Film Review: NUTCRACKERS (2024): David Gordon Green’s Syrupy Comic Drama Showcases a Solid Performance by Ben Stiller

Nutcrackers Review

Nutcrackers (2024) Film Review, a movie directed by David Gordon Green, written by Leland Douglas and starring Ben Stiller, Homer Janson, Ulysses Janson, Arlo Janson, Atlas Janson, Maren Heisler, Tim Heidecker, Ari Graynor, Ashley Rae Spillers, Lucy Zukaitis, Bryant Carroll, Isabella Steele, Dominick Marrone, Vasily Deris, Jerome Agean, Edi Patterson and Linda Cardellini.

Ben Stiller stars in his first role in several years in a forgettable, cliched comedy/drama from director David Gordon Green, Nutcrackers. Stiller is an actor who is relatable in just about anything he does and he doesn’t disappoint this time out although the script is so predictable that it’s easy to know just about everything that is going to happen by the time the end credits roll.

Stiller plays a guy named Michael who works in Chicago in real estate and is a pretty successful guy overall despite never having had a family of his own. When his sister passes away, Michael is left in charge of his four mischievous, long-haired nephews whose ages range from 8-12 years-old. They are Justice (Homer Janson), the oldest, Junior (Ulysses Janson), Samuel (Atlas Janson) and Simon (Arlo Janson) and they reside in rural Ohio. All hell breaks loose when Michael shows up at their dirty, disgusting home where the dishes aren’t done, a snake roams free in the toilet bowl and Michael is soon expected to teach the home-schooled children sex education.

Linda Cardellini serves as Gretchen, a woman assisting Michael in helping him place the boys in the right foster care home. Cardellini’s function in the movie seems to be rather predictable. Gretchen will obviously try to guide Uncle Michael on his journey to help the boys find a respectable family and what do you think? That’s right, Michael and Gretchen may just form a connection along the way with potential romance in store for them.

Nutcrackers comes out so soon after The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and the two movies are both flawed. However, Nutcrackers is the inferior movie because of the predictability of it all. They both are incredibly awkward films to watch in terms of their opening scenes but Nutcrackers never really tugs at the heartstrings in the way The Best Christmas Pageant Ever did.

Though the film’s title has two implications, it covers its butt by bringing the beloved Christmas classic, The Nutcracker, into the equation. Of course the kids are also “nutcrackers” for Michael in terms of all the mischief they get into and all the trouble they get him in.

Michael tries to get a local wealthy man to adopt the kids and gets oh so close but wouldn’t you know it, they send a cart on his property into the swimming pool, crashing into the Magi along the way. Anyone who doesn’t know how this story line will resolve itself will probably enjoy the movie. One woman seems to only want to adopt the kids for the financial benefits and Michael soon starts to see that he may be the most dependable one to give his sister’s kids the life they deserve.

Nutcrackers has the basic structure for a decent movie. It is undermined by too many scenes where the kids do things that just feel overly exaggerated. There were other ways to show them as being misunderstood besides making them totally unsympathetic in the beginning. Homer Janson as the oldest kid, Justice, is a good performer and makes us care about this character about two thirds into the movie but it may be too late to save the movie because of all the immature humor that precedes the concluding scenes.

Meanwhile, the kids get together to perform in a Christmas show to win over some local residents and, perhaps, find someone to adopt them. But, Michael says the wrong thing and one of the kids overhears him which complicates matters and leads to the schmaltzy conclusion which doesn’t feel earned.

That’s a shame because Stiller puts his whole heart into his role. It’s one of his most nuanced performances to date. Linda Cardellini is likable beside him although there could have been more believable plot developments throughout in order to enhance the chemistry of the two main performers. David Gordon Green too often goes for easy jokes rather than letting the material flow more naturally.

Nutcrackers suffers from some major implausible factors in the story line but still could appeal to movie audiences looking for a heartwarming comedy/drama for the holidays. However, considering the talent involved in this project, it should have been so much more.

Rating: 6/10

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