‘Nutcrackers’: Is A Dated And Formulaic Comedy That Even Ben Stiller Can’t Save

The Toronto International Film Festival’s opening film in 2024 was the Ben Stiller comedy, Nutcrackers. A family-friendly Christmas movie, Nutcrackers sees an ambitious corporate man thrust into becoming the caretaker for his four estranged and wild nephews. As they spend time together, they become closer and create a newfound family with each other. Read on for my Nutcrackers review, where the film feels like it’s something straight out of the 90s. And not in a good way.  

Please note that the following Nutcrackers review will feature some mild spoilers about the film’s premise.  

Nutcracker Is A Blast From The Past 

The David Gordon Green-directed film has the premise of the typical Christmas feel-good family movie that we’ve gotten for decades. A fast-talking, city-living, sports car-driving man has to slow down to take care of some rowdy young children who turn his life upside down. But don’t worry! Their time together melts the heart of the man (Ben Stiller), who ends up becoming the family of his nephews that they thought they lost.  

The story features textbook plot points that one can expect from this kind of premise. The movie in many ways telegraphs its obvious happy ending from the first scene. When we meet Stiller’s character, he’s making deals on his cell phone as his Porsche races down the streets of a rural town. So when he reluctantly has to take care of four of his estranged nephews, the entire movie becomes pretty apparent.  

Unfortunately, director Green takes no risks to set this movie apart from others in the genre. Or anything else interesting, even.  

Nutcrackers Review Adds Noting To The Genre 

In recent years, many Christmas movie franchises have redefined family-friendly holiday movies. Movies like The Christmas Chronicles, Spirited, Klaus, and even multiple horror takes have modernized the genre for a new generation. But Nutcrackers doesn’t add anything new to the genre. But it also, weirdly, doesn’t feel like it wants to.  

Director Green’s recent work included revitalizing the Halloween franchise as well as various episodes of comedy television. However, Nutcrackers doesn’t feel like it’s up to the standards of his previous work. The story moves along at a decent pace while seemingly going through the motions of getting from plot points A to B.  

The movie has all the formulas for a family comedy: the initial montage of the uncle and his nephews not getting along, followed by a bonding moment, supporting characters who help out, while moved by the unlikely family dynamic and the implied love interest—it all just feels like a straightforward approach to formulaic filmmaking.  

Even The Performances Can’t Save The Nutcrackers

In so many ways, the story, execution, and even the performances all feel as if this movie was written in the 90s. Painfully cliched plot points further showcase the disparity of this movie in this genre. While recent Christmas movies update and modernize the ideas for new audiences, Nutcrackers regurgitates the same plot points that have now become trite. Even Stiller’s natural charm and charisma feel muted here, with even Linda Cardellini not able to spark any chemistry between these two characters. The standouts, however, are the four brothers, played by real-life Janson brothers. The four siblings get the best moments, the best one-liners, and the best performances in the movie.

In a movie that doesn’t entirely work for me, the Jansons were a bright ray of sunshine. Their natural and almost idealistic performances work well with Stiller’s grumpiness. The brothers also provide the best emotionally moving moments as well. This Nutcrackers review will end with not entirely dismissing Nutcrackers as a movie. It can easily work as a background watch during Christmas while the family hangs out. But to expect anything more than that would be foolish. 

Grade: C-

Nutcrackers premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival 2024.

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