiday movie that inspired you when working on this one?
RH: Oh I always been inspired by so many Christmas movies, from ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ to ‘Elf’. There are so many great ones. So my thing was, in this one let’s do something different, you know, something you haven’t seen before, so that was really my try. Not to copy anybody, try to be as original as we can be.
THH: What was your favorite scene to direct and why?
RH: Oh, to direct! That’s interesting… You know, there’s so many different things, so there’s like some crazy stuff that attracts me, with the lords of leaping with the kung-fu, I love that stuff. Many things, like when Eddie Murphy is angry and he’s blaming the neighbors and their interaction are so fun. And also everything involving music, I love. So honestly, I had fun with everything, this was a fun movie.
THH: What were some of the challenges and joys of bringing the 12 Days of Christmas to life with magic.
RH: It was really fun, I mean, we used a real cow (laughs)! So, we worked with an animal and is not trained like I thought it’d be! So we were like “Okay! Let’s see what the cow wants to do!” So it was a little bit scary but a good scary. And, you know, working with the visual effects team, with the guys who worked on ‘Star Wars’, ‘Jurassic Park’, they were so good and so good in creating crazy ideas. My thing is like: I read something crazy in the script and I’m like: “Let’s make it crazier!” So it was really great.
THH: What are some of the themes or messages you wanted to explore in the film, and how did they relate to your own personal experiences or beliefs?
RH: Well, even though the writer was writing mostly about his own family, I 100% related to so many things that happened in his family that also happened in my own life. So I really identify with it. And I think the message of the movie is that nothing is more important than love, love of family, love of community. And, you know, if we focus on that, everything else will sort itself out. You know, it’s been a tough year for a lot of people and I think the message of this movie is the right message for right now.
THH: I really loved the cast of this film and their chemistry. How did you approach creating a sense of community and togetherness in the film.
RH: It was fortunately very easy. When you hire the best people, they respect each other and all of them were so happy to be in a movie with Eddie Murphy so that was great. And when they saw each other they were like: “Oh my God! I’m a big fan of your work!” So yeah everyone got along really really well and it was a very fun set with a lot of laughs all day, every day.
THH: If you had the chance to make a sequel to this movie, what would you like to explore? Do you think maybe making it about a different holiday?
RH: We talked about that. We talked about all those possibilities. So, we’re just gonna wait and see if the public enjoys this movie as much as we did and if they do then hopefully we get the chance to make another one.
THH: Are you already working in another project and if so what can you tell us about it?
RH: Well, yes! I’m working in a documentary right now. It’s a total different subject. You know, usually I do 2 movies at the same time (giggles). So yeah finishing this documentary and reading scripts to see what movie I’m working next.
Candy Cane Lane is NOW streaming on Amazon Prime Video
