The holiday season is in full swing — snow, spending money, yuletide cheer… and sub-par holiday movies. Case in point: “Deck The Halls.”

Dr. Steve Finch (Matthew Broderick) is the self-proclaimed “Christmas Guy” in the quaint town of Cloverdale, Mass. The holiday is very special to him, and he is quite involved with community activities. He gives decoration advice, sits on the head of the Winterfest carnival committee and, as a bonus, has every day of December meticulously planned out to give his family the optimal Christmas experience.

All that changes, however, when new neighbor Buddy Hall (Danny DeVito) moves in. Buddy is a car salesman and, though he is very good at it, feels his life lacks something. He wants to do something monumental, something people will remember him for. So he comes up with a plan: to decorate his house with so many lights it will be visible from space.

Steve becomes jealous of Buddy’s growing popularity and angry that his fantastic light display runs all hours of the night. Soon, a rivalry breaks out between the two men, with their families caught helplessly in the middle.

The biggest letdown is the lack of comedy. With actors like Broderick and DeVito, two men who have made people laugh for years, they should turn out something better than sheer mediocrity. The few-and-far-between moments belong solely to Broderick, who plays the straight man to DeVito’s over-the-top personality.

Unfortunately, “Deck The Halls” is just another excuse to make a Christmas movie. While there is nice message about the true meaning of the holiday, it’s done in a very forced way. When compared to such classics as “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” and “A Christmas Story,” it becomes remarkably clear that “Deck The Halls” is both forgettable and a waste of time.