In Nutcrackers, Ben Stiller returns to the screen in his first leading role in six years as Michael, a busy real estate developer from Chicago. He travels to his late sister’s farm, initially thinking he only needs to handle some paperwork, but soon learns he’s become the guardian of her four wild children. Each kid has their own unique personality, and Michael must navigate the challenges of unexpected parenthood while grappling with his priorities. Throughout this journey, he discovers the importance of connection and what truly matters in life.
From the get-go, you can tell what kind of movie Nutcrackers is, and if there are any doubts, the movie confirms for you in its first two minutes that shows Michael driving while an instrumental version of a Christmas carol plays. Like the rest of the film, the carol feels forced rather than festive, especially since the film has only one brief scene set during Christmas. The director seems uncomfortable crafting a family-friendly movie, relying on cute actors instead of developing genuine charm in the kids, making it hard for the audience to care about them. Balancing heart and annoyance in a children’s film is tricky, and this one unfortunately leans toward the latter.
The plot unfolds predictably, as Michael’s initial detachment gives way to reluctant bonding and the familiar lesson that there’s more to life than work. This leads to the expected misunderstandings and conflict in the third act. While Stiller brings his usual charm to the role, the script weighs him down with clichéd lines.
The four children, intended as the emotional core, are disappointingly one-dimensional; only one receives some development through a subplot about young love. There’s little exploration of their grief, and attempts at humor often fall flat. A recurring joke about a chicken’s name works, but other gags, like a crude joke repeated by one of the children and an out-of-place F-bomb by Stiller, miss the mark. Supporting actors like Linda Cardellini are underused, and the portrayal of the family’s unconventional lifestyle, homeschooling and long hair, feels superficial and lacks nuance (watch Captain Fantastic for a far more interesting movie about that). Moreover, Michael’s absence from his sister’s funeral is never addressed, creating an odd gap in the story.
In the third act, director David Gordon Green and writer Leland Douglas take Nutcrackers down a melodramatic path, introducing unnecessary conflicts and tired tropes, like when characters overhear secrets at the worst possible moments. Green also doesn’t seem to trust the audience to draw their own conclusions, and the worst scene features Michael performing a ballet-like dance to represent his newfound love. Speaking of children’s dance, which the film’s title suggests should be significant, it’s rushed and barely visible in the dark. While the premise might resonate with some viewers and evoke a few emotional moments, the clichés and heavy-handed execution ultimately undermine any lasting impact.