Nutcrackers

David Gordon Green shifts gears and makes a holiday drama with a premise that's familiar all the way. You know how everything's gonna go down, so the least you'd expect is some Ben Stiller-modeled laughs. There's not much here in the way of humour, except for one very random John Rambo bedtime story. The screenplay offers absolutely no surprises, although this isn't the kind of film that's insufferable to sit through, with mushy melodrama and overblown Christmas aesthetics. For those who were expecting a Christmas classic, well.. this AIN'T it. I'll pick Bad Santa and Violent Night over this any December. And if I need well-written drama, I'd go for The Holdovers.

Nutcrackers (2024) aims to deliver holiday magic but falls far short of expectations, resulting in an experience that feels almost meaningless. The plot meanders without a clear purpose, and the script suffers from poor writing, filled with clichés and lifeless dialogue. This, paired with its overly slow pacing, makes it difficult to stay engaged.

The visuals are uninspired, with bland set designs and lackluster cinematography that fail to capture the festive spirit. The characters are shallow and underdeveloped, offering little for viewers to connect with emotionally. Even moments that aim for humor or charm feel forced and ineffective.

While Nutcrackers might appeal to someone who simply wants to pass the time with a holiday-themed movie, it ultimately fails to provide any memorable or enjoyable moments. It's a disappointing entry in the holiday movie lineup, lacking the warmth and joy that make the genre special.

Nutcrackers is a film starring Ben Stiller as an Uncle who has to try and take care of his sisters 4 boys on their farm as she recently passed away.

Its a situation that takes him out of his corporate office life comfort zone.

His Nephews are free spirited and slightly feral but also dealing with trauma and loss.

This is not a laugh out loud hijinks comedy but more of a heartwarming family film.

There is a vague christmas theme but its mot christmassy per se.

The 4 boys are played brilliantly and very real by 4 actual real life brothers who's real lives mimic that of the story.

Overall its a nice but fairly lightweight watch, its not super deep or super funny but it is heartwarming and has some nice themes.

It was nice to see Ben Stiller back acting again in a more serious role.

6 or 7 out of 10.

I'd watch anything with Ben Stiller in it, at least for a little while, and the little while here was pretty short. To tell the truth, I thought that this was a sure shot for our aging beloved Ben: an aloof businessman learning to love and become a father, as his sister died leaving him four preteen children.

And the kid actors are spot-on on how children behave after such a loss, becoming belligerent, full of angst, and looking for relief by being wild and unruly.

So it has all ingredients to become a tearjerker Christmas drama, but it wants to be an 'uncomfortable' comedy like Meet the Parents, or at least want to be sold as such. And that doesn't fly. Too much mourning and death for such a light-headed comedy it wanted to be. It doesn't fit.

It is set in farm, so it is also a fish out of.water situation for businessman Ben, from where half the 'jokes' come from; all the lazy tropes you already saw a thousand times: Does businessman Ben step on poop as soon as he leaves the car? Yes. Does Ben wake up with animals in his bed? Yes. Is Ben provoked by the kids to kill a chicken for supper? Yes.

And by then I turned off the movie, so take this review with a grain of salt, but whatever happens later in the movie, is already tainted by the tired writing by the numbers and the financial choice to tone down real life drama to fit into a feelgood comedy:

'I guess it is true what mom said about you,' says the older angst sad kid out of the blue in their first interaction.

'What is that?' Clueless Ben asks.

'That you can't love...'

'That is... stupid'

Indeed. Stupid writing. And also so on the nose that bleeds.

It is 2024, when we have access to all sorts of libraries of entertainment, including classics that done these same themes over and over, and you may ask yourself why you are wasting your Christmas time with this movie instead of those. Perhaps because this movie can make you happy that you don't have to deal with four sad hyperactive kids who lost their parents that you would never be able to replace.

Good photography, though.

I went into watching this movie thinking that it was another Ben Stiller slapstick comedy. However, I ended up being pleasantly surprised that Nutcrackers isn't that. It's hard to capture in words, what makes it good. Yes, it's heartwarming, funny and somewhat light, but it's the kids, their animals, and their rural environment that end up capturing your heart. I wasn't surprised when I later read that the boys are actually brothers in real life and that it was filmed on their family's actual farm. Ben Stiller was good but seemed a little out of place in the flow of things - but I guess that was the point wasn't it? :-)