Nutcrackers - Review

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

DAVID Gordon Green’s Nutcrackers is the type of movie that invites easy criticism given its formulaic approach to its subject matter and its rather shallow life lessons.

Yet in spite of this and its many other flaws, the film’s shamelessly derivative approach affords it a throwback quality to the films it is trying to emulate (from Uncle Buck to Playing With Fire or Three Men and a Baby) that feels welcome, coupled with some great performances that elevate a generic script.

It also has a couple of leftfield choices that make it more interesting, such as Green’s choice to have written the film specifically for the four brothers at the centre of the story (having been charmed by them after visiting a friend), as well as a couple of the bigger swings he takes with the material.

On the first point, the film’s young cast handsomely reward Green for writing a movie for them by giving entirely naturalistic performances and provoking a likeable blend of kooky and damaged. The brothers in question are real-life siblings Atlas, Arlo, Ulysses and Homer Janson, aged 8 through 13.

The second point, meanwhile, finds Green tossing in some novel choices to lend the film what little originality it has: such as drawing on some horror tricks he learned from his recent remake rampage (Halloween et al) during an early ‘getting to know the kids and their home’ sequence (a snake reveal particularly jumps out at you) and a disarming alternative Nutcracker finale that brings enough individuality and charm to disarm audiences in spite of its otherwise contrived set-up.

Another thing the movie has in its favour is Ben Stiller, lured out of semi acting retirement (this is his first role since 2017), who enlivens the material with a performance that is, by turns, knowing of its genre expectations yet pleasantly affecting.

The story itself is overly familiar and impossibly easy to guess. Stiller plays a hard-working big city type (and career-first loner) who is forced to juggle the completion of a big pitch with having to care for his four nephews, following the death of their parents (and his sister) in an accident.

Michael (Stiller) wants nothing more than to find a foster home for the boys as quickly as possible and works with their appointed social worker (Linda Cardellini) to achieve this, mindful that he could be missing out on a huge career opportunity in the city.

You can pretty much guess what happens next: whether it’s the fact that the kids will eventually win over Uncle Mike, or that he realise what’s really important in life (family over career).

As is so often the case with this type of movie, however, it’s not so much the destination but how you get there.

So, while there is much to justifiably criticise - from its near complete failure to really tackle the grief under-pinning the story to the over-reliance on cliches - there is also still much to like.

Green has openly stated while promoting the film that he wanted to try to recapture the feel-good glow of the movies he grew up with, such as Uncle Buck and The Bad News Bears, and he duly succeeds in doing so (for the most part). And even the film’s message, while contrived and even hypocritical given that it springs from a studio that almost represents the antithesis of what it’s trying to preach, feels nicely timed for a moment where greed, hostility and division seem to have run amok.

Indeed, if nothing else, Nutcrackers exists to celebrate diversity and difference and succeeds in doing so in suitably heart-warming fashion.

That, coupled with the winning performances from all of the principals (Cardellini included, if under-used), makes Nutcrackers a film that entertains in spite of itself. It’s easy viewing that leaves a warm glow.